thesis title descriptive research

The Savvy Scientist

Experiences of a London PhD student and beyond

Thesis Title: Examples and Suggestions from a PhD Grad

Graphic of a researcher writing, perhaps a thesis title

When you’re faced with writing up a thesis, choosing a title can often fall to the bottom of the priority list. After all, it’s only a few words. How hard can it be?!

In the grand scheme of things I agree that picking your thesis title shouldn’t warrant that much thought, however my own choice is one of the few regrets I have from my PhD . I therefore think there is value in spending some time considering the options available.

In this post I’ll guide you through how to write your own thesis title and share real-world examples. Although my focus is on the PhD thesis, I’ve also included plenty of thesis title examples for bachelor’s and master’s research projects too.

Hopefully by the end of the post you’ll feel ready to start crafting your own!

Why your thesis title is at least somewhat important

It sounds obvious but your thesis title is the first, and often only, interaction people will have with your thesis. For instance, hiring managers for jobs that you may wish to apply for in the future. Therefore you want to give a good sense of what your research involved from the title.

Many people will list the title of their thesis on their CV, at least for a while after graduating. All of the example titles I’ve shared below came from my repository of academic CVs . I’d say roughly 30% of all the academics on that page list their thesis title, which includes academics all the way up to full professor.

Your thesis title could therefore feature on your CV for your whole career, so it is probably worth a bit of thought!

My suggestions for choosing a good thesis title

Make it descriptive of the research so it’s immediately obvious what it is about! Most universities will publish student theses online ( here’s mine! ) and they’re indexed so can be found via Google Scholar etc. Therefore give your thesis a descriptive title so that interested researchers can find it in the future.
Don’t get lost in the detail . You want a descriptive title but avoid overly lengthy descriptions of experiments. Unless a certain analytical technique etc was central to your research, I’d suggest by default* to avoid having it in your title. Including certain techniques will make your title, and therefore research, look overly dated, which isn’t ideal for potential job applications after you graduate.
The title should tie together the chapters of your thesis. A well-phrased title can do a good job of summarising the overall story of your thesis. Think about each of your research chapters and ensure that the title makes sense for each of them.
Be strategic . Certain parts of your work you want to emphasise? Consider making them more prominent in your title. For instance, if you know you want to pivot to a slightly different research area or career path after your PhD, there may be alternative phrasings which describe your work just as well but could be better understood by those in the field you’re moving into. I utilised this a bit in my own title which we’ll come onto shortly.
Do your own thing. Having just laid out some suggestions, do make sure you’re personally happy with the title. You get a lot of freedom to choose your title, so use it however you fancy. For example, I’ve known people to use puns in their title, so if that’s what you’re into don’t feel overly constrained.

*This doesn’t always hold true and certainly don’t take my advice if 1) listing something in your title could be a strategic move 2) you love the technique so much that you’re desperate to include it!

Thesis title examples

To help give you some ideas, here are some example thesis titles from Bachelors, Masters and PhD graduates. These all came from the academic CVs listed in my repository here .

Bachelor’s thesis title examples

Hysteresis and Avalanches Paul Jager , 2014 – Medical Imaging – DKFZ Head of ML Research Group – direct link to Paul’s machine learning academic CV

The bioenergetics of a marine ciliate, Mesodinium rubrum Holly Moeller , 2008 – Ecology & Marine Biology – UC Santa Barbara Assistant Professor – direct link to Holly’s marine biology academic CV

Functional syntactic analysis of prepositional and causal constructions for a grammatical parser of Russian Ekaterina Kochmar , 2008 – Computer Science – University of Bath Lecturer Assistant Prof – direct link to Ekaterina’s computer science academic CV

Master’s thesis title examples

Creation of an autonomous impulse response measurement system for rooms and transducers with different methods Guy-Bart Stan , 2000 – Bioengineering – Imperial Professor – direct link to Guy-Bart’s bioengineering academic CV

Segmentation of Nerve Bundles and Ganglia in Spine MRI using Particle Filters Adrian Vasile Dalca , 2012 – Machine Learning for healthcare – Harvard Assistant Professor & MIT Research Scientist – direct link to Adrian’s machine learning academic CV

The detection of oil under ice by remote mode conversion of ultrasound Eric Yeatman , 1986 – Electronics – Imperial Professor and Head of Department – direct link to Eric’s electronics academic CV

Ensemble-Based Learning for Morphological Analysis of German Ekaterina Kochmar , 2010 – Computer Science – University of Bath Lecturer Assistant Prof – direct link to Ekaterina’s computer science academic CV

VARiD: A Variation Detection Framework for Color-Space and Letter-Space Platforms Adrian Vasile Dalca , 2010 – Machine Learning for healthcare – Harvard Assistant Professor & MIT Research Scientist – direct link to Adrian’s machine learning academic CV

Identification of a Writer’s Native Language by Error Analysis Ekaterina Kochmar , 2011 – Computer Science – University of Bath Lecturer Assistant Prof – direct link to Ekaterina’s computer science academic CV

On the economic optimality of marine reserves when fishing damages habitat Holly Moeller , 2010 – Ecology & Marine Biology – UC Santa Barbara Assistant Professor – direct link to Holly’s marine biology academic CV

Sensitivity Studies for the Time-Dependent CP Violation Measurement in B 0 → K S K S K S at the Belle II-Experiment Paul Jager , 2016 – Medical Imaging – DKFZ Head of ML Research Group – direct link to Paul’s machine learning academic CV

PhD thesis title examples

Spatio-temporal analysis of three-dimensional real-time ultrasound for quantification of ventricular function Esla Angelini – Medicine – Imperial Senior Data Scientist – direct link to Elsa’s medicine academic CV

The role and maintenance of diversity in a multi-partner mutualism: Trees and Ectomycorrhizal Fungi Holly Moeller , 2015 – Ecology & Marine Biology – UC Santa Barbara Assistant Professor – direct link to Holly’s marine biology academic CV

Bayesian Gaussian processes for sequential prediction, optimisation and quadrature Michael Osborne , 2010 – Machine Learning – Oxford Full Professor – direct link to Michael’s machine learning academic CV

Global analysis and synthesis of oscillations: a dissipativity approach Guy-Bart Stan , 2005 – Bioengineering – Imperial Professor – direct link to Guy-Bart’s bioengineering academic CV

Coarse-grained modelling of DNA and DNA self-assembly Thomas Ouldridge , 2011– Bioengineering – Imperial College London Senior Lecturer / Associate Prof – direct link to Thomas’ bioengineering academic CV

4D tomographic image reconstruction and parametric maps estimation: a model-based strategy for algorithm design using Bayesian inference in Probabilistic Graphical Models (PGM) Michele Scipioni , 2018– Biomedical Engineer – Harvard Postdoctoral Research Fellow – direct link to Michele’s biomedical engineer academic CV

Error Detection in Content Word Combinations Ekaterina Kochmar , 2016 – Computer Science – University of Bath Lecturer Assistant Prof – direct link to Ekaterina’s computer science academic CV

Genetic, Clinical and Population Priors for Brain Images Adrian Vasile Dalca , 2016 – Machine Learning for healthcare – Harvard Assistant Professor & MIT Research Scientist – direct link to Adrian’s machine learning academic CV

Challenges and Opportunities of End-to-End Learning in Medical Image Classification Paul Jager , 2020 – Medical Imaging – DKFZ Head of ML Research Group – direct link to Paul’s machine learning academic CV

K 2 NiF 4 materials as cathodes for intermediate temperature solid oxide fuel cells Ainara Aguadero , 2006 – Materials Science – Imperial Reader – direct link to Ainara’s materials science academic CV

Applications of surface plasmons – microscopy and spatial light modulation Eric Yeatman , 1989 – Electronics – Imperial Professor and Head of Department – direct link to Eric’s electronics academic CV

Geometric Algorithms for Objects in Motion Sorelle Friedler , 2010 – Computer science – Haverford College Associate Professor – direct link to Sorelle’s computer science academic CV .

Geometrical models, constraints design, information extraction for pathological and healthy medical image Esla Angelini – Medicine – Imperial Senior Data Scientist – direct link to Elsa’s medicine academic CV

Why I regret my own choice of PhD thesis title

I should say from the outset that I assembled my thesis in quite a short space of time compared to most people. So I didn’t really spend particularly long on any one section, including the title.

However, my main supervisor even spelled out for me that once the title was submitted to the university it would be permanent. In other words: think wisely about your title.

What I started with

Initially I drafted the title as something like: Three dimensional correlative imaging for cartilage regeneration . Which I thought was nice, catchy and descriptive.

I decided to go for “correlative imaging” because, not only did it describe the experiments well, but it also sounded kind of technical and fitting of a potential pivot into AI. I’m pleased with that bit of the title.

What I ended up with

Before submitting the title to the university (required ahead of the viva), I asked my supervisors for their thoughts.

One of my well intentioned supervisors suggested that, given that my project didn’t involve verifying regenerative quality, I probably shouldn’t state cartilage regeneration . Instead, they suggested, I should state what I was experimenting on (the materials) rather than the overall goal of the research (aid cartilage regeneration efforts).

With this advice I dialled back my choice of wording and the thesis title I went with was:

Three dimensional correlative imaging for measurement of strain in cartilage and cartilage replacement materials

Reading it back now I’m reminder about how less I like it than my initial idea!

I put up basically no resistance to the supervisor’s choice, even though the title sounds so much more boring in my opinion. I just didn’t think much of it at the time. Furthermore, most of my PhD was actually in a technique which is four dimensional (looking at a series of 3D scans over time, hence 4D) which would have sounded way more sciency and fitting of a PhD.

What I wish I’d gone with

If I had the choice again, I’d have gone with:

Four-dimensional correlative imaging for cartilage regeneration

Which, would you believe it, is exactly what it states on my CV…

Does the thesis title really matter?

In all honesty, your choice of thesis title isn’t that important. If you come to regret it, as I do, it’s not the end of the world. There are much more important things in life to worry about.

If you decide at a later stage that you don’t like it you can always describe it in a way that you prefer. For instance, in my CV I describe my PhD as I’d have liked the title to be. I make no claim that it’s actually the title so consider it a bit of creative license.

Given that as your career progresses you may not even refer back to your thesis much, it’s really not worth stressing over. However, if you’re yet to finalise your thesis title I do still think it is worth a bit of thought and hopefully this article has provided some insights into how to choose a good thesis title.

My advice for developing a thesis title

Draft the title early. Drafting it early can help give clarity for the overall message of your research. For instance, while you’re assembling the rest of your thesis you can check that the title encompasses the research chapters you’re included, and likewise that the research experiments you’re including fall within what the title describes. Drafting it early also gives more time you to think it over. As with everything: having a first draft is really important to iterate on.
Look at some example titles . Such as those featured above!
If you’re not sure about your title, ask a few other people what they think . But remember that you have the final say!

I hope this post has been useful for those of you are finalising your thesis and need to decide on a thesis title. If you’ve enjoyed this article and would like to hear about future content (and gain access to my free resource library!) you can subscribe for free here:

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18 Descriptive Research Examples

Descriptive research examples and definition, explained below

Descriptive research involves gathering data to provide a detailed account or depiction of a phenomenon without manipulating variables or conducting experiments.

A scholarly definition is:

“Descriptive research is defined as a research approach that describes the characteristics of the population, sample or phenomenon studied. This method focuses more on the “what” rather than the “why” of the research subject.” (Matanda, 2022, p. 63)

The key feature of descriptive research is that it merely describes phenomena and does not attempt to manipulate variables nor determine cause and effect .

To determine cause and effect , a researcher would need to use an alternate methodology, such as experimental research design .

Common approaches to descriptive research include:

Cross-sectional research : A cross-sectional study gathers data on a population at a specific time to get descriptive data that could include categories (e.g. age or income brackets) to get a better understanding of the makeup of a population.
Longitudinal research : Longitudinal studies return to a population to collect data at several different points in time, allowing for description of changes in categories over time. However, as it’s descriptive, it cannot infer cause and effect (Erickson, 2017).

Methods that could be used include:

Surveys: For example, sending out a census survey to be completed at the exact same date and time by everyone in a population.
Case Study : For example, an in-depth description of a specific person or group of people to gain in-depth qualitative information that can describe a phenomenon but cannot be generalized to other cases.
Observational Method : For example, a researcher taking field notes in an ethnographic study. (Siedlecki, 2020)

Descriptive Research Examples

1. Understanding Autism Spectrum Disorder (Psychology): Researchers analyze various behavior patterns, cognitive skills, and social interaction abilities specific to children with Autism Spectrum Disorder to comprehensively describe the disorder’s symptom spectrum. This detailed description classifies it as descriptive research, rather than analytical or experimental, as it merely records what is observed without altering any variables or trying to establish causality.

2. Consumer Purchase Decision Process in E-commerce Marketplaces (Marketing): By documenting and describing all the factors that influence consumer decisions on online marketplaces, researchers don’t attempt to predict future behavior or establish causes—just describe observed behavior—making it descriptive research.

3. Impacts of Climate Change on Agricultural Practices (Environmental Studies): Descriptive research is seen as scientists outline how climate changes influence various agricultural practices by observing and then meticulously categorizing the impacts on crop variability, farming seasons, and pest infestations without manipulating any variables in real-time.

4. Work Environment and Employee Performance (Human Resources Management): A study of this nature, describing the correlation between various workplace elements and employee performance, falls under descriptive research as it merely narrates the observed patterns without altering any conditions or testing hypotheses.

5. Factors Influencing Student Performance (Education): Researchers describe various factors affecting students’ academic performance, such as studying techniques, parental involvement, and peer influence. The study is categorized as descriptive research because its principal aim is to depict facts as they stand without trying to infer causal relationships.

6. Technological Advances in Healthcare (Healthcare): This research describes and categorizes different technological advances (such as telemedicine, AI-enabled tools, digital collaboration) in healthcare without testing or modifying any parameters, making it an example of descriptive research.

7. Urbanization and Biodiversity Loss (Ecology): By describing the impact of rapid urban expansion on biodiversity loss, this study serves as a descriptive research example. It observes the ongoing situation without manipulating it, offering a comprehensive depiction of the existing scenario rather than investigating the cause-effect relationship.

8. Architectural Styles across Centuries (Art History): A study documenting and describing various architectural styles throughout centuries essentially represents descriptive research. It aims to narrate and categorize facts without exploring the underlying reasons or predicting future trends.

9. Media Usage Patterns among Teenagers (Sociology): When researchers document and describe the media consumption habits among teenagers, they are performing a descriptive research study. Their main intention is to observe and report the prevailing trends rather than establish causes or predict future behaviors.

10. Dietary Habits and Lifestyle Diseases (Nutrition Science): By describing the dietary patterns of different population groups and correlating them with the prevalence of lifestyle diseases, researchers perform descriptive research. They merely describe observed connections without altering any diet plans or lifestyles.

11. Shifts in Global Energy Consumption (Environmental Economics): When researchers describe the global patterns of energy consumption and how they’ve shifted over the years, they conduct descriptive research. The focus is on recording and portraying the current state without attempting to infer causes or predict the future.

12. Literacy and Employment Rates in Rural Areas (Sociology): A study aims at describing the literacy rates in rural areas and correlating it with employment levels. It falls under descriptive research because it maps the scenario without manipulating parameters or proving a hypothesis.

13. Women Representation in Tech Industry (Gender Studies): A detailed description of the presence and roles of women across various sectors of the tech industry is a typical case of descriptive research. It merely observes and records the status quo without establishing causality or making predictions.

14. Impact of Urban Green Spaces on Mental Health (Environmental Psychology): When researchers document and describe the influence of green urban spaces on residents’ mental health, they are undertaking descriptive research. They seek purely to understand the current state rather than exploring cause-effect relationships.

15. Trends in Smartphone usage among Elderly (Gerontology): Research describing how the elderly population utilizes smartphones, including popular features and challenges encountered, serves as descriptive research. Researcher’s aim is merely to capture what is happening without manipulating variables or posing predictions.

16. Shifts in Voter Preferences (Political Science): A study describing the shift in voter preferences during a particular electoral cycle is descriptive research. It simply records the preferences revealed without drawing causal inferences or suggesting future voting patterns.

