LESSON OBJECTIVES:

At the end of the session, you are expected to:

1. discuss guidelines in writing a working title; and
2. write a research title.
How are research titles written?
(Tucker (2012) discussed that effective titles in academic research papers
have several characteristics:
• Indicate accurately the subject and scope of the study.
• Avoid using abbreviations.
• Use words that create a positive impression and stimulate reader
interest.
• Use current nomenclature from the field of study.
• Identify key variables, both dependent and independent
• May reveal how the paper will be organized
• Suggest a relationship between variables which supports
the major hypothesis.
• Is limited to 10 to 15 substantive words.
• Do not include "study of," "analysis of" or similar constructions.
• Titles are usually in the form of a phrase, but can also be in the form
of a question.
"Title Checklist" from: How to Write a Good Scientific Paper
by Mack (2018)
• The title should be clear and informative, and should
reflect the aim and approach of the work.
• The title should be as specific as possible while still
describing the full range of the work. Does the title,
seen in isolation, give a full yet concise and specific
indication of the work reported?
• Do not mention results or conclusions in the title.
• Avoid: overly clever or punny titles that will not
fare well with search engines or international audiences;
titles that are too short to be descriptive or too long to
be read; jargon, acronyms, or trademarked terms.

A Guide To Writing Scientific Papers (n.d) emphasized that:

• Every scientific paper must have a self-explanatory title
• By reading the title, the work being reported should be
clear to the reader without having to read the paper itself
For example:
The research title,“A Biology Lab Report”, tells the reader
nothing

An example of a good, self-explanatory title would be:

The Effects of Light and Temperature on the Growth of
Populations of the Bacterium, Escherichia coli
• This title reports exactly what the researcher has done
by stating three things:
 1. The environmental factors that were manipulated
(light, temperature).
2. The parameter that was measured (growth).
3. The specific organism that was studied
(the bacterium, Escherichia coli).
If the title had been only:
Effects of Light and Temperature on Escherichia coli
• the reader would have to guess which parameters
were measured
If the title had been:
Effect of Environmental Factors on Growth of Escherichia coli
• the reader would not know which environmental factors
were manipulated

If the title had been:

Effects of Light and Temperature on the Growth of an Organism
• the reader would not know which organism was studied
Exceptions do occur:
• If several factors were manipulated, all of them do not
have to be listed
Example:
Effects of Several Environmental Factors on Growth of
Populations of Escherichia coli
• The same applies if more than two or three organisms
were studied
Example:
Effects of Light and Temperature on the Growth of
Four Species of Bacteria
For example you are given the following abstract:

What will be the most appropriate title for the study?

a. Shedding Some Light on E. Coli
b. Light Emission by Transformed Escherichia coli
c. The Effect of Temperature on Light Emission by Escherichia coli
Transformed to Express the pLUX Gene
d. There is a Significant Increase in the Light Emitted by E. coli
Transformed to Express the pLUX Gene at High Temperatures
Let’s apply what you have learned!

Answer Activity 1 posted in the

google classroom and submit it
before the class ends