RESEARCH TITLE
1. The most important element that defines the research problem
2. It is usually read first and the most read part of the research
3. It contains the least words enough to describe the contents and the purpose of your research
paper
4. It can be revised any and many times as the research develops and reach its final phase. It
becomes final on its final defense before the panel of judges
ELEMENTS OF A RESEARCH TITLE
1. The subject matter or topic to be investigated. (“What?”)
2. The place or locale where the research is to be conducted. (“Where?”)
3. The population like the respondents’ interviewees. (“Who”?)
4. The time period of the study during which the data are to be collected. (“When”?)
RULES IN CHOOSING A RESEARCH TOPIC
1. Interest in the subject matter. Interest in a subject drives you to research, investigate, or inquire
about it with full motivation, enthusiasm, and energy
2. Availability of information. Information will serve as evidence to support your claims about your
subject matter from varied forms of literature like books, journals, and newspapers, among others, is
a part and parcel of any research work
INCLUDE IN INVESTIGATION OF MATERIALS
a. Update and authority of the materials
b. Copyright dates of the materials. Are they new or old?
c. Expert or qualification of the writers of reading materials about your topic
3. Timeliness and relevance of the topic. How relevant is the topic? a. It yields results that are useful
in society b. Related to the present. (Except for pure or historical research)
4. Limitations on the subject. Connect your choice with course requirements. You need to decide on
one topic to finish your course.
5. Personal resources. Do an assessment on your research abilities in terms of your financial
standing, health condition, mental capacity, needed facilities, and time schedule to enable you to
complete your research
RESEARCH TOPICS TO BE AVOIDED
1. Controversial topics It depends more on the writer’s opinion leading to biases. Facts cannot
support this topic
2. Highly technical subjects Not advisable for beginners as these topics require an advanced study,
technical knowledge, and skills
3. Hard-to-investigate subjects Happens if there are no available reading materials about it and if
such materials are not up-to-date
4. Too broad subjects It prevents you from to focus on the subject matter of the paper Narrow down
or limit the subject to eliminate the problem Home Game Tools Facts Team
5. Too narrow subjects. Subjects that are so limited where an extensive searching is necessary
6. Vague subjects Titles beginning with indefinite adjectives such as several, many, some, etc., as in
“Some Remarkable Traits of a Filipino” or “Several People’s Comments on the RH Law,” are vague
enough to decrease the readers’ interests and curiosity
SOURCES OF RESEARCH TOPICS
1. Mass media communication – press (newspapers, ads, TV, radio, films, etc.)
2. Books, Internet, peer-reviewed journals, government publications
3. Professional periodicals like College English Language Teaching Forum, English
a. Forum, the Economist, Academia, Business Circle, Law Review, etc. 1. General periodicals such as
Readers’ Digest, Women’s Magazine, Panorama a. Magazine, Time Magazine, World Mission
Magazine, etc.
1. Previous reading assignments in your other subjects
2. Work experience – clues to a researchable topic from full-time or part-time jobs, OJT (on-the-job
training) experience, fieldwork, etc.
GUIDELINES IN SELECTING PRACTICAL AND RESEARCHABLE TOPIC
1. Personal Resources Researchers’ own personal training and experiences can influence their
choice of approach. An individual trained in technical, scientific writing, statistics, and
computer statistical programs and familiar with quantitative journals in the library would
most likely choose the quantitative design. On the other hand, individuals who enjoy writing
in a literary way or conducting personal interviews or making up-close observations may
gravitate to the qualitative approach (Creswell 2013).
2. Timeliness and Relevance of the Topic Along the midst of information generator called the
internet, the problem is not lying on the scarcity of information but on overloading of
available sources from the World Wide Web. Thus, a researcher must only identify the
timely and relevant topic that he or she is willing to work on. Baraceros (2019) stated that a
topic is relevant if it yields results that are instrumental in societal improvement. It is timely
if it is related to the present happenings in society in general.
3. Availability of Information In choosing a research topic, it is a must that you visit your library
to check the availability of reading materials related to your chosen topic. Following
questions may guide you as you browse and read your materials in detail: Are the sources
published or unpublished? If published, when is the publication date? Is the author credible
and reliable? Does it contain ISBN (International Serial Book Number) for books and ISSN
(International Standard Serial Number) for journals? If there is scarcity of previous studies
for your topic in your library, then you must go through the internet for additional searching
of the information. If it not also available in the internet, then it is good in advancing your
qualitative investigation.
4. Interest in the Subject Matter Your interest is equivalent with your passion. This means
when you are interested in something, you find a way to do it because you, on the first
place, like it. If you like something, you always have the energy and the will to finish it
whatever it takes. Your commitment is deep to the point that you will wake up even in the
middle of the night or very early in the morning just to attend to your task at hand. Your
interest disturbs your inner peace if you do not do something about it and in the process,
fulfils your creative and motivated spirit.
GUIDELINES ON FORMULATING TITLES OF RESEARCH PAPERS IN THE ACADEME
(American Psychological Association, 2001):
1. The title should encapsulate the main idea of the research.
2. Title should be self-explanatory.
3. Identify theme, subtheme and categories.
4. Avoid using abbreviations
5. Use words that create a positive impression and stimulate reader’s interest.
6. May reveal how the paper will be organized.
7. Do not include “study of," “analysis of” or similar constructions
SELECTED GUIDELINES IN THE FORMULATION OF RESEARCH TITLE
1. The title must contain the following elements:
a. The subject matter or research problem;
b. The setting or locale of the study;
c. The respondents or participants involves in the study; and
d. The time or period when the study was conducted (if the title become too long because of
these elements, the timeframe or period may be omitted except in evaluation studies)
2. The title must be broad enough to include all aspects of the study but should be brief and
concise as possible
3. The use of terms as “Analysis of”, “A Study of”, “An Investigation of” and the like should be
avoided. Al these are understood to have been done in a research.
4. If the title contains more than one line, it should be written in inverted pyramid.
5. When typed or encoded in the title page, all words in the title page should be in capital letters.
6. If possible, the title should not be longer than 15 substantive words.
7. Avoid a long, detailed title that gives too much information.
8. To shorten the title, delete the terms “assessment” or “evaluation” if these are already
emphasized in the text.
CHARACTERISTICS OF A GOOD TITLE
1. A title should give readers information about the contents of the research and is preferable to one
that is vague or general
2. Title do not need to be stuffy or dull but they should generally give readers some idea at the
outset of what the research paper will contain.
3. Choose a title that is a phrase rather than a compete sentence
4. Select a straightforward title over other kinds.
5. Use no punctuation at the end of a title.
6. Do not underline the title of research or enclose it in a quotation marks, instead, use a word
processing program or printer that permits italics. Use them in place of underlining.