17. Understanding Trust in Autonomous Vehicles (Transportation Psychology): This comprises research describing public attitudes and trust levels when it comes to autonomous vehicles. By merely depicting observed sentiments, without engineering any situations or offering predictions, it’s considered descriptive research.

18. The Impact of Social Media on Body Image (Psychology): Descriptive research to outline the experiences and perceptions of individuals relating to body image in the era of social media. Observing these elements without altering any variables qualifies it as descriptive research.

Descriptive vs Experimental Research

Descriptive research merely observes, records, and presents the actual state of affairs without manipulating any variables, while experimental research involves deliberately changing one or more variables to determine their effect on a particular outcome.

De Vaus (2001) succinctly explains that descriptive studies find out what is going on , but experimental research finds out why it’s going on /

Simple definitions are below:

Descriptive research is primarily about describing the characteristics or behaviors in a population, often through surveys or observational methods. It provides rich detail about a specific phenomenon but does not allow for conclusive causal statements; however, it can offer essential leads or ideas for further experimental research (Ivey, 2016).
Experimental research , often conducted in controlled environments, aims to establish causal relationships by manipulating one or more independent variables and observing the effects on dependent variables (Devi, 2017; Mukherjee, 2019).

Experimental designs often involve a control group and random assignment . While it can provide compelling evidence for cause and effect, its artificial setting might not perfectly mirror real-worldly conditions, potentially affecting the generalizability of its findings.

These two types of research are complementary, with descriptive studies often leading to hypotheses that are then tested experimentally (Devi, 2017; Zhao et al., 2021).

Benefits and Limitations of Descriptive Research

Descriptive research offers several benefits: it allows researchers to gather a vast amount of data and present a complete picture of the situation or phenomenon under study, even within large groups or over long time periods.

It’s also flexible in terms of the variety of methods used, such as surveys, observations, and case studies, and it can be instrumental in identifying patterns or trends and generating hypotheses (Erickson, 2017).

However, it also has its limitations.

The primary drawback is that it can’t establish cause-effect relationships, as no variables are manipulated. This lack of control over variables also opens up possibilities for bias, as researchers might inadvertently influence responses during data collection (De Vaus, 2001).

Additionally, the findings of descriptive research are often not generalizable since they are heavily reliant on the chosen sample’s characteristics.

See More Types of Research Design Here

De Vaus, D. A. (2001). Research Design in Social Research . SAGE Publications.

Devi, P. S. (2017). Research Methodology: A Handbook for Beginners . Notion Press.

Erickson, G. S. (2017). Descriptive research design. In New Methods of Market Research and Analysis (pp. 51-77). Edward Elgar Publishing.

Gresham, B. B. (2016). Concepts of Evidence-based Practice for the Physical Therapist Assistant . F.A. Davis Company.

Ivey, J. (2016). Is descriptive research worth doing?. Pediatric nursing , 42 (4), 189. ( Source )

Krishnaswamy, K. N., Sivakumar, A. I., & Mathirajan, M. (2009). Management Research Methodology: Integration of Principles, Methods and Techniques . Pearson Education.

Matanda, E. (2022). Research Methods and Statistics for Cross-Cutting Research: Handbook for Multidisciplinary Research . Langaa RPCIG.

Monsen, E. R., & Van Horn, L. (2007). Research: Successful Approaches . American Dietetic Association.

Mukherjee, S. P. (2019). A Guide to Research Methodology: An Overview of Research Problems, Tasks and Methods . CRC Press.

Siedlecki, S. L. (2020). Understanding descriptive research designs and methods. Clinical Nurse Specialist , 34 (1), 8-12. ( Source )

Zhao, P., Ross, K., Li, P., & Dennis, B. (2021). Making Sense of Social Research Methodology: A Student and Practitioner Centered Approach . SAGE Publications.

Dave Cornell (PhD)

Dr. Cornell has worked in education for more than 20 years. His work has involved designing teacher certification for Trinity College in London and in-service training for state governments in the United States. He has trained kindergarten teachers in 8 countries and helped businessmen and women open baby centers and kindergartens in 3 countries.

Dave Cornell (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/dave-cornell-phd/ 25 Positive Punishment Examples
Dave Cornell (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/dave-cornell-phd/ 25 Dissociation Examples (Psychology)
Dave Cornell (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/dave-cornell-phd/ 15 Zone of Proximal Development Examples
Dave Cornell (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/dave-cornell-phd/ Perception Checking: 15 Examples and Definition

Chris Drew (PhD)

This article was peer-reviewed and edited by Chris Drew (PhD). The review process on Helpful Professor involves having a PhD level expert fact check, edit, and contribute to articles. Reviewers ensure all content reflects expert academic consensus and is backed up with reference to academic studies. Dr. Drew has published over 20 academic articles in scholarly journals. He is the former editor of the Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education and holds a PhD in Education from ACU.

Chris Drew (PhD) #molongui-disabled-link 25 Positive Punishment Examples
Chris Drew (PhD) #molongui-disabled-link 25 Dissociation Examples (Psychology)
Chris Drew (PhD) #molongui-disabled-link 15 Zone of Proximal Development Examples
Chris Drew (PhD) #molongui-disabled-link Perception Checking: 15 Examples and Definition

1 thought on “18 Descriptive Research Examples”

Very nice, educative article. I appreciate the efforts.

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Public Opinion Transition in China: Evidence from Weibo (2022)
Gender and Co-sponsorship in U.S. Congress (2017)
Accessing Social Influences of Congressmen with Keyword Network (2016)
How presidential election in 2016 affects the stock market – A Twitter sentiment analysis perspective (2016)
Assessing Assessors: A Study on Anti-Corruption Strategies in New York City’s Property Tax System (2016)
Demographic Trends in Virginia 2013
The determinants of Party and Coalition Identification in Chile: The effect of long and short-term factors (2013)
Radical Moderation: Factors Affecting Support for Islamic Extremism (2012)
Accommodationists versus Hardliners in Slovakia: Correlates of Public Opinion on Selected Foreign Policy Topics 2004 - 2010 (2012)
Measurement and Belief: Determinants of Federal Funding for Public Diplomacy Programs (2010)
Consumerism and Political Connectedness in Socialist Czechoslovakia (2010) - History
Civilizations and Social Tolerance: A Multi-Level Analysis of 58 Countries (2008)
How Does the 1965 Immigration Act Matter? (2006)
7200 Revolutions per Minute: An Economic Analysis of the Struggle between the Recording Industry and Peer-to-Peer File Sharing Networks (2005)
Classifying Myers-Briggs Personality Type based on Text (2021)
Hiding Behind the Computer Screen: Imposter Phenomenon in the Tech Industry (2022)
Relation between dark tourism on-site experience and visitors’ satisfaction (2022)
Evaluating the Impact of Self-perceptions of Creativity and DemographicFactors on Arts Participation: Evidence from the United States (2021)
Running head: QUEER HAPPINESS AND SUPPORTExamining Happiness in LGBTQ+ People and its Relationshipwith Worsened Parental Relationships After Coming Out (2021)
The Impact of Donating Behavior on the Level of Happiness (2021)
Birds of a Feather, or Do Opposites Attract? THE IMPACT OF PERSONALITY TRAITS ON CONSTRAINT AND HOMOPHILY WITHIN SOCIAL NETWORKS (2017)
Predicting Social Value Orientation from Personal Information and Survey Metadata (2017)
All the Feels: Sentiment Analysis Between Emoji and Text (2017)
Social Media Interface and the Next Generation Cognitive Mapping in New York City (2016)
Is Prospective Memory Ability Flexible? Manipulating Value to Increase Goal Significance (2011)
Will a Nation Be Happier with a More Even Income Distribution? (2007)
Behavioral Extensions to the Topology of Fear: A Gedankenexperimen (2007)
Psychological Control and Preschoolers' Externalizing and Internalizing Behaviors in China (2003)
Prevalence and success of diversity-and-inclusion projects on education crowdfunding platform (2022)
Does gentrification cause the displacement of urban black populations? (2022)
Feedback and Gender in the Workplace: Should You Expect Equal Evaluation from Men and Women? (2021)
What are the determinants for art practitioners to choose self-employment? (2022)
An empirical research for studying the influence of star popularity on the box office of movies (2022)
Couple Dissolution Between Couples Who Meet Offline Versus Couples Who Meet Offline (2021)
Masculine Men Who Wear Makeup: Exploring the Evolving Masculinity (2021)
Do Individual Or Environmental Factors Play a Greater Role in Shaping the Intentions of Female High School Students to Enrol in STEM (2021) Programmes in University?:Evidence from the High School Longitudinal Study of 2009 (2021)
COVID-19 Information Narrative Beliefs Across Social Media Platforms (2021)
Spatial Wage Penalty for Young Mothers: Exploring the Discrepancy of Education Return between Metro and Non-metro Areas (2016)
Inequality Matters: A new Empirical Framework for Studying the Impact of Rising Socioeconomic Inequality on the Poor (2016)
Immigration, Income, and Occupation: Peruvian Immigrants in the Chilean Labor Market (2014)
Preferring France's 35-Hour Workweek: The Effects of Media on Work-Life Balance Preference Formation (2014)
The Effect of College Education on Individual Social Trust in the United States– An Examination of the Causal Mechanisms (2013)
Socio-economic Inequality and Socio-emotional Relationship Quality: Cause and effect? (2013)
Examination of the Relationship between mother's employment status and one's family gender role attitudes (2012)
A Study of Materialism Level among Mid-Atlantic residents (2012)
Relation Recombination - A Sociological Patent Analysis (2012)
The Relationship between Religious Attitudes and Concern for the Environment (2012)
Marrying Down: The Gender Gap in Post-Secondary Completion & Education Hypogamy between 1960 and 2010 (2012)
2.0 Social Networks Have an Impact on our Real Lives (2011)
Evidence of Ethnic Solidarity in Marriage Patterns of Hmong and Sino-Vietnamese in United States (2011)
What Explains the Racial Disparity in Employment Discrimination Case Outcomes? (2010)
Reading Race: The Changing Views of Human Difference in American History Textbooks, 1870-1930 (2010)
Satisfaction with Life (2010)
Entering the "Real World": An Empirical Investigation of College Graduates' Satisfaction with Life (2010)
The Relationship between the Establishment of Marine Protected Areas and Biomass Productivity of Municipal Fisheries in the Philippines (2010)
Performance Surveys, Citizen Respondents, and Satisfaction of Public Services: An Analysis of NYC Feedback Citywide Customer Survey (2009)
Analysis of Job Retention Programs of the Center for Employment Opportunities of the Formerly Incarcerated (2009)
The Intergenerational Transfer of Human Capital: The Role of Grandparents' Education in Grandchildren's Cognitive Abilities (2009)
Are Homicide Trends Fads? Diffusion Analysis of the Urban-rural Spillover Effects on Homicide Incidents from 1960-1990 in the South Atlantic States (2008)
Rejection Sensitivity and the Contagious Effect of Mood Regulation in Romantic Couples (2008)
Women and the Homeostasis of the Inmate Population
An Examination of the Relationship between Government Funding Allocation and Services Provided by Nonprofit Organizations in Brooklyn and the Bronx, 1997-2000 (2007)
The Concurrent Validity of Maternal Self-report: The Impact of Social Desirability on Substance Use and Prenatal Care (2006)
The Effect of Housing Programs on the Economic Outcomes: Utilizing Observation Study Results from Minnesota Family Investment Program (2005)
The Influences of Physician Attributes on Cesarean Likelihood (2004)
Effects of Unemployment, Female Labor Force Participation, and Divorce on Suicide in Turkey: A Durkheimian Evaluation in a non-Western Milieu (2004)
An Experimental Study of the Small World Problem (2002)
The Relationship between Welfare Participation and Social Support (2002)
Sound and Silence: A Structural Analysis of Conversation Topics (2002)
A Reexamination of the Police and Crime Relationship: The New Role Community Policing Plays in Crime Prevention (2001)
DNA Evidence in Court: Jurors, Statistical Training, and Pre-instruction in the Procedural Law (2001)
The Role of Race in Education: An Analysis of Children in Brazil (2001)

Statistics/Computer Science

Predicting Spotify's songs' popularity (2022)
Hiding Behind the Computer Screen: Imposter Phenomenon in the Tech Industry (2021)
An Unsupervised Learning Approach to Address Crime in Mexico, 2012 – 2016 (2017)
Imputation of a variable completely unobserved in one wave of a panel: father’s earnings in the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (2016)

An Analysis of Pairwise Preference (2016)

Measuring Political Risk and Market Returns (2014)
Which Yelp Reviews will be Voted Useful?- Predicting the Number of Useful Votes Yelp Reviews will get using Machine Learning Algorithms (2014)
Polities and Size: Legitimizing or Limiting? (2013)
The Role of Domain Knowledge in Environmental Concern and Willingness-to-Pay for Environmental Protection: Results from a U.S. Survey of Public Opinion (2013)
The Power to Judge: Social Power Influences Moral Judgments of Simple and Complex Transgressions (2013)
A Time Series Analysis of Crime Rates and Concern for Crime in the United States: 1973-2010 (2012)
TV Gets Social: Evaluating Social Media Data to Explain Variability among Nielsen TV Ratings (2012)
Unit Root or Mean Reversion in Stock Index: Evidence from Nigeria (2010)
Homogeneity in Political Discussion Networks and its Factors (2007)
Why Shift Policy? (2006)
Point Detection for Poisson Disorder - Application in Earthquake Occurrence in Northern California, 1910 - 1999 (2004)
Stock Volatility and Economic Activity: A Causal Analysis (2004)
Strategic Information Transmission in Lobbying (2003)
Economic Theory and Happiness in Mexico: An Extension (2001)
Sales Forecasting Methods: A Consumer Products Company's Perspective (2001)
Soccer Teams Need to Win at Home: The Fans that Increase those Chances (2001)
The impact of school management on student performance (2022)
An investigation of the relationship between educational attainment and COVID-19 vaccination hesitancy in the US (2022)
Does Accountability Help or HinderSchools?: The Mississippi School Accountability Model and its Effect on School Performance (2021)
The Relationship between Education and Health (2021)
Quantifying Variation in American School Safety with Explainable Machine Learning:An Application of Machine Learning Feature Importances for the Social Sciences (2021)
Age, Gender, and Comorbidities Affect Prevalence of Dyscalculia and Dyslexia, A Large-Scale Study of Specific Learning Disabilities Among Chinese Children (2021)
Validation of Fitbit for use in Objective Measurement of Physical Activity and Sleep in Children and Adults (2014)
Do Experienced Principals Fare Better? Estimates of Principal Value-Added (2014)
Beyond the Test Score Gap: Non-Cognitive Skills, High School Graduation, and Post-Secondary Employment (2012)
The Impact of the Level of Native Language Proficiency on the Literacy Achievement of English Language Leisures (2012)
The Effect of School Building Design on Student Achievement (2011)
Measuring Universal Primary Education Using Household Survey Data: The Case of the Millennium Villages Project (2011)
An Additional Burden for Urban Schools: Teacher Transfer Policies and School Performance (2011)
Evaluating Dual Enrollment Programs: Do Location and Instructor Matter? (2010)
A Multi-level Growth-curve Analysis of the Association between Student Body Composition and English Literacy Development among Language Minority Students in New York City Public Schools (2010)
Methods Supporting Policies in Education Reform (2010)
Have Inclusionary Policies in Higher Education Really Helped?: Looking at College Accessibility and the College-wage Premium, 1962-2007 (2010)
NCLB and Curriculum Standards: What Really Impacts Teachers' Decisions to Leave the Profession? (2010)
Exploring the Relationship between Video Games and Academic Achievement via Cross-sectional and Longitudinal Analyses (2009)
Racial Disparities in Collegiate Cognitive Gains: A Multi-level Analysis of Institutional Influences on Learning and its Equitable Distribution (2009)
Hoping for Higher Ed: The Differential Effects of Parental Expectations of Education Attainment (2009)
The Impact of Family Communication on Risk Behavior among Boston Public High School Students (2009)
Path Towards an Attainable Future: The Effect of College Access Programs on High School Dropout (2009)
Traditional vs. Non-traditional College Students and Future Job Satisfaction: A Statistical Approach (2008)
A Multi-level Analysis of Student Assignment to Out-of-field and Uncertified High School Math Teachers: Implications for Educational Equity and Access (2008)
The Impact of Obesity on Education (2005)
The Gender Gap in Standardized Math Tests: Do the Gender Gaps in Math Self-concept and Other Affective Variables Contribute to the Gender Gap in Scores? (2004)
An Alternative Approach to Selection Bias in School Choice: Using Propensity Score Matching to Examine School Sector and Teacher Quality Impact on Educational Outcomes (2003)

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Child Care and Early Education Research Connections

Descriptive research studies.

Descriptive research is a type of research that is used to describe the characteristics of a population. It collects data that are used to answer a wide range of what, when, and how questions pertaining to a particular population or group. For example, descriptive studies might be used to answer questions such as: What percentage of Head Start teachers have a bachelor's degree or higher? What is the average reading ability of 5-year-olds when they first enter kindergarten? What kinds of math activities are used in early childhood programs? When do children first receive regular child care from someone other than their parents? When are children with developmental disabilities first diagnosed and when do they first receive services? What factors do programs consider when making decisions about the type of assessments that will be used to assess the skills of the children in their programs? How do the types of services children receive from their early childhood program change as children age?

Descriptive research does not answer questions about why a certain phenomenon occurs or what the causes are. Answers to such questions are best obtained from randomized and quasi-experimental studies . However, data from descriptive studies can be used to examine the relationships (correlations) among variables. While the findings from correlational analyses are not evidence of causality, they can help to distinguish variables that may be important in explaining a phenomenon from those that are not. Thus, descriptive research is often used to generate hypotheses that should be tested using more rigorous designs.

A variety of data collection methods may be used alone or in combination to answer the types of questions guiding descriptive research. Some of the more common methods include surveys, interviews, observations, case studies, and portfolios. The data collected through these methods can be either quantitative or qualitative. Quantitative data are typically analyzed and presenting using descriptive statistics . Using quantitative data, researchers may describe the characteristics of a sample or population in terms of percentages (e.g., percentage of population that belong to different racial/ethnic groups, percentage of low-income families that receive different government services) or averages (e.g., average household income, average scores of reading, mathematics and language assessments). Quantitative data, such as narrative data collected as part of a case study, may be used to organize, classify, and used to identify patterns of behaviors, attitudes, and other characteristics of groups.

Descriptive studies have an important role in early care and education research. Studies such as the National Survey of Early Care and Education and the National Household Education Surveys Program have greatly increased our knowledge of the supply of and demand for child care in the U.S. The Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey and the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study Program have provided researchers, policy makers and practitioners with rich information about school readiness skills of children in the U.S.

Each of the methods used to collect descriptive data have their own strengths and limitations. The following are some of the strengths and limitations of descriptive research studies in general.

Study participants are questioned or observed in a natural setting (e.g., their homes, child care or educational settings).

Study data can be used to identify the prevalence of particular problems and the need for new or additional services to address these problems.

Descriptive research may identify areas in need of additional research and relationships between variables that require future study. Descriptive research is often referred to as "hypothesis generating research."

Depending on the data collection method used, descriptive studies can generate rich datasets on large and diverse samples.

Limitations:

Descriptive studies cannot be used to establish cause and effect relationships.

Respondents may not be truthful when answering survey questions or may give socially desirable responses.

The choice and wording of questions on a questionnaire may influence the descriptive findings.

Depending on the type and size of sample, the findings may not be generalizable or produce an accurate description of the population of interest.

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Methodology
Descriptive Research Design | Definition, Methods & Examples

Descriptive Research Design | Definition, Methods & Examples

Published on 5 May 2022 by Shona McCombes . Revised on 10 October 2022.

Descriptive research aims to accurately and systematically describe a population, situation or phenomenon. It can answer what , where , when , and how questions , but not why questions.

A descriptive research design can use a wide variety of research methods to investigate one or more variables . Unlike in experimental research , the researcher does not control or manipulate any of the variables, but only observes and measures them.

When to use a descriptive research design, descriptive research methods.

Descriptive research is an appropriate choice when the research aim is to identify characteristics, frequencies, trends, and categories.

It is useful when not much is known yet about the topic or problem. Before you can research why something happens, you need to understand how, when, and where it happens.

How has the London housing market changed over the past 20 years?
Do customers of company X prefer product Y or product Z?
What are the main genetic, behavioural, and morphological differences between European wildcats and domestic cats?
What are the most popular online news sources among under-18s?
How prevalent is disease A in population B?

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Descriptive research is usually defined as a type of quantitative research , though qualitative research can also be used for descriptive purposes. The research design should be carefully developed to ensure that the results are valid and reliable .

Survey research allows you to gather large volumes of data that can be analysed for frequencies, averages, and patterns. Common uses of surveys include:

Describing the demographics of a country or region
Gauging public opinion on political and social topics
Evaluating satisfaction with a company’s products or an organisation’s services

Observations

Observations allow you to gather data on behaviours and phenomena without having to rely on the honesty and accuracy of respondents. This method is often used by psychological, social, and market researchers to understand how people act in real-life situations.

Observation of physical entities and phenomena is also an important part of research in the natural sciences. Before you can develop testable hypotheses , models, or theories, it’s necessary to observe and systematically describe the subject under investigation.

Case studies

A case study can be used to describe the characteristics of a specific subject (such as a person, group, event, or organisation). Instead of gathering a large volume of data to identify patterns across time or location, case studies gather detailed data to identify the characteristics of a narrowly defined subject.

Rather than aiming to describe generalisable facts, case studies often focus on unusual or interesting cases that challenge assumptions, add complexity, or reveal something new about a research problem .

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How to write good research paper titles

Your title is the first and most important step in engaging your reader. It should be concise, interesting and summarise the essential content of the document. Any title that is lengthy, overly complex, ambiguous or misleading can turn away prospective readers. This writing guide gives an overview of the different types of titles and explains the essential steps in designing your title.

Title structure

Titles can be sentence fragments, complete sentences or compound sentences with the second sentence typically following a colon.

To help the paper appear in search results, it is common practice to place keywords in the title. Keywords used in the title should be placed in the beginning in case only a fragment of the title appears in the search results.

Terms used to describe types of titles

Common terms used to describe different types of research paper titles are Descriptive, declarative, interrogative, suggestive, humorous and combination titles.

Descriptive titles or indicative titles

Descriptive titles state the subject, topic, design, purpose or methods of the project. For example:

‘Effects of natural forest and tree plantations on leaf-litter frog assemblages in Southern Brazil.’ ( Cicheleiro et al. 2021 ).
‘An efficient incremental learning mechanism for tracking concept drift in spam filtering.’ ( Jyh-Jian et al. 2017 ).

Declarative or Informative titles

These titles give the main findings or result of the study. For example:

‘Novel flight style and light wings boost flight performance of tiny beetles.’ ( Farisenkov et al 2022 ).
‘Cause of hypereosinophilia shows itself after 6 years: Loa loa.’ ( Hicks et al. 2022 ).

There is some concern that presenting the results or conclusions in the title of a paper will appear presumptive: that titles containing a definitive statement or final conclusion of a study, might prove problematic if that finding is later disproved.

Some journals prefer informative titles. For example, the Journal of Clinical Epidemiology has “… an editorial policy of “more informative titles” (MITs) that crisply and concisely tell our readers what our authors found in their research. A MIT states the study type and summarizes its key findings, using the past tense for individual studies and the present tense for systematic reviews .” The idea is that titles for small individual studies should be written in past tense to allow future studies to overrule or disagree with their findings, while titles should be written in present tense for studies that are unlikely to be over-ruled by later studies: i.e. literature reviews. Some research has also demonstrated that “articles with short titles describing the results are cited more often.” ( Paiva et al. 2012 ).

Interrogative titles

Interrogative titles or titles phrased as a question. The use of questions in titles can create interest by making the reader immediately wonder what the answer might be. It is also a concise way of presenting the research topic.

For example:

‘Does adding video and subtitles to an audio lesson facilitate its comprehension?’ ( Zheng et al. 2022 ).
‘Microbial defenses against mobile genetic elements and viruses: Who defends whom from what?’ ( Eduardo et al. 2022 ).

Suggestive titles

These are titles that are slightly ambiguous or overly brief to hint or suggest what the findings might be, presumably to create suspense to entice the reader to find out what the answer is. For example:

‘Drawing to improve metacomprehension accuracy’. ( Thiede et al. 2022 ).
‘The puzzle of high temperature superconductivity in layered iron pnictides and chalcogenides.’ ( Johnston 2010 ).

Humorous or colloquial title

These are titles that hope to attract interest through humour or common-use sayings, colloquialism or metaphors. These types of titles can be used to good effect. However, be mindful that colloquialisms might not make sense to readers from different language or cultural backgrounds.

For example:

‘miR miR on the wall, who's the most malignant medulloblastoma miR of them all?’ ( Wang et al 2018 ).
‘One ring to multiplex them all’ ( Torres-Company 2017 ).
‘Sauropod farts warmed the planet.’ ( Marshall 2012 ).

Combination titles

Combination titles are those that include a combination of different types listed above.

The following example uses a colloquialism in the key title with the findings mentioned in the sub-title:

‘Standing out in a crowd: Intraspecific variability in dorsal patterning allows for photo-identification of a threatened anuran.’ ( Gould et al. 2021 ).

The following example has the following structure: ‘Topic: results of study’

Plastic Pollution in the World's Oceans: More than 5 Trillion Plastic Pieces Weighing over 250,000 Tons Afloat at Sea ( Eriksen et al. 2014 ).

Which type is better?

There are conflicting views which type of title is better. There are arguments for and against different types, with research findings presenting the pros and cons of different types of title. Before you decide which is best, first look at how titles are commonly structured in recently published journals within your discipline.

Essential steps in designing your title

The following steps will help you design your document title.

1. Read the Instructions to Authors

Once you have selected a journal, review the types of titles recently published and read the Instructions to Authors to learn what the journal requires for paper titles. Instructions regarding titles are often brief. For example:

- Elsevier’s Guide for Authors “Title - Concise and informative. Titles are often used in information-retrieval systems. Avoid abbreviations and formulae where possible.”

- Plos One Submission Guidelines state that titles should be “…Specific, descriptive, concise, and comprehensible to readers outside the field.” and “…written in sentence case (only the first word of the text, proper nouns, and genus names are capitalized). Avoid specialist abbreviations if possible. For clinical trials, systematic reviews, or meta-analyses, the subtitle should include the study design.”

2. Consider your audience

Although the expected audience is broadly set by the scope of the journal, you still need to identify who will be interested in your paper. Who is your target audience? Are they scientists who mostly work in your field or will they include researchers from other disciplines? Consider what aspects of your project would attract your target audience and whether or not you can include these in your title.

3. Decide what aspects of your study to include in your title

As outlined above (Types of titles) decide whether you want to describe the process (descriptive) the result (informative) the research question or problem (integrative) or a combination of these factors.

Description of methods and study design

Titles of research papers, reports and conference proceedings often contain standard research methods. For example:

‘Plant-based diets and incident cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality in African Americans: A cohort study.’ ( Weston et al. 2022 ).
‘Using scale modelling to assess the prehistoric acoustics of Stonehenge.’ ( Cox et al. 2020 ).
‘The use of chronosequences in studies of ecological succession and soil development.’ ( Walker et al 2010 ).

Description of study subjects and location

Titles often just describe the key study subject, and also often including habitat or location. For example:

‘Making (remote) sense of lianas.’ ( van der Heijden 2022 ).
‘The vulnerability of native rangeland plant species to global climate change in the West Asia and North African regions’ ( Ouled Belgacem & Louhaichi 2013 ).

How specific or general should your title be?

Your title should be unique to your project. Hopefully, no one else is writing a paper exactly the same as you, and your title should reflect this. If your title is too broad or general, then you may give the impression that the study is larger than it is or that it is a literature review. This is when it is important to make a distinction between ‘topic’ (general) and ‘title’ (specific). Unless you are writing a literature review or presenting a large-scale study, don’t give your research topic as your title.

Including information on the scope of the study will also help the reader understand the magnitude of your study and from this, the importance and implications of the findings. In the following example, “in highway bridges” gives the scope of the study:

‘Finite element based fatigue assessment of corrugated steel web beams in highway bridges.’ ( Wang & Wang 2015 ).

Avoid making your title too long with too much specific detail. For example, perhaps this title is too long:

‘Use of open-text responses to recode categorical survey data on postpartum contraception use among women in the United States: A mixed-methods inquiry of Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System data.’ ( Richards et al, 2022 ).

4. Consider your reader’s behaviour

Assume your reader only has a short time to decide if your title is relevant and that they will only review the abstract if the title interests them. Titles that include standard procedures, common cause-effect scenarios or well-known research topics, might be overlooked in preference for titles describing unique approaches or interesting findings.

5. Check that your title is clear and easy to read

Your main message must be clear. Your titles don’t have to be grammatically-complete sentences, but make sure they make sense, especially if you have tried to shorten them by cutting out words. Don’t sacrifice clarity for brevity by making your title obscure.

Beware of using adjectival-noun strings in your titles. This is when authors try and be more concise by placing too many adjectives in front a single noun making it difficult to decipher whether each adjective is actually modifying the root noun or another word in the adjectival-noun string. Take an example from a student report: ‘ Australian insecticide control failure .’ (Anon.) This might be interpreted as:

The failure of insecticide to control something in Australia.
The failure of Australian insecticide to control something somewhere else.
The failure to control [the use of] Australian insecticide.

Another unclear example: ‘Post head emergence spring radiative frost damage of winter cereals.’ (Anon.) It could be made even longer: ‘Winter cereal post head emergence spring radiative frost damage.’

6. Check your title length

The shorter the title, the easier it will be to read but only to a certain point. Too short and you risk sacrificing your meaning. Also, If you leave out too much detail, the title may appear too general and mislead the reader. If the reader has to guess what the meaning, you increase the chance of losing them. Check that your title is not too ambiguous, cryptic or inadvertently misleading. An ambiguous media release example:

‘Lupins show healthy potential for increased human consumption.’ ( Australian Food News 2008 ).

7. Check that your title is concise

Titles can be made more concise by removing unnecessary repetition and detail. Common research phrases can be removed without affecting the meaning or structure of the title. Examples of these research phrases include ‘The influence of...’, ‘The role of..’, ‘Effects of..’, ‘Observations of..,’ ‘Studies on...’

For example: ‘Annual variation in the distribution of summer snowdrifts in the Kosciuszko alpine area, Australia, and its effect on the composition and structure of alpine vegetation.’ ( Edmonds et al. 2006 ) [25 words] could be reduced to: “Distribution of summer snowdrifts influences composition and structure of Kosciuszko alpine vegetation, Australia” [13 words].

8. Ways to make your title more interesting

Ask a question

By writing a title in the form of a question you are immediately inviting the reader to think. For example:

‘Whose shoulders is health research standing on? Determining the key actors and contents of the prevailing biomedical research agenda.’ ( Testoni et al. 2021 ).

Be humorous or focus on the unusual or unexpected

Mildly humorous titles immediately engage the reader while unusual or unexpected tiles create curiosity.

‘On human odour, malaria mosquitoes, and Limburger cheese.’ ( Knols 1996 ).

Final considerations

My key advice is, ensure your title is concise, easy to read (for your target audience), not too long and adequately reflects your study’s design or purpose (not too general or too specific).

Is it hard to read?
If it is a question, does it make your reader wonder what the answer is?
If it is a summary of your methods, are these methods unique or reveal a fresh approach or are they just standard and well-known and therefore unlikely to stand-out?
If it is the answer or conclusion to your problem, are you risking letting the reader think they now don’t need to read the paper? Or might your conclusion-title be a way to hook your reader into finding out more about your study?
Does it create interest or curiosity?

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80+ Great Research Titles Examples in Various Academic Fields

Coming up with a research title for an academic paper is one of the most challenging parts of the writing process. Even though there is an unlimited quantity of research titles to write about, knowing which one is best for you can be hard. We have done the research for you and compiled eighty examples of research titles to write on. Additionally, we have divided the research titles examples into sections to make them easier to choose.

Research Study Examples of Current Events

Examples of research topics on ethics, title of research study examples on health, research paper title examples on social concerns, examples of research title on art and culture, example of research interest in religion, samples of research study topics on technology, research examples of environmental studies, good research title examples on history, specific topic examples regarding education, research title examples for students on family, food, and nutrition, research problems examples computer science, samples of research title about business marketing and communications, sample of research study topics in women’s studies, research problem example on politics, what are some examples of research paper topics on law, final words about research titles.

When it comes to choosing a good sample research title, research is one of the best tips you can get. By reading widely, including your school notes and scholarly articles, you will have a problem/line of interest examples in research. Then, you can derive any question from areas that appear to have a knowledge gap and proceed with researching the answer. As promised, below are eighty research title examples categorized into different areas, including social media research topics .

Discuss the peculiar policies of a named country – for example, discuss the impacts of the one-child policy of China.
Research on the influence of a named political leader, say a president, on the country they governed and other countries around. For instance, you can talk about how Trump’s presidency has changed international relations.
Conduct an analysis of a particular aspect of two named countries – for example, the history of the relationship between the U.S. and North Korea.
Compare the immigration laws in two or more named countries – for example, discuss how the immigration laws in the U.S. compares with other countries.
Discuss how the Black Lives Matter movement has affected the view and discussions about racism in the United States.
Enumerate the different ways the government of the United States can reduce deaths arising from the unregulated use of guns.
Analyze the place of ethics in medicine or of medical practitioners. For instance, you can discuss the prevalence of physician-assisted suicides in a named country. You may also talk about the ethicality of such a practice and whether it should be legal.
Explain how recent research breakthroughs have affected that particular field – for instance, how stem cell research has impacted the medical field.
Explain if and why people should be able to donate organs in exchange for money.
Discuss ethical behaviors in the workplace and (or) the educational sector. For example, talk about whether or not affirmative action is still important or necessary in education or the workplace.
Weigh the benefits and risks of vaccinating children and decide which one outweighs the other. Here, you might want to consider the different types of vaccinations and the nature and frequency of associated complications.
Investigate at least one of the health issues that currently pose a threat to humanity and which are under investigation. These issues can include Alzheimer’s, cancer, depression, autism, and HIV/AIDS. Research how these issues affect individuals and society and recommend solutions to alleviate cost and suffering.
Study some individuals suffering from and under treatment for depression. Then, investigate the common predictors of the disease and how this information can help prevent the issue.

Tip : To make this example of a research title more comprehensive, you can focus on a certain age range – say, teenagers.

Discuss whether or not free healthcare and medication should be available to people and the likely implications.
Identify and elucidate different methods or programs that have been most effective in preventing or reducing teen pregnancy.
Analyze different reasons and circumstances for genetic manipulation and the different perspectives of people on this matter. Then, discuss whether or not parents should be allowed to engineer designer babies.
Identify the types of immigration benefits, including financial, medical, and education, your country provides for refugees and immigrants. Then, discuss how these benefits have helped them in settling down and whether more or less should be provided.
Discuss the acceptance rate of the gay community in your country or a specific community. For example, consider whether or not gay marriage is permitted if they can adopt children, and if they are welcome in religious gatherings.
Explore and discuss if terrorism truly creates a fear culture that can become a society’s unintended terrorist.
Consider and discuss the different techniques one can use to identify pedophiles on social media.

Tip : Social issues research topics are interesting, but ensure you write formally and professionally.

Investigate the importance or lack of importance of art in primary or secondary education. You can also recommend whether or not it should be included in the curriculum and why.

Tip : You can write on this possible research title based on your experiences, whether positive or negative.

Discuss the role of illustration in children’s books and how it facilitates easy understanding in children. You may focus on one particular book or select a few examples and compare and contrast.
Should the use of art in books for adults be considered, and what are the likely benefits?
Compare and contrast the differences in art from two named cultural Renaissance – for instance, the Northern Renaissance and the Italian Renaissance.
Investigate how sexism is portrayed in different types of media, including video games, music, and film. You can also talk about whether or not the amount of sexism portrayed has reduced or increased over the years.
Explore different perspectives and views on dreams; are they meaningful or simply a game of the sleeping mind? You can also discuss the functions and causes of dreams, like sleeping with anxiety, eating before bed, and prophecies.
Investigate the main reasons why religious cults are powerful and appealing to the masses, referring to individual cases.
Investigate the impact of religion on the crime rate in a particular region.

Tip : Narrow down this research title by choosing to focus on a particular age group, say children or teenagers, or family. Alternatively, you can focus on a particular crime in the research to make the paper more extensive.

Explore reasons why Martin Luther decided to split with the Catholic church.
Discuss the circumstances in Siddhartha’s life that led to him becoming the Buddha.

Tip : It is important to remove sentiments from your research and base your points instead on clear evidence from a sound study. This ensures your title of research does not lead to unsubstantiated value judgments, which reduces the quality of the paper.

Discuss how the steel sword, gunpowder, biological warfare, longbow, or atomic bomb has changed the nature of warfare.

Tip : For this example of the research problem, choose only one of these technological developments or compare two or more to have a rich research paper.

Explore the changes computers, tablets, and smartphones have brought to human behaviors and culture, using published information and personal experience.

Tip : Approach each research study example in a research paper context or buy research paper online , giving a formal but objective view of the subject.

Are railroads and trains primary forces in the industrialization, exploitation, and settlement of your homeland or continent?
Discuss how the use of fossil fuels has changed or shaped the world.

Tip : Narrow down this title of the research study to focus on a local or particular area or one effect of fossil fuels, like oil spill pollution.

Discuss what progress countries have made with artificial intelligence. You can focus on one named country or compare the progress of one country with another.
Investigate the factual status of global warming – that is, is it a reality or a hoax? If it is a reality, explore the primary causes and how humanity can make a difference.
Conduct in-depth research on endangered wildlife species in your community and discuss why they have become endangered. You can also enumerate what steps the community can take to prevent these species from going extinct and increase their chances of survival.
Investigate the environmental soundness of the power sources in your country or community. Then, recommend alternative energy sources that might be best suited for the area and why.
Consider an area close to wildlife reserves and national parks, and see whether oil and mineral exploration has occurred there. Discuss whether this action should be allowed or not, with fact-backed reasons.
Investigate how the use and abolishment of DDT have affected the population of birds in your country.

Tip : Each example research title requires that you consult authoritative scientific reports to improve the quality of your paper. Furthermore, specificity and preciseness are required in each example of research title and problem, which only an authority source can provide.

Discuss the importance of a major historical event and why it was so important in the day. These events can include the assassination of John F. Kennedy or some revolutionary document like the Magna Carta.
Consider voyagers such as the Vikings, Chinese, as well as native populations and investigate whether Columbus discovered America first.
Choose a named historical group, family, or individual through their biographies, examining them for reader responses.
Research people of different cultural orientations and their responses to the acts of others who live around them.
Investigate natural disasters in a named country and how the government has responded to them. For example, explore how the response of the New Orleans government to natural disasters has changed since Hurricane Katrina.

Tip : Focus this research title sample on one particular country or natural disaster or compare the responses of two countries with each other.

Explore the educational policy, “no child left behind,” investigating its benefits and drawbacks.
Investigate the concept of plagiarism in the twenty-first century, its consequences, and its prevalence in modern universities. Take a step further to investigate how and why many students don’t understand the gravity of their errors.
Do in-depth research on bullying in schools, explaining the seriousness of the problem in your area in particular. Also, recommend actions schools, teachers, and parents can take to improve the situation if anything.
Explore the place of religion in public schools; if it has a place, explain why, and if it does not, explain why not.
Does a student’s financial background have any effect on his or her academic performance? In this sample research title, you can compare students from different financial backgrounds, from wealthy to average, and their scores on standardized tests.
Is spanking one’s child considered child abuse; if so, why? In this research problem example for students, consider whether or not parents should be able to spank their children.
Investigate the relationship between family health and nutrition, focusing on particular nutrition. This example of the title of the research study, for instance, can focus on the relationship between breastfeeding and baby health.
Elucidate on, if any, the benefits of having a home-cooked meal and sitting down as a family to eat together.
Explore the effect of fast-food restaurants on family health and nutrition, and whether or not they should be regulated.
Research local food producers and farms in your community, pinpointing how much of your diet is acquired from them.

Tip : These are great research titles from which you can coin research topics for STEM students .

Compare and contrast the two major operating systems: Mac and Windows, and discuss which one is better.

Tip : This title of the research study example can lead to strong uninformed opinions on the matter. However, it is important to investigate and discuss facts about the two operating systems, basing your conclusions on these.

Explain the effect of spell checkers, autocorrect functions, and grammar checkers on the writing skills of computer users. Have these tools improved users’ writing skills or weakened them?

Tip : For this example of title research, it is better to consider more than one of these tools to write a comprehensive paper.

Discuss the role(s) artificial intelligence is playing now or will likely play in the future as regards human evolution.
Identify and investigate the next groundbreaking development in computer science (like the metaverse), explaining why you believe it will be important.
Discuss a particular trendsetting technological tool, like blockchain technology, and how it has benefited different sectors.

Tip : For this research title example, you may want to focus on the effect of one tool on one particular sector. This way, you can investigate this example of research and thesis statement about social media more thoroughly and give as many details as possible.

Consider your personal experiences as well as close friends’ and families experiences. Then, determine how marketing has invaded your lives and whether these impersonal communications are more positive than negative or vice versa.
Investigate the regulations (or lack thereof) that apply to marketing items to children in your region. Do you think these regulations are unfounded, right, or inadequate?
Investigate the merits and demerits of outsourcing customer services; you can compare the views of businesses with those of their customers.
How has the communication we do through blog sites, messaging, social media, email, and other online platforms improved interpersonal communications if it has?
Can understanding culture change the way you do business? Discuss how.

Tip : Ensure you share your reasoning on this title of the research study example and provide evidence-backed information to support your points.

Learn everything you can about eating disorders like bulimia and anorexia, as well as their causes, and symptoms. Then, investigate and discuss the impact of its significance and recommend actions that might improve the situation.
Research a major development in women’s history, like the admission of women to higher institutions and the legalization of abortion. Discuss the short-term and (or) long-term implications of the named event or development.
Discuss gender inequality in the workplace – for instance, the fact that women tend to earn less than men for doing the same job. Provide specific real-life examples as you explain the reasons for this and recommend solutions to the problem.
How have beauty contests helped women: have they empowered them in society or objectified them?

Tip : You may shift the focus of this topic research example to female strippers or women who act in pornographic movies.

Investigate exceptional businesswomen in the 21st century; you can focus on one or compare two or more.

Tip : When writing on the title of a research example related to women, avoid using persuasion tactics; instead, be tactful and professional in presenting your points.

Discuss the unique nature and implications of Donald Trump’s presidency on the United States and the world.
Investigate the conditions and forces related to the advent and rise of Nazi Germany. Shift the focus of this title research example on major wars like WWI or the American Civil War.
Is the enormous amount of money spent during election campaigns a legitimate expense?
Investigate a named major political scandal that recently occurred in your region or country. Discuss how it started, how its news spread, and its impacts on individuals in that area.
Discuss the impacts British rule had on India.
Investigate the rate of incarceration in your region and compare it with that of other countries or other regions.
Is incarcerating criminals an effective solution in promoting the rehabilitation of criminals and controlling crime rates?
Consider various perspectives on the issue of gun control and coin several argumentative essay topics on the matter.
Why do drivers continue to text while driving despite legal implications and dire consequences?
Discuss the legality of people taking their own lives due to suffering from a debilitating terminal disease.

Each example of the research title provided in this article will make for a rich, information-dense research paper. However, you have a part to play in researching thoroughly on the example of the research study. To simplify the entire process for you, hiring our writing services is key as you wouldn’t have to worry about choosing topics. Our team of skilled writers knows the right subject that suits your research and how to readily get materials on them.

6 Important Tips on Writing a Research Paper Title

When you are searching for a research study on a particular topic, you probably notice that articles with interesting, descriptive research titles draw you in. By contrast, research paper titles that are not descriptive are usually passed over, even though you may write a good research paper with interesting contents. This shows the importance of coming up with a good title for your research paper when drafting your own manuscript.

Importance of a Research Title

The research title plays a crucial role in the research process, and its importance can be summarized as follows:

Why do Research Titles Matter?

Before we look at how to title a research paper, let’s look at a research title example that illustrates why a good research paper should have a strong title.

Imagine that you are researching meditation and nursing, and you want to find out if any studies have shown that meditation makes nurses better communicators. You conduct a keyword search using the keywords “nursing”, “communication”, and “meditation.” You come up with results that have the following titles:

Benefits of Meditation for the Nursing Profession: A Quantitative Investigation
Why Mindful Nurses Make the Best Communicators
Meditation Gurus
Nurses on the Move: A Quantitative Report on How Meditation Can Improve Nurse Performance

All four of these research paper titles may describe very similar studies—they could even be titles for the same study! As you can see, they give very different impressions.

Title 1 describes the topic and the method of the study but is not particularly catchy.
Title 2 partly describes the topic, but does not give any information about the method of the study—it could simply be a theoretical or opinion piece.
Title 3 is somewhat catchier but gives almost no information at all about the article.
Title 4 begins with a catchy main title and is followed by a subtitle that gives information about the content and method of the study.

As we will see, Title 4 has all the characteristics of a good research title.

Characteristics of a Good Research Title

According to rhetoric scholars Hairston and Keene, making a good title for a paper involves ensuring that the title of the research accomplishes four goals as mentioned below:

It should predict the content of the research paper .
It should be interesting to the reader .
It should reflect the tone of the writing .
It should contain important keywords that will make it easier to be located during a keyword search.

Let’s return to the examples in the previous section to see how to make a research title.

As you can see in the table above, only one of the four example titles fulfills all of the criteria of a suitable research paper title.

Related: You’ve chosen your study topic, but having trouble deciding where to publish it? Here’s a comprehensive course to help you identify the right journal .

Tips for Writing an Effective Research Paper Title

When writing a research title, you can use the four criteria listed above as a guide. Here are a few other tips you can use to make sure your title will be part of the recipe for an effective research paper :

Make sure your research title describes (a) the topic, (b) the method, (c) the sample, and (d) the results of your study. You can use the following formula:

[ Result ]: A [ method ] study of [ topic ] among [ sample ] Example : Meditation makes nurses perform better: a qualitative study of mindfulness meditation among German nursing students

Avoid unnecessary words and jargons. Keep the title statement as concise as possible. You want a title that will be comprehensible even to people who are not experts in your field. Check our article for a detailed list of things to avoid when writing an effective research title .
Make sure your title is between 5 and 15 words in length.
If you are writing a title for a university assignment or for a particular academic journal, verify that your title conforms to the standards and requirements for that outlet. For example, many journals require that titles fall under a character limit, including spaces. Many universities require that titles take a very specific form, limiting your creativity.
Use a descriptive phrase to convey the purpose of your research efficiently.
Most importantly, use critical keywords in the title to increase the discoverability of your article.

Resources for Further Reading

In addition to the tips above, there are many resources online that you can use to help write your research title. Here is a list of links that you may find useful as you work on creating an excellent research title:

The University of Southern California has a guide specific to social science research papers: http://libguides.usc.edu/writingguide/title
The Journal of European Psychology Students has a blog article focusing on APA-compliant research paper titles: http://blog.efpsa.org/2012/09/01/how-to-write-a-good-title-for-journal-articles/
This article by Kristen Hamlin contains a step-by-step approach to writing titles: http://classroom.synonym.com/choose-title-research-paper-4332.html

Are there any tips or tricks you find useful in crafting research titles? Which tip did you find most useful in this article? Leave a comment to let us know!

Hairston, M., & Keene, M. 2003. Successful writing . 5th ed. New York: Norton.
University of Southern California. 2017. Organizing your social sciences research paper: choosing a title . [Online] Available at: http://libguides.usc.edu/writingguide/title

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I am doing a research work on sales girls or shop girls using qualititative method. Basicly I am from Pakistan and writing on the scenario of mycountry. I am really confused about my research title can you kindly give some suggestions and give me an approperaite tilte

Hi Zubair, Thank you for your question. However, the information you have provided is insufficient for drafting an appropriate title. Information on what exactly you intend to study would be needed in order to draft a meaningful title. Meanwhile, you can try drafting your own title after going through the following articles our website: https://www.enago.com/academy/top-10-tips-on-choosing-an-attractive-research-title/ , https://www.enago.com/academy/writing-a-good-research-title-things-to-avoid/ , https://www.enago.com/academy/write-irresistible-research-paper-title/ We would be happy to give you feedback and suggest changes if required. Did you get a chance to install our free Mobile App? https://www.enago.com/academy/mobile-app/ . Make sure you subscribe to our weekly newsletter https://www.enago.com/academy/subscribe-now/ .

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Thank you for this. It helped me improve my research title. I just want to verify to you the title I have just made. “Ensuring the safety: A Quantitative Study of Radio Frequency Identification system among the selected students of ( school’s name ).

(I need your reply asap coz we will be doing the chap. 1 tomorrow. Thank u in advance. 🙂 )

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Hi Joan, Thank you for your question. We are glad to know that you found our resources useful. Your feedback is very valuable to us. You can try drafting your own title after going through the following articles on our website: https://www.enago.com/academy/top-10-tips-on-choosing-an-attractive-research-title/ , https://www.enago.com/academy/writing-a-good-research-title-things-to-avoid/ , https://www.enago.com/academy/write-irresistible-research-paper-title/

We would be happy to give you feedback and suggest changes if required. Did you get a chance to install our free Mobile App? https://www.enago.com/academy/mobile-app/ . Make sure you subscribe to our weekly newsletter https://www.enago.com/academy/subscribe-now/ .

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I need help. I need a research title for my study about early mobilization of the mechanically ventilated patients in the ICU. Any suggestions would be highly appreciated.

Thank you for posting your query on the website. When writing manuscripts, too many scholars neglect the research title. This phrase, along with the abstract, is what people will mostly see and read online. Title research of publications shows that the research paper title does matter a lot. Both bibliometrics and altmetrics tracking of citations are now, for better or worse, used to gauge a paper’s “success” for its author(s) and the journal publishing it. Interesting research topics coupled with good or clever yet accurate research titles can draw more attention to your work from peers and the public alike. You can check through the following search results for titles on similar topics: https://www.google.com/search?q=early+mobilization+of+the+mechanically+ventilated+patients+in+the+icu&rlz=1C1GCEU_enIN907IN907&oq=&aqs=chrome.0.69i59.4920093j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8 .

We hope this would be helpful in drafting an attractive title for your research paper.

Please let us know in case of any other queries.

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Home » 500+ Quantitative Research Titles and Topics

500+ Quantitative Research Titles and Topics

Table of Contents

Quantitative research involves collecting and analyzing numerical data to identify patterns, trends, and relationships among variables. This method is widely used in social sciences, psychology , economics , and other fields where researchers aim to understand human behavior and phenomena through statistical analysis. If you are looking for a quantitative research topic, there are numerous areas to explore, from analyzing data on a specific population to studying the effects of a particular intervention or treatment. In this post, we will provide some ideas for quantitative research topics that may inspire you and help you narrow down your interests.

Quantitative Research Titles

Quantitative Research Titles are as follows:

Business and Economics

“Statistical Analysis of Supply Chain Disruptions on Retail Sales”
“Quantitative Examination of Consumer Loyalty Programs in the Fast Food Industry”
“Predicting Stock Market Trends Using Machine Learning Algorithms”
“Influence of Workplace Environment on Employee Productivity: A Quantitative Study”
“Impact of Economic Policies on Small Businesses: A Regression Analysis”
“Customer Satisfaction and Profit Margins: A Quantitative Correlation Study”
“Analyzing the Role of Marketing in Brand Recognition: A Statistical Overview”
“Quantitative Effects of Corporate Social Responsibility on Consumer Trust”
“Price Elasticity of Demand for Luxury Goods: A Case Study”
“The Relationship Between Fiscal Policy and Inflation Rates: A Time-Series Analysis”
“Factors Influencing E-commerce Conversion Rates: A Quantitative Exploration”
“Examining the Correlation Between Interest Rates and Consumer Spending”
“Standardized Testing and Academic Performance: A Quantitative Evaluation”
“Teaching Strategies and Student Learning Outcomes in Secondary Schools: A Quantitative Study”
“The Relationship Between Extracurricular Activities and Academic Success”
“Influence of Parental Involvement on Children’s Educational Achievements”
“Digital Literacy in Primary Schools: A Quantitative Assessment”
“Learning Outcomes in Blended vs. Traditional Classrooms: A Comparative Analysis”
“Correlation Between Teacher Experience and Student Success Rates”
“Analyzing the Impact of Classroom Technology on Reading Comprehension”
“Gender Differences in STEM Fields: A Quantitative Analysis of Enrollment Data”
“The Relationship Between Homework Load and Academic Burnout”
“Assessment of Special Education Programs in Public Schools”
“Role of Peer Tutoring in Improving Academic Performance: A Quantitative Study”

Medicine and Health Sciences

“The Impact of Sleep Duration on Cardiovascular Health: A Cross-sectional Study”
“Analyzing the Efficacy of Various Antidepressants: A Meta-Analysis”
“Patient Satisfaction in Telehealth Services: A Quantitative Assessment”
“Dietary Habits and Incidence of Heart Disease: A Quantitative Review”
“Correlations Between Stress Levels and Immune System Functioning”
“Smoking and Lung Function: A Quantitative Analysis”
“Influence of Physical Activity on Mental Health in Older Adults”
“Antibiotic Resistance Patterns in Community Hospitals: A Quantitative Study”
“The Efficacy of Vaccination Programs in Controlling Disease Spread: A Time-Series Analysis”
“Role of Social Determinants in Health Outcomes: A Quantitative Exploration”
“Impact of Hospital Design on Patient Recovery Rates”
“Quantitative Analysis of Dietary Choices and Obesity Rates in Children”

Social Sciences

“Examining Social Inequality through Wage Distribution: A Quantitative Study”
“Impact of Parental Divorce on Child Development: A Longitudinal Study”
“Social Media and its Effect on Political Polarization: A Quantitative Analysis”
“The Relationship Between Religion and Social Attitudes: A Statistical Overview”
“Influence of Socioeconomic Status on Educational Achievement”
“Quantifying the Effects of Community Programs on Crime Reduction”
“Public Opinion and Immigration Policies: A Quantitative Exploration”
“Analyzing the Gender Representation in Political Offices: A Quantitative Study”
“Impact of Mass Media on Public Opinion: A Regression Analysis”
“Influence of Urban Design on Social Interactions in Communities”
“The Role of Social Support in Mental Health Outcomes: A Quantitative Analysis”
“Examining the Relationship Between Substance Abuse and Employment Status”

Engineering and Technology

“Performance Evaluation of Different Machine Learning Algorithms in Autonomous Vehicles”
“Material Science: A Quantitative Analysis of Stress-Strain Properties in Various Alloys”
“Impacts of Data Center Cooling Solutions on Energy Consumption”
“Analyzing the Reliability of Renewable Energy Sources in Grid Management”
“Optimization of 5G Network Performance: A Quantitative Assessment”
“Quantifying the Effects of Aerodynamics on Fuel Efficiency in Commercial Airplanes”
“The Relationship Between Software Complexity and Bug Frequency”
“Machine Learning in Predictive Maintenance: A Quantitative Analysis”
“Wearable Technologies and their Impact on Healthcare Monitoring”
“Quantitative Assessment of Cybersecurity Measures in Financial Institutions”
“Analysis of Noise Pollution from Urban Transportation Systems”
“The Influence of Architectural Design on Energy Efficiency in Buildings”

Quantitative Research Topics

Quantitative Research Topics are as follows:

The effects of social media on self-esteem among teenagers.
A comparative study of academic achievement among students of single-sex and co-educational schools.
The impact of gender on leadership styles in the workplace.
The correlation between parental involvement and academic performance of students.
The effect of mindfulness meditation on stress levels in college students.
The relationship between employee motivation and job satisfaction.
The effectiveness of online learning compared to traditional classroom learning.
The correlation between sleep duration and academic performance among college students.
The impact of exercise on mental health among adults.
The relationship between social support and psychological well-being among cancer patients.
The effect of caffeine consumption on sleep quality.
A comparative study of the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral therapy and pharmacotherapy in treating depression.
The relationship between physical attractiveness and job opportunities.
The correlation between smartphone addiction and academic performance among high school students.
The impact of music on memory recall among adults.
The effectiveness of parental control software in limiting children’s online activity.
The relationship between social media use and body image dissatisfaction among young adults.
The correlation between academic achievement and parental involvement among minority students.
The impact of early childhood education on academic performance in later years.
The effectiveness of employee training and development programs in improving organizational performance.
The relationship between socioeconomic status and access to healthcare services.
The correlation between social support and academic achievement among college students.
The impact of technology on communication skills among children.
The effectiveness of mindfulness-based stress reduction programs in reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression.
The relationship between employee turnover and organizational culture.
The correlation between job satisfaction and employee engagement.
The impact of video game violence on aggressive behavior among children.
The effectiveness of nutritional education in promoting healthy eating habits among adolescents.
The relationship between bullying and academic performance among middle school students.
The correlation between teacher expectations and student achievement.
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Titles in research articles and doctoral dissertations: cross-disciplinary and cross-generic perspectives

Published: 29 February 2024

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Jialiang Hao ORCID: orcid.org/0009-0006-5980-4451 1 , 2

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Although titles are often regarded as a minimal aspect of academic discourse, they play a crucial role in knowledge construction across various disciplines and genres. This study examined four features of titles, namely, title length, punctuation usage, structure, and content information, with a corpus comprising 1600 titles of research articles (RAs) from top journals and doctoral dissertations (DDs) from prestigious universities across four soft and hard science disciplines. The results confirm disciplinary and generic variations within the titles of these two critical academic genres. Titles in linguistics and medicine are generally longer than those in economics and computer science (CS). Slightly more titles in hard disciplines contain punctuation than do those in soft disciplines. The average title length of RAs is longer than that of DDs, and more RA titles than DD titles have punctuation in all four disciplines, with no apparent difference in the punctuation variety across the two genres, except for CS titles. Nominal group titles and compound titles are the two most common types, and prepositional phrase titles are the least common in all four disciplines and genres. The content information in titles is different in each discipline and genre. These findings are partially congruent with those of previous studies, indicating the significance of further investigating titles across disciplines and genres.

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Acknowledgements

The researcher thanks the handling editor and the anonymous reviewers for their valuable comments, which significantly contributed to enhancing the quality of the manuscript.

This research was supported and funded by the Scientific Research Program Funded by Shaanxi Provincial Education Department (Program No. 23JK0100).

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Hao, J. Titles in research articles and doctoral dissertations: cross-disciplinary and cross-generic perspectives. Scientometrics (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-024-04941-4

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Guide for Writing a Thesis Title

A thesis title refers to a paper’s short header comprising of two parts. The first section comprises the information regarding the work’s topic while the second part covers the research methods. The primary objective of a title is to capture the reader’s attention while briefly describing the paper. Consequently, students should know how to compose a good title when writing a dissertation.

Ideally, thesis titles express the arguments and subjects of the papers. Therefore, researchers should write titles after writing their theses. That’s because they know the course of their arguments after completing their theses. Remember that this title is the first thing that readers see upon receiving the paper. Therefore, this section should provide a concise topic view that the paper addresses.

To ensure your thesis title captures the reader’s attention and effectively describes your paper, consider seeking the assistance of a professional dissertation writer . Our experts will help you craft a compelling and informative title that accurately reflects the content of your dissertation. With the guidance of a professional dissertation writer, you can enhance the impact of your research and make a strong impression on your readers.

Why a Thesis Title Matters

As hinted, a dissertation title is the text’s hallmark. It reveals the essence of your paper while framing the central argument in an academic paper. While it’s a short phrase, it tells your audience more about the content. This section of the text should give readers a glimpse of your study. That’s why you should invest your time in creating a brilliant title of your paper. Ideally, you should think about this part for your paper as its packaging.

The title should be sufficiently pretty to capture the right audience’s attention. What’s more, the topic should meet certain requirements, depending on the academic writing format of your paper. Thus, whether you’re writing an APA, MLA, or PPA paper will determine aspects like quotation, abbreviation, and capitalization.

Since a title enables you to make your first contact with your readers, make it sufficiently compelling while using it to set the pace for your content. It can also entice your audience to read the entire paper.

Primary Components of a Dissertation Title

The topic of your thesis paper should be as distinct as the text it describes. However, a good title exhibits certain fundamental factors. Whether it is political science, economics, or social sciences, these elements apply to this part of a paper. And they should guide you when writing titles for the theses that the audiences find worth reading.

Formatting: Students should never submit their thesis without checking to ensure that their titles meet the formatting standards of their academic writing styles. While not all academic papers require formatting, styles differ, depending on institutions and disciplines. Formatting requirements are essential because they influence how learners write citations and quotations. What’s more, your writing style dictates how you organize the piece. Your educator might also specify the instructions to follow regarding your thesis’ tone. Therefore, consider such elements carefully to write a brilliant title. Also, remember capitalization rules when writing your topic.
Interest areas: Your study’s objectives are a significant part of the title. What you want to accomplish with the study should set a tone for your paper. Therefore, make sure that your title reflects those objectives. Your interest areas should give your paper its broad scope. However, factor in your specifics. For instance, if writing a thesis about social media marketing’s impacts on the purchasing process provides a broad scope to work with. Nevertheless, you can focus on specific networks like Instagram and Twitter. Therefore, your title should mention specific social media websites. Thus, your interest area should provide a rough guide regarding your title.
Internal Consistency: Effective thesis titles are not just attractive and precise. They are also internally consistent. Your title should accurately reflect your study. When a reader sees your title, they should get a glue of the content of your paper. If your title is about a case study approach, readers expect to find an introduction, abstract, and methodology section in the paper. Lacking consistency can create a disconnect that may push some readers away. Therefore, pay attention to the style and language of your writing to avoid misleading or losing your audience along the way.

The best dissertation titles are precise, concise, and relevant. They are also brief because many words discourage some audiences. However, a good title is not too short. Instead, it comprises over four words while thriving on specificity.

How to Title a Thesis

The title of your thesis paper should summarize your study’s main idea. It should also comprise as few words as possible, while adequately describing the purpose and/or content of the research paper. Most people read the title first and the most. If it’s too long, it will have unnecessary words. And if it’s too short, it uses too general words. Therefore, focus on creating a title that provides information regarding the focus of your work.

If your goal is to learn how to write a thesis title, these parameters should help you formulate a suitable topic.

Your research objectives or purpose
Your paper’s narrative tone, typically defined by your research type
Your research methods

Always remember to focus your title on capturing your audience’s attention while drawing their interest to the research problem that you intend to investigate.

Write the final title after completing your research to ensure that it accurately captures what you did. That means you can have a working title that you develop early during the research process. That’s because your working title can anchor the focus of your study the way a research problem does. Essentially, you should consistently refer to your working title to avoid forgetting the main purpose of your study. That way, you can avoid drifting off on the tangent when writing. Final thesis titles have several characteristics that make them effective.

These include:

Accurate indication of the study subject and scope
Wording that stimulates the reader’s interest while creating a positive impression
They do not use abbreviations
They use the current study field’s nomenclature
A revelation of the paper’s organization
Identification of independent and dependent variables
A suggestion of a relationship between the variables that support the primary hypothesis
A limit to substantive words
Can be in a question or phrase form
Correct capitalization and grammar with capital last and first words

The title of a thesis is the only aspect that readers will find when searching indexing databases or search engines. Therefore, it should be persuasive and clear to tell leaders what your research is about.

Sample Dissertation Titles

Using samples is a great way to master the art of writing brilliant titles. And the internet is awash with dissertation title examples. An ideal title should summarize your manuscript’s main idea while informing the readers about your dissertation’s nature and main topic. It can also mention your research’s subjects, location, and methodology. It may also specify theoretical issues or variables you investigated and their relationship. Often, a title should indicate your discovery.

Effective titles have eloquent and interesting wording that provides precise and necessary details. Their vocabulary can also bear relevant allusions and nuances. However, they are short and informative. Universities, departments, and style guides set strict character or word limits for titles. For instance, the APA’s publication manual limits a title to 12 words.

Since search engines use titles, words that lack a specific relationship with research become extra baggage. Thus, such titles might not work in bringing the right audience. As such, there are reasons to avoid unnecessary adjectives and adverbs. Essentially, use them sparingly to maximize your title’s effect. Words like methods, study, and methods are extraneous. However, some titles identifying the study type and dissertation methodologies can include such words.

Reading and analyzing quality samples can help you learn how to make a dissertation title. Nevertheless, check samples that fit in your study field to understand what educators in your area look for in titles.

Sample Dissertation Titles Law Students can Use

Educators require law students in the US and UK universities to write dissertations or theses at some point. In most cases, this task is the last hurdle for learners before graduating from law graduate schools. The requirement evokes horror and excitement in equal measures. But, this task provides a chance for learners to interrogate their interest area academically. Nevertheless, completing this task is a monumental responsibility. Here are dissertation titles samples that law students can use as their guide when writing this paper.

A comprehensive evaluation of female and male rape legislations: How do they differ?
Analysis of lie detectors usage in criminal justice: Are they effective?
Challenges that parties face in Vienna Convention on Contracts application for international sales
A comparison of human right law gaps in different countries
How family law has changed over the years
What are the repercussions for females vs. males involved in domestic violence?
A literature review of religion and employment laws convergence in the US
Evaluating sexual harassment at the workplace
Assessing corporate social responsibility and its mediating role in companies performance
How do medical law and ethics coexist?

Dissertations are long papers. Therefore, their topics are crucial because they determine the difficulty or simplicity of completing them. Use these samples to guide you when creating a topic for your thesis if you’re a law student.

Sample PR Dissertation Titles

When writing dissertations, public relations students should make reasonable arguments and answer research questions. Their hypotheses should provide evidence to serve as their basis. And educators expect learners to time collecting and documenting the evidence. An ideal title can make this task simple and interesting. Therefore, students should select titles that align with their developing practice area. Here are sample topics that PR students can consider exploring in their studies and writing about.

How fake and truth news change the operations of public relations offers
How essential is storytelling versus truth?
How should public relations practitioners ensure that their messages resonate well in the current fake news era?
How transparency looks like in public relations
Analyzing effective reputation and crisis management in the mobile and social media’s world
How public relations has changed- The shifting skillset for modern public relations practitioners
How mobile has affected public relations
Inbound marketing and public relations- Can PR be inbound?
How public relation practitioners are adapting to social media
Public relations monitoring and measurement- How to determine PR ROI

Public relations students can use these topic samples as their guide for creating value-adding and industry-relevant topics. However, learners should develop topics they are passionate about to enjoy their writing process.

Sample Dissertation Titles Sociology Students will Love

Several issues in social science can be a good foundation for a sociology dissertation topic. If looking for the best title for your sociology thesis, here are sample topics to consider.

Analyzing the differences in gender and sexual issues between males and females
How religious beliefs vary according to the practices and customs of a country
How modern social science studies link education and religion
How social change is taking over the world- The link between religion and social change
What are the effects of education’s sociological policies after World War II?
How immigrants’ foreign culture affects the practices and values of the indigenous people
Examining counterculture’s shifting fundamentals
How Japan’s culture compares to that of the UK
Examining the dimensions and trends of gender voting in British and American political systems
Examining the influence and power of minority interests in a society

These ideas can help you come up with a title for your thesis. However, create a title you will find interesting to research and write about. That’s the only way you will enjoy working on your thesis.

Sample Med Dissertation Titles

If pursuing medical studies, you’ll need a good topic for your dissertation at some point. Medical studies present a broad field. However, your topic should capture specific objectives and goals of your research. Here are sample topics that medical students can explore.

How to manage and take care of patients suffering from acute pain
Medical management and psychological treatment of prisoners with drug dependence problems
How midwives can improve the pregnancy outcomes
How midwives can help in high-risk pregnancies improvement
Occupational health psychology in stress management
How to prevent work-related injuries and illnesses
How to prevent the side effects of mineral fertilizers on plant workers and the environment
How emergency doctors’ mental health and their life quality relate
How to ensure personnel mental health in a security company
Occupational safety- Why is it essential for factory workers?

Whether you need an undergraduate or a Ph.D. thesis title, each of these ideas can provide a basis for formulating your topic. Nevertheless, make sure that you will be comfortable working with your title.

Sample Dissertation Titles for Business Management

A business management dissertation can cover different areas in business studies. When writing this paper, a student should focus on answering specific questions. Here are sample topics that students majoring in business management can explore in their papers.

How remote workers affect business management
How businesses can manage collaborations and communications with remote workers
Effect of wages changes on business costs
How investing in artificial intelligence enables business managers to satisfy their customers
Risk management by companies and focusing performance on the competitive advantage mediating role
Effective management models for the tourism sector
An empirical investigation of cost-leadership, business performance, and market orientation
Why intellectual capital management matters in business
Hyper-competitiveness in modern business environments- What is it about?
How banks can enhance their international connectivity with enterprise customers

This category has brilliant undergraduate thesis title samples. However, learners should take their time to identify topics they can confidently and comfortably work on. That way, they can enjoy their dissertation writing process.

Sample Interior Design Dissertation Titles

When pursuing interior design studies, your educator might ask you to write a dissertation. If allowed to select your title, consider exploring these ideas.

Why interior design is not for the wealthy people only
The interior design concept for people with tight budgets
How long interior design should take when working on a standard house
Benefits of terracotta tiles combined with woven rugs
Effects of modern trends on interior design
How to rework a retirement home from an interior designer’s perspective
The link between fashion and interior design- How each borrows ideas from the other
Why you should use your kitchen floor mats for your home’s design
How a building’s design affects the owner’s mental health
How a good design can help in managing workplace distractions

This category has some of the best titles that interior design students can explore in their papers. But like with the other categories, learners should settle on topics they can comfortably research and write about.

Sample Primary Education Dissertation Titles

Education is among the broadest study fields. The purpose of dissertation assignments in this field is to help learners explore and understand different learning approaches and education types. Here are sample topics to explore in this study field.

How the COVID-19 pandemic has affected primary education
How to maintain social distance in primary schools
How the COVID-19 pandemic has increased online primary education
The practice and theory of primary education games as tools for enhancing learning
How the learning ability of children affect their performance
How to create efficient learning settings for enhancing early childhood education
Factors enhancing and inhibiting creativity in primary schools
How primary education can develop life skills among pupils
Effective ways teachers can evaluate and monitor students in primary schools
How computer-based programs can enhance learning in primary schools

Primary education is compulsory in most developed and developing countries. This education helps in establishing foundations in mathematics, geography, history, social sciences, and science. Students that want to become primary teachers can explore these ideas when writing dissertations.

Sample Art History Dissertation Titles

Art history entails studying the objects that humans have made for aesthetic pleasure purposes. And this study field is varied and wide. If looking for a thesis title example in this field, here are brilliant ideas to consider.

How humans have exemplified their desire to touch and see God in art
How Gothic architecture is more than pointed arch
Describe the change in Egyptian art over time
How does the Gertrude Stein picture by Picasso marks his development as an artist?
Examining Picasso from the perspectives of social and political movements of his time
Describe Miro’s contribution to a surrealist movement
Discuss biomorphic in 20 th -century painting
How humans have appropriated sculpture for political display
Did the British architectural style provide a basis for the Delhi center?
How necessary is aesthetic and art appreciation?

If pursuing art history, consider any of these ideas for your dissertation, but make sure that it’s a topic you will be happy to research and write about.

Sample Globalization Dissertation Titles

When writing globalization dissertations, learners have a wide range of topic ideas they can use as the basis of their work. Here are sample topics to consider for your globalization thesis.

How globalization can affect your identity
Effects of globalization in sports
How trade relates to globalization
How globalization affects economic growth
Analysis of workers’ interests from a globalization perspective
The Cold War globalization
Is globalization bad or good for mankind?
How water scarcity affects globalization
How globalization affects the poor
Globalization and feminism

These are brilliant ideas to explore when writing a globalization thesis paper. Nevertheless, students must research their topics to come up with excellent papers about these topics.

Sample LLM Dissertation Titles

LLM dissertations topics cover the subject areas that students pursue during LLM program modules. This paper can tackle doctrinal, theoretical, policy, and jurisprudential issues that are relevant in modern legal and policy affairs. Here are sample titles for LLM dissertations.

Speech freedom and privacy right in the media and press- Should governments restrict it?
What are the weak and strong points of the judicial review process?
How to justify civil liberties restriction for public safety’s sake
How effective are anti-corruption laws in a country?
Precautions for preventing mistakes and abuse of assisted suicides legalization
National and international law- Which one should prevail?
Migrating with a minor- What legal gaps do people face when relocating?
Dividing assets after divorce- Is the law fair for the involved parties?
Effective legal mechanisms for preventing child labor
How to ease conflict when protecting trade secrets within the business law

If pursuing legal studies, you can find a title of thesis your educator will find interesting to read. But pay attention to select an interesting topic you’ll be glad to research and work with.

Sample Ph.D. Thesis Titles

A title for a Ph.D. thesis should tell the readers what you examined during your research. Thus, it should summarize your work and indicate the topic. Here are examples of attention-grabbing and catchy titles for Ph.D. theses.

Small business strategies and how to adjust them to globalization
Human resource management and strategies in non-profit organizations
Risks and benefits of international joint revenue
Outsourcing as a practice in business
Gender equality in business- Effective management approaches
Working remotely versus modern workplaces
How mentoring influences individual success
How business size impacts financial decisions
Financial risks for modern businesses
How to reduce risks at the workplace

These are brilliant thesis titles to explore when writing a Ph.D. dissertation. However, you can tweak your preferred title to make it unique and suitable for your study field.

Tips for Creating Thesis Titles

Even with the above samples, some learners can have difficulties creating titles for their thesis. These tips will make creating the best thesis title for high school students, undergraduates, masters, and Ph.D. learners easier.

Select the words to use in your title carefully
Seek advice from the professor, a friend, or classmate
Follow the format specified by your department or school
Write the final title after writing the paper
Make your title informative, brief, and catchy
Avoid abbreviations, initials, and acronyms

To ensure the creation of an exceptional thesis title, consider seeking the assistance of a professional dissertation writers . Experts have the experience and expertise to guide you in selecting the most appropriate words and crafting an informative, brief, and catchy title. Additionally, they can help you follow the format specified by your department or school while avoiding the use of abbreviations, initials, and acronyms.

Final Thoughts

The title of your thesis should indicate the subject and scope of your research. It should be engaging, concise, explanatory, and descriptive. Also, avoid abbreviations, jargon, acronyms, initials, and redundant words. Additionally, follow the requirements of your academic formatting styles and use examples to create a good title for your thesis.

Frequently Asked Questions

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Thesis & Dissertation Title Page | Free Templates & Examples

Thesis & Dissertation Title Page | Free Templates & Examples

Published on May 19, 2022 by Tegan George . Revised on July 18, 2023.

The title page (or cover page) of your thesis , dissertation , or research paper should contain all the key information about your document. It usually includes:

Dissertation or thesis title
The type of document (e.g., dissertation, research paper)
The department and institution
The degree program (e.g., Master of Arts)
The date of submission

It sometimes also includes your dissertation topic or field of study, your student number, your supervisor’s name, and your university’s logo.

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Title page format, title page templates, title page example, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions.

Your department will usually tell you exactly what should be included on your title page and how it should be formatted. Be sure to check whether there are specific guidelines for margins, spacing, and font size.

Title pages for APA and MLA style

The format of your title page can also depend on the citation style you’re using. There may be guidelines in regards to alignment, page numbering, and mandatory elements.

MLA guidelines for formatting the title page
APA guidelines for formatting the title page

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We’ve created a few templates to help you design the title page for your thesis, dissertation, or research paper. You can download them in the format of your choice by clicking on the corresponding button.

Research paper Google Doc

Dissertation Google Doc

Thesis Google Doc

A typical example of a thesis title page looks like this:

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The title page of your thesis or dissertation should include your name, department, institution, degree program, and submission date.

Usually, no title page is needed in an MLA paper . A header is generally included at the top of the first page instead. The exceptions are when:

Your instructor requires one, or
Your paper is a group project

In those cases, you should use a title page instead of a header, listing the same information but on a separate page.

The title page of your thesis or dissertation goes first, before all other content or lists that you may choose to include.

In most styles, the title page is used purely to provide information and doesn’t include any images. Ask your supervisor if you are allowed to include an image on the title page before doing so. If you do decide to include one, make sure to check whether you need permission from the creator of the image.

Include a note directly beneath the image acknowledging where it comes from, beginning with the word “ Note .” (italicized and followed by a period). Include a citation and copyright attribution . Don’t title, number, or label the image as a figure , since it doesn’t appear in your main text.

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George, T. (2023, July 18). Thesis & Dissertation Title Page | Free Templates & Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved April 8, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/dissertation/title-page/

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The Thesis Title – What It Takes to Create a Good One

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Inhaltsverzeichnis

1 Definition: Thesis Title
3 Thesis Title: Main Components
4 Examples of Thesis Titles
5 Tips for your Title
6 In a Nutshell

Definition: Thesis Title

A thesis title is a statement that frames the argument you are presenting in an academic paper. It is a short phrase that tells the audience what the content is about. Readers should be able to get a glimpse of the study from the thesis title. It is why you have to invest time in coming up with an excellent one. Think of the title as the packaging to your thesis.

It has to be pretty enough to attract the right audience. The thesis title should comply with certain requirements. Different disciplines have varying formats for academic writing . MLA, APA and PPA are three of the common styles. These formats determine elements like capitalisation, abbreviations and quotations.

The title of a thesis is the first real contact that readers will have with a piece of academic writing , and therefore, it has to be compelling enough. A thesis title sets the pace for the content. It can entice the audience to proceed with the rest of the material or pass it over. This article explores some elementals of a good thesis title.

What is the best title for a thesis?

An exceptional title for a thesis must accomplish several things. It has to reflect the content in the paper. Readers should know at first glance, what your thesis topic is. For this reason, a thesis title should be concise, precise and relevant. The best titles are brief. Too many words can discourage some readers. In the same breath, it shouldn’t be too short. Thesis titles thrive on specificity, and that requires using more than four words.

Can a thesis title be a question?

Yes. You can structure the title of your academic paper as a question. Questions are catchy and go a long way in capturing attention. They incite curiosity and get the reader to want to know more. For a question to work as a thesis title, it must reflect the tone of the paper and predict the content. It should also be closely linked with your thesis statement . Readers should not left wondering what the piece is about after they’ve read the title.

How long can a thesis title be?

The length of a thesis title is not definite because it’s an element that depends on many factors. A thesis advisor might have a specific range for students. For example, a professor might ask a paper to have 15 to 25 words in the title. 10 to 15 is a great number to work with for a thesis title. Never have a title that is less than 5 words.

Tip: If you’re having trouble getting the words from your brain onto the paper, you may be struggling with writer’s block . Head over to our blog post to read about how you can escape from the clutches of writer’s block.

What is a research title?

The research title shows the main idea of your study. The reader should have an idea of the thesis formatting after reading the thesis title. If the title states ‘case study’ for example, then the reader will expect an abstract. It is possible that you are using the fewest possible words needed to describe the purpose of your research paper. It is important that the research title predicts content, reflects tone, includes important keywords and is interesting.

What are important steps for creating a thesis title?

During the beginning of the writing phase, you should have a ‘working title’. This doesn’t have to be the final title and it will probably be altered as you develop your thesis statement , but the working title can help to keep you on the right track. You can also include a subtitle to explain additional content.

Thesis Title: Main Components

Thesis titles are as distinct as the research they describe. However, several fundamental factors exist in every thesis title. Whether its social sciences, economics or political science, these elements always apply. They are the drivers that help writers create titles that are worth reading.

Area of Interest

The objectives of the study are a huge part of a thesis title. What you are looking to accomplish with your research sets the tone for everything that happens. A good title should be a reflection of that. The area of interest provides the broad scope of the paper, but you also have to factor in the specifics. For example, a study on the effects of social media marketing on the buying process offers a wide range to work with. However, your study might be on specific networks such as Twitter and Instagram. The title should, therefore, mention the exact social media sites. Use the area of interest as a rough guide to what the thesis title should be about.

Internal Consistency

An effective title should not just be precise and attractive; it must remain consistent internally. Any decent title should reflect the study as accurately as possible. When readers see the thesis title, they have a clue of what the paper contains. If the thesis title says ‘a case study approach,’ the readers will expect to have an abstract, introduction , methodology, and so on. A lack of consistency can generate a disconnect that will push the audience away. Be cautious about the language and style of writing to avoid losing or misleading the reader along the way.

Never submit a thesis without checking that the title adheres to the required formatting standards. Not every academic paper needs formatting. Styles vary depending on disciplines and institutions. The formatting requirements matter because they determine how to write quotations and citations. A writing style also dictates the organisation of the piece. Writers might have specific instructions about the tone of the thesis. Consider all these elements carefully when crafting a thesis title. Don’t forget about the rules of capitalisation of a title.

Examples of Thesis Titles

Here are two examples of thesis titles:

Thesis-Title-Example-Estimation-of-the-Effects-of-Climate-Change

‘Estimation of the Effects of Climate Change: The Case of the Deforestation of the Amazon’

As you read earlier above one of the main components of a thesis title is the area of interest . The first part of the thesis title ‘Estimation of the Effects of Climate Chance’ isn´t enough because the range is to wide.

Therefore it is important to add the second part of the thesis title ‘The Case of the Deforestation of the Amazon’. This gives the reader the exact information what your academic paper is about.

Here are a few other examples of thesis titles:

‘How Mobile Money is Banking the Unbankable in Third World Economies’

‘The Correlation Between Social Inequalities and Poor Voting Habits’

‘How the Mobile Phone Disrupts Sleep Patterns’

Thesis-Title-Example-Jumping-on-the-Cryptocurrency-Bandwagon

‘Jumping on the Cryptocurrency Bandwagon: A Study in the Evolution of Digital Currency’

In this example you can see that there is internal consistency because it shows the reader what the paper comprises.

The formatting of the thesis title depends on institutions. So there are more possibilities of how your layout could look like. Furthermore the thesis title in this example is still brief enough which is very important. The length of 10 to 15 words is a good number of words.

Tips for your Title

A missed punctuation mark, too many words or too much jargon are some aspects that can easily ruin a thesis title and consequently, the entire paper. You can avoid common mistakes like these by focusing on these simple tenets:

Purpose of the study
Scope of the study
Techniques used for the study
Tone of the study

Before crafting the final title for your academic paper, have a working thesis title. A working title is a loose topic that you need to help direct your study. It’s easy to lose track of your research when you don’t have a concrete anchor.

Bear in mind that the final thesis title comes after the completion of the research. You should know how much ground the content covers to develop a proper thesis title.

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In a Nutshell

What to take away about writing a captivating thesis title:

Be clear about the subject of the research and its scope while ensuring that the title reflects the study accurately.
The thesis title should be concise, engaging, descriptive and explanatory without being informal or cute.
Avoid too much jargon, abbreviations, initials, acronyms and redundant words unless the requirements specify it.
Capitalise all the necessary words, including all nouns, pronouns, adjectives, verbs, and adverbs.

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Discuss what topic is suitable for you with your professors. Professor knows a lot of information about current and previous researches, so try to discuss it with them.
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Think of your desired future work . Your research might serve as a starting point for your future career, so think of your desired job.
Write down 5-10 topics that you might be interested in. Ph.D. or Master’s research should be specific, so write down all the appropriate topics that you came up with.

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Go through your list again and eliminate the topics that have already been well-researched before. Remember that you need to add something new to your field of study, so choose a topic that can contribute to it. However, try not to select a topic not researched at all, as it might be difficult.

Once you get a general idea of what your research will be about, choose a research supervisor. Think of a professor who is an expert in your desired area of research. Talk to them and tell them the reason why you want to work with them and why you chose this area of study.

As you eliminated some irrelevant topics and shortened your list to 1-3 topics, you can discuss them with your supervisor. Since your supervisor has a better insight into your field of study, they can recommend a topic that can be most suitable for you. Make sure to elaborate on each topic and the reason you chose it.

Step 3: Formulate a Research Question

The next step is to create a research question. This is probably the most important part of the process. Later you'll turn your research question into a thesis statement .

Learn as many materials as you can to figure out the type of questions you can ask for your research. Make use of any articles, journals, libraries, etc. Write notes as you learn, and highlight the essential parts.

First, make any questions you can think of. Choose the ones that you have an interest in and try to rewrite them. As you rewrite them, you can get a different perspective on each of the questions. An example of the potential question:

How did the economic situation in the 19th century affect literature?

Think of a question that you can answer and research best. To do it, think of the most convenient research process and available materials that you have access to. Do you need to do lab testing, quantitative analysis, or any kind of experiment? What skills do you have that can be useful?

Discuss the question that you came up with your supervisor. Get their feedback as they might have their own opinion on that topic and give you creative advice.

❓ Research Title Maker FAQ

❓ how to make a research title.

To make a research title:

Brainstorm your field of study first.
Think of the topics that you are interested in.
Research current events in your study area and discuss your possible topics with your professors and classmates.
Avoid random topics that are not well-researched.

❓ What is a working title for a research paper?

To make a good research paper title, analyze your area of study and all the related current events. Discuss your possible topics with your classmates and professors to get their opinion on them. You can also use our research title maker for free.

❓ What is the title page of a research paper?

The title page of the research paper is the first paper of your work. It includes your name, research type, and other essential information about your research.

❓ How to title a research proposal?

The research proposal title should be clear enough to showcase your research. Think of a statement that best describes your work and try to create a title that reflects it.

🔗 References

Research Topics | Frontiers
Organizing Your Social Sciences Research Paper
Strategies for Selecting a Research Topic - ResearchGate
The First Steps: Choosing a Topic and a Thesis Supervisor
How to Pick a Masters Thesis Topic | by Peter Campbell

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Vavilovskii Zhurnal Genet Selektsii
v.26(4); 2022 Jul

Language: English | Russian

Investigation of genetic polymorphism of Russian rape and turnip rape varieties using SSR and SRAP markers

Изучение генетического полиморфизма российских сортов рапса и сурепицы с использованием ssr- и srap-маркеров, i.a. klimenko.

Federal Williams Research Center of Forage Production and Agroecology, Lobnya, Moscow region, Russia

V.T. Volovik

A.a. antonov, v.a. dushkin, a.o. shamustakimova, yu.m. yu.m. mavlyutov.

Rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) and turnip rape (B. rapa L. subsp. campestris (L.)) are important agricultural plants widely used for food, fodder and technical purposes and as green manure. Over the past decades, a large number of perspective varieties that are being currently cultivated in every region of Russia have been developed. To increase the breeding eff iciency and facilitate the seed production, modern molecular-genetic techniques should be introduced as means to estimate species and varietal diversity. The objective of the presented research study was to investigate DNA polymorphism of the rapeseed and turnip rape varieties developed at Federal Williams Research Center of Forage Production and Agroecology and detect informative markers for varietal identif ication and genetic certif ication. To genotype 18 gDNA samples, 42 and 25 combinations of respective SSR and SRAP primers were used. The results obtained demonstrate that SRAP markers were more effective for polymorphism analysis: 36 % of the tested markers revealed genetic polymorphism compared with only 16.7 % of microsatellite loci. Molecular markers to detect differences at interspecif ic and intervarietal levels have also been found. For the investigated set, such microsatellite loci as Na12A02, Ni2C12, Ni02-D08a, Ra02-E01, Ni03H07а and SRAP-marker combinations as F13-R9, Me4- R7, F11-Em2, F10-R7, F9-Em2 and F9-R8 proved to be informative. Application of the two marker techniques made it possible to detect a higher level of DNA polymorphism in plants of different types (spring and winter varieties) if compared against the intervarietal differences within a species or a group. According to Nei’s genetic diversity index, in the cluster of winter rapeseed, VIK 2 and Gorizont varieties had the longest genetic distance, and in the spring cluster, these were Novosel and Veles. A high level of similarity was found between Vikros and Bizon winter rapeseed varieties. The results obtained have a high practical value for varietal specif ication of seed material and genetic certif ication of rapeseed and turnip rape varieties.

Рапс (Brassica napus L.) и сурепица (B. rapa L. subsp. campestris (L.)) – важные сельскохозяйственные культуры, широко используются для продовольственных, кормовых и технических целей, а также в качестве сидератов. За последние десятилетия создано большое количество перспективных сортов, культивируемых практически во всех регионах России. Для повышения эффективности селекционного процесса и успешного развития семеноводства необходимо внедрять современные молекулярно-генетические методы оценки видового и сортового разнообразия. Цель настоящей работы заключалась в изучении ДНК-полиморфизма сортов рапса и сурепицы селекции Федерального научного центра кормопроизводства и агроэкологии им. В.Р. Вильямса и выявлении информативных маркеров для сортовой идентификации и генетической паспортизации. Для генотипирования 18 образцов геномной ДНК использовали 42 и 25 комбинаций SSR- и SRAP-праймеров соответственно. Результаты показали, что маркеры SRAP более эффективны для анализа полиморфизма изучаемого материала: 36 % от общего числа испытанных маркеров демонстрировали генетический полиморфизм, тогда как для микросателлитных локусов этот показатель равнялся 16.7 %. Определены молекулярные маркеры для выявления различий на межвидовом и межсортовом уровнях. Информативными для исследуемой выборки сортов оказались микросателлитные локусы Na12A02, Ni2C12, Ni02-D08a, Ra02-E01, Ni03H07а и комбинации SRAP-маркеров F13-R9, Me4-R7, F11-Em2, F10-R7, F9-Em2 и F9-R8. Анализ сортового материала по двум системам маркирования показал более высокий уровень ДНК-полиморфизма у образцов растений разного типа развития (яровой/озимый) в сравнении с различиями между сортами в пределах вида или группы. Согласно индексам генетического разнообразия Нея, в кластере сортов озимого рапса наибольшей генетической удаленностью выделялись ВИК 2 и Горизонт, среди яровых – Новосёл и Велес. Высокий уровень сходства обнаружен между яровыми сортами рапса Викрос и Бизон. Полученная информация имеет практическое значение для контроля сортовой принадлежности и генетической паспортизации семенного материала сортов рапса и сурепицы.

Introduction

Cabbage oilseed crops such as rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) and turnip rape (B. rapa L. subsp. campestris (L.)) are cultivated in almost every region of Russia, and, for the foreseeable future, are regarded as the main reserve for increasing the production of vegetable oil and fodder protein. These plants are widely used in food, fodder, technical purposes and as green manure that increases soil fertility thanks to the plants’ root remains containing up to 6 tons of organic maters, 80 kg of nitrogen, 60 kg of phosphorus and 90 kg of potassium per hectare. As for their food and fodder properties, rapeseed and turnip rape exceed many other cultivated crops since their seeds are 40–48 % fat and 21–33 % protein and contain a high amount of essential amino acids (Volovik, 2015). Rapeseed can provide livestock with green forage from early spring to late fall thanks to their cold hardiness and fast regrowth after mowing. They are also an excellent silage material, and their seeds and seed by-pass products are processed to produce seed cake and coarse meal. In the recent years the varieties of rapeseed and turnip rape with low or no erucic-acid content became available and seed production has increased more than 7 times to reach the world’s third place after soybeans and cotton. Russia’s short-term plans are to increase rapeseed planting acreage to 2.5 mln he.

As for Russian research institutions working intensely to select cabbage oilseed crops, the leading ones are All-Russian Research Institute of Rapeseed, All-Russian Research Institute of Oilseed Crops and All-Russian Williams Fodder Research Institute. For the two last decades, they have produced the perspective varieties of rapeseed, turnip rape, white mustard and oil radish that have been recommended for oil production, livestock and poultry green forage, combination fodder, seed cake and coarse meal production. In 2021, “State Register” of the Russian Federation included 13 varieties of rapeseed and 3 varieties of turnip rape selected by Federal Williams Research Center of Forage Production and Agroecology (Kosolapov et al., 2019; State Register…, 2021).

For preservation and rational use of newly available varieties, intensification of the selection process and protection of intellectual property, modern and effective methods to estimate species and varietal diversity at a genetic level are to be introduced. One of such techniques that has been successfully applied in the recent years is molecular DNA markers, which, if compared against the traditional morphological indicators, possess a number of advantages. These include a high level of polymorphism; even genome distribution; reliability; a possibility to automate the assay procedure that does not depend on environmental conditions or a plant development phase (Agarwal et al., 2008; Khlestkina, 2011; Chesnokov, 2018). If the most informative and convenient DNA markers are selected, their capabilities to estimate the genetic variability of selection material are regarded as unlimited.

Laboratory for Molecular and Genetic Studies in Federal Williams Research Center of Forage Production and Agroecology has been developing a system for DNA identification and genetic certification of Russian fodder crops. For the time being, the varietal identification techniques have been adapted for perennial legume grasses such as red clover and different species of alfalfa (Klimenko et al., 2020a, b). The assay uses samples of the summary total DNA obtained through a modified method from an arbitrary selected sample of every variety’s germinants. Two types of molecular markers were used: SSR (simple sequence repeats), which detect the variability of microsatellite genome sequences, and SRAP (sequence related amplified polymorphism), which is based on PCR with a pair of primers for amplification of intron/exon regions (open reading frames). The techniques have been tested on different species of fodder crops to optimize the amplification conditions, detection and analysis of results.

A problem of reliable varietal identification is particularly topical for rapeseed due to its limited genetic variability conditioned by the intensive selection aimed at higher content and quality of oil. Currently, a significant number of published studies have been devoted to using different DNA markers for estimation of the genetic diversity of rapeseed varieties and hybrids (Plieske, Struss, 2001; Snowdon, Friedt, 2004; Klyachenko et al., 2018; Mozgova et al., 2019); to genetic mapping (Piquemal et al., 2005; Gao et al., 2007; Geng, 2012) and marking the genes of economically valuable traits (Chen et al., 2010; Ananga et al., 2012). However, only a few such studies have investigated Russian varieties. Four varieties of winter and spring rapeseed (Podmoskovniy, Vikros, VIK 2 and Severyanin) were studied by Byelorussian researchers to identify the gene alleles determining the concentration of oleic and linolic acids in rapeseed oil (Lemesh et al., 2015). The same varieties were investigated to detect the DNA markers of the genes responsible for erucic-acid synthesis (Amosova et al., 2014). Microsatellite markers were used to study the genetic polymorphism of Russian varieties Ratnik and SNK- 198 (Satina, 2010) as well as the genetic homogeneity of spring rapeseed varieties Bulat and Forward (Rogozhina et al., 2015). Such winter varieties as Stolychniy, Laureat, Gorizont, Nord and Severyanin were investigated to detect the quantitative trait loci (QTLs) associated with high winter hardiness (Mozgova et al., 2019).

The objective of the presented study was to investigate DNA polymorphism of rapeseed and turnip rape varieties developed by breeders of Federal Williams Research Center of Forage Production and Agroecology and to identify the informative markers for varietal differentiation and genetic certification.

Materials and methods

Plant material. The study investigated 15 varieties of winter (Severyanin, Stolychniy, VIK 2, Nord, Laureat, Gorizont, Garant) and spring (Vikros, Novik, Novosel, Veles, Grant, Podmoskovniy, Lugovskoy, Bizon) rapeseed and 3 varieties of winter (Zarya) and spring (Nadezhda, Svetlana) turnip rape.

DNA extraction and PCR analysis. The gDNA was extracted from 30 germinants of each abovementioned variety (bulk samples) using the basic SDS method (Kirby, Cook, 1967; Dellaporta et al., 1983) with some modifications (Klimenko et al., 2020b). The quality and concentration of the obtained DNA fractions were verified with agarose gel (1.5 %) electrophoresis and using a Nabi spectrophotometer (MicroDigital, South Korea).

To carry out SSR analysis, 42 markers from the database Brassica info (https://www.brassica.info) and available publications were applied. The efficiency of the primers devised for these markers had been demonstrated in the studies devoted to development of the technology of rapeseed genotyping (Satina, 2010) and selection of the samples with low erucic-acid and glucosinolate content (Hasan et al., 2008). A part of the markers included in the analysis was used for hybridization control and detection of Alternaria blight resistant genotypes in Indian mustard (B. juncea L.) (Chandra et al., 2013; Sharma et al., 2018).

The PCR-mixture of 20 μl contained 3 μl 10 × PCR buffer (Taq Turbo Buffer), 0.5 μl 50 × dNTPs mix, 0.4 μl Taq polymerase (5U), forward and reverse primers (0.1 μl each, 100 μm) and 0.1 μl of DNA sample (20 ng/μl). The amplification was performed in a T-1000 thermal cycler (Bio-Rad, USA) at two different temperature regimes. The first amplification program was an initial 3-min denaturation at 95 °C followed by 30 cycles of 30 s at 94 °C, 30 s at 55–57 °C, 30 s at 72 °C and a final 5-min elongation at 72 °C (Satina, 2010). The second program included an initial 5-min denaturation at 95 °C followed by 39 cycles of 1 min at 94 °C, 2 min at 46–51 °C (depending on the primer pair in use), 2 min at 72 °C and a final 10-min elongation at 72 °C (Chandra et al., 2013). The reproducibility of obtained results was attested in three-fold replication.

SRAP analysis was carried out using 25 primer combinations comprised from 10 single oligonucleotides: F9, F13, Me4, F10, F11, R9, R7, Em2, R14, R8 (Li, Quiros, 2001; Rhouma et al., 2017). The amplification program was an initial 4-min denaturation at 94 °C followed by 10 cycles with changing temperature and duration parameters (1 min at 94 °C, 1 min at 35 °C, 1 min at 72 °C); followed by 30 cycles (1 min at 94 °C, 1 min at 50 °C, 1 min at 72 °C) and a final 5-min elongation step run at 72 °C. The PCR-mixture composition was similar to that used for the microsatellite analysis.

PCR-products were separated using 90-min 50-V agarosegel electrophoresis (4 % MetaPhorR Agarose, Rockland or 1.6 % LE, Lonza, USA). As the reference markers, 20 bp DNA Ruler (Bio-Rad), 100 kb DNA Ladder (Thermo Fisher Scientific, USA) and 100 bp + 1.5 kb (SibEnzyme, Russia) were applied.

Analysis of the obtained results. PCR-product detection and size measurement was performed using a GelDoc XR+ imaging system (Bio-Rad) and the ImageLab software (Bio- Rad Lab., Inc.) for molecular-mass markers. The obtained results were transformed into a binary matrix, and PopGene v. 1.32 (Yeh et al., 2000) was applied to determine such genetic diversity indices as the effective number of alleles per locus; Shannon’s index; expected heterozygosity; Nei’s genetic distance (Nei, Li, 1979). Polymorphism information content (PIC) for every pair of primers was calculated by the formula presented in the study (Chesnokov, Artemyeva, 2015). To build the genetic similarity dendrogram, the unweighted pair group method with arithmetic averages was applied in NTSYSpc v 2.10 (Rohlf, 2000).

To obtain gDNA from the rapeseed and turnip rape germinants, a modified SDS method was used. The applied protocol proved more effective and less costly compared to other known protocols and commercial reagents kits. The results of electrophoresis and spectrophotometry attested to the DNA’s high concentration and purification degree from protein compounds and polysaccharides for all experimental samples (Fig. 1, 2).

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Lanes 1–15 (rape varieties): Severyanin, Stolychniy, VIK 2, Nord, Laureat, Gorizont, Garant, Vikros, Novik, Novosel, Veles, Grant, Podmoskovniy, Lugovskoy, Bizon; 16–18 (turnip rape varieties): Zarya, Nadezhda, Svetlana.

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SSR-analysis

For genotyping the full variety collection, out of 42 SSR primers, 7 primers providing stable and reproducible amplification were selected (Table 1).

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Analysis of the amplification fragments obtained using the listed primers detected 42 alleles. Their number per locus was 6 on average, varying from 3 (Ni2C12 and Bna.M.010) to 10 (Ra02-E01a). The fragment size varied from 110 bps (Ni2C12) to 1200 bps (Ni02-D08a). The maximum allele frequency was registered for Bna.M.010 (0.83), and the minimum – for Ni03H07a (0.27); the mean value was 0.42. The primers developed for Ni03H07a, Ni02-D08a and Ra02-E01a markers made it possible to detect 8–10 alleles per locus and had the highest PIC (0.82).

SRAP-analysis

Based on the results of preliminary testing, the initial 25 combinations of SRAP primers were reduced to 10 pairs, amplifying stable polymorphic DNA fragments (Table 2). In total, 53 PCR fragments of 132–1674 nucleotide pairs in size were obtained. One combination contained from 4 (F9-R9) to 7 (F10-R8, F11-Em2, F10-R7) amplicons. A part of the markers proved to be informative to detect the amplification fragments for differentiating the type of plants (winter/ spring). Using 6 combinations made it possible to obtain the amplicons specific for varieties identification (marked with a star in the Table 2).

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Fig. 3 demonstrates the electrophoregram of PCR results with the F9-R8 primer combination. Significant DNA profile differences were found between winter (I) and spring (II) rapeseed varieties (joined in curly brackets). The arrows mark the variety-specific PCR products characteristic for Stolychniy winter rapeseed (508 bps) and Nadezhda spring turnip rape (700 bps) as well as the absence of an amplicon in size of 460 bps in spring rapeseed Podmoskovniy though it was a specific characteristic for other varieties in this group. The performed analysis demonstrated that it is possible to identify rapeseed varieties Grant and Novosel with 3 marker combinations (F11-Em2, F10-R7 and Me4-R7), and Gorizont and Lugovskoy – with 2 (F13-R9 and Me4-R7). Variety VIK 2 was identified with SRAP primers F9-Em2, and spring ones Veles – with F10-R7. Specific DNA spectra for rapeseed varieties Stolychniy, Podmoskovniy and turnip rape Nadezhda were obtained with F9-R8 combination.

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Winter rapeseed varieties: Severyanin (1), Stolychniy (2), VIK 2 (3), Nord (4), Laureat (5), Gorizont (6), Garant (7); spring rapeseed varieties: Vikros (8), Novik (9), Novosel (10), Veles (11), Grant (12), Podmoskovniy (13), Lugovskoy (14), Bizon (15). Winter turnip rape: Zarya (16); spring turnip rape: Nadezhda (17), Svetlana (18). H2O control (19). M – molecular weight marker (100 кb DNA Ladder).

The performed analysis demonstrated that it is possible to identify rapeseed varieties Grant and Novosel with 3 marker combinations (F11-Em2, F10-R7 and Me4-R7), and Gorizont and Lugovskoy – with 2 (F13-R9 and Me4-R7). Variety VIK 2 was identified with SRAP primers F9-Em2, and spring ones Veles – with F10-R7. Specific DNA spectra for rapeseed varieties Stolychniy, Podmoskovniy and turnip rape Nadezhda were obtained with F9-R8 combination

The obtained data were transformed into a binary matrix to calculate Nei’s genetic distances (Table 3). The lowest genetic similarity coefficient (0.7069) was found between rapeseed varieties Gorizont, Novosel and Grant, the highest – between spring varieties Vikros and Bizon (1.0) as well as Veles and Bizon (0.9655). A similarly high genetic distance (0.3228) indicated significant differences between pairs: Grant and VIK 2, and Lugovskoy and Stolychniy. Low distance values and high genetic similarity were demonstrated by spring varieties Bizon and Vikros (zero distance) and winter varieties Garant, Severyanin, Stolychniy, Nord, Laureat (0.0174).

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Notе. According to the data of 1 (Rhouma et al., 2017); 2 (Сатина, 2010); 3 (Chandra et al., 2013).

The results of PCR analysis for SSR and SRAP markers were used to determine the genetic variability indices and build an UPGMA dendrogram depicting the varieties’ phylogenetic relationships. The variety material had a low degree of genetic heterogeneity, while higher values of expected heterozygosity (He) and the number of effective alleles (ne) were determined with SSR markers: 0.25 on average against 0.14 and 1.47 per locus if compared to 1.24, respectively. However, the SRAP method has enabled obtaining more PCR products applicable for varietal differentiation (Table 4).

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Notе. No. 1–15 – rapeseed varieties Severyanin, Stolychniy, VIK 2, Nord, Laureat, Gorizont, Garant, Vikros, Novik, Novosel, Veles, Grant, Podmoskovniy, Lugovskoy, Bizon.

Analysis of the UPGMA dendrogram demonstrated that the winter/spring rapeseed varieties were divided into two distinguishable clusters (Fig. 4). The first one united such winter cultivars as Severyanin, Garant, Stolychniy, Nord, Laureat, Gorizont, VIK 2; the second – all the spring ones. In the winter cluster VIK 2 and Gorizont were the most distant from the other varieties. The distances between Stolychniy, Nord, Laureat as well as between Garant and Severyanin were much shorter, which was confirmed by their high genetic similarity indices being 0.9655 and 0.9828, respectively (see Table 3). The most distant among spring rapeseed were twozero varieties Novosel, Grant and Lugovskoy, which had the longest genetic distances in the cluster (0.3469 and 0.3228). Bizon and Vikros belonged to one subgroup, sharing a common branch of the dendrogram.

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The bulk strategy of DNA sampling from 30 germinants per variety has significantly reduced the labor efforts and cost of the research if compared to the traditional method of individual sample genotyping. The method has proved its efficiency for different cultures especially in large-scale studies of vast populations (Liu et al., 2018). However, this approach is only justified if the analyzed set of samples is representative. For cross-pollinating species with a high level of intrapopulation variations, it should include at least 30–50 plants per variety, which significantly increases the likelihood of registering a rare alleles, the occurrence of which in the population does not exceed 10 % (Crossa, 1989; Semerikov et al., 2002). The plants of winter rapeseed are known for their high self-pollination capacity (up to 70 % of flowers) (Shpaar, 2012), many varieties are linear; while in spring rapeseed this capacity reaches 40 % (Osipova, 1998). That’s why in our study we used budk samples that combined 30 seedlings from each variety.

A significant part of SSR primers tested in our study generated monomorphic amplification fragments. They did not allow us to properly estimate the genetic variability and had low reproducibility in replicated experiments. A proportion of the markers proven effective for intervarietal DNA polymorphism detection comprised 16.7 %, being much lower than in other studies (Plieske, Struss, 2001; Hasan et al., 2008; Tian et al., 2017). It was probably due to the composition of the tested collection that had a narrow genetic basis considering the varieties’ pedigree. At the same time, such parameters of genetic variability as the number of allelic variants, singleallele frequency, PIC and He were comparable to those found in published data (Satina, 2010; Klyachenko et al., 2018).

In general, the used markers made it possible to detect DNA polymorphism between rapeseed and turnip rape as well as between the winter and spring varieties within each species. However, Na12A02 marker turned out to be variety-specific for Bizon winter rapeseed and Zarya spring turnip rape, and Ra02-E01а – for VIK 2 winter rapeseed and Svetlana spring turnip rape. The unique alleles of Podmoskovniy and Lugovskoy rapeseed were detected using Ni02-D08a loci. The indicated markers can be used for varietal DNA identification and genetic certification.

SSR primers for the markers of Indian mustard’s Alternaria blight resistance genes (Chandra et al., 2013), such as Ni02- D08a, Ni03H07a and RA02-E01a, proved to be the most effective. Their application enabled us to detect the specific amplification fragments for linear winter rapeseed variety VIK 2. They also proved effective for Gorizont, which had been obtained on the base of VIK 2 by seed freezing followed by their selection at low-temperature stress. These two varieties share high winter hardiness and are resistant to Alternaria blight. Thereby the results of our study can be useful for further selection of perspective breeding material and QTL analysis on disease resistance.

Among the spring rapeseed, Veles variety turned out to be substantially different while Lugovskoy and Garant had many similarities in the studied microsatellite parts of regions of the genome. Veles is a new perspective variety that has been approved for use since 2021 and was selected based on Vikros using the method of chemical mutagenesis, producing a high frequency of nucleotide changes. This is possibly the reason for Veles having unique alleles in three loci: Ni2C12, Ra02- E01a, Na12A02. For Vikros variety, a specific DNA profile was also obtained with Ni2C12 marker.

Rapeseed Grant was selected using the method of interspecies and intervarietal hybridization of early-maturing foreign breeding samples and the high-yielding varieties Lugovskoy and Vikros, developed at Federal Williams Research Center of Forage Production and Agroecology. Their common origin is probably the reason for the genetic similarity found between Grant and Lugovskoy varieties.

In general, SSR analysis failed to achieve optimum effect in identification of the investigated varieties: from the total set, including 42 primers for microsatellite genome loci, only four were attested as variety-specific for rapeseed, and only one (Ni03H07а) – for Nadezhda spring turnip rape.

For further investigation of DNA polymorphism, SRAP analysis was applied. SRAP is the third generation of molecular markers that were initially designed for the genes of B. oleracea L. (Li, Quiros, 2001) and are successfully used these days for genetic variability estimation and genetic mapping in different plants (Aneja et al., 2012; Rhouma et al., 2017; Liu et al., 2018). This is a cheap, effective and highly reproducible technique

2017; Liu et al., 2018). This is a cheap, effective and highly reproducible technique

The final dendrogram of phylogenetic relations made it possible to visually estimate the degrees of genetic similarities and differences of the studied material. For instance, close placing of such rapeseed varieties as Stolychniy, Nord and Laureat was probably determined by the features of their origin: they were selected for winter hardiness from a combination, in which one of the parental forms was Promin’, a well-known winter rapeseed variety

Garant, selected for winter hardiness, and Severyanin, which was obtained by seed freezing in a climatic chamber and the following individual-family selection, turned out to be in the common subgroup and at a short genetic distance (0.0174) from each other. In addition to high winter hardiness, these varieties are resistant to lodging and to damage by pathogenic fungi

A two-zero spring variety Novosel takes a special position in his group (Nei’s distance is 0.3469). Novosel was developed based on the foreign breeding samples and Russian varieties Lugovskoy and Vikros, characterized by early maturing and high yield. Specific properties of the new breeding achievement are shorter maturation period in comparison to standard varieties and high resistance to Alternaria blight.

Spring rapeseed Bizon and Vikros take the common branch of the dendrogram. The varieties were developed using the method of interspecies hybridization but from different parental forms; characterized by high yield productivity, early maturation and low glucosinolate content.

The presented study has proved the efficiency of SSR and SRAP markers for estimation of DNA polymorphism in rapeseed and turnip rape varieties developed in Federal Williams Research Center of Forage Production and Agroecology. During the study, SRAP technique has demonstrated a higher level of informativity: 36 % of the tested markers were polymorphic, while for the microsatellite loci this rate did not exceed 16.7 %.

Both techniques of molecular analysis enabled detecting the DNA markers for identification of 10 out of 15 rapeseed varieties tested and for 2 turnip rape samples. Microsatellite loci Na12A02, Ni2C12, Ra02-E01 and Ni02-D08a allowed obtaining unique PCR products for Bizon, Veles, Vikros, VIK 2, Podmoskovniy and Lugovskoy rapeseed varieties. Marker Ni03H07а proved effective for identifying Nadezhda turnip rape. In the used SRAP test kit, such primers as F13-R9, Me4- R7, F11-Em2, F10-R7, F9-Em2 and F9-R8 proved effective for detecting variety-specific amplicons or obtaining unique DNA profiles for different types of plants (winter/spring) in rapeseed varieties Grant, Novosel, Gorizont, Stolychniy, Lugovskoy, Podmoskovniy and in spring turnip rape Svetlana.

The results of the study can be used for development of the perspective breeding samples and hybrids, for genetic certification and seed material purity control.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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Acknowledgments

The presented investigation was supported by the means of the federal budget, directed for performing the government assignment (project No. 0442-2019-0001АААА-А19-119122590053-0).

Contributor Information

I.A. Klimenko, Federal Williams Research Center of Forage Production and Agroecology, Lobnya, Moscow region, Russia .

V.T. Volovik, Federal Williams Research Center of Forage Production and Agroecology, Lobnya, Moscow region, Russia .

A.A. Antonov, Federal Williams Research Center of Forage Production and Agroecology, Lobnya, Moscow region, Russia .

V.A. Dushkin, Federal Williams Research Center of Forage Production and Agroecology, Lobnya, Moscow region, Russia .

A.O. Shamustakimova, Federal Williams Research Center of Forage Production and Agroecology, Lobnya, Moscow region, Russia .

Yu.M. Yu.M. Mavlyutov, Federal Williams Research Center of Forage Production and Agroecology, Lobnya, Moscow region, Russia .

Open access
Published: 08 April 2024

The use of positive deviance approach to improve health service delivery and quality of care: a scoping review

Ayelign Mengesha Kassie ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0003-1505-9390 1 , 2 ,
Elizabeth Eakin ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-8835-9995 1 ,
Biruk Beletew Abate ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0003-0833-2504 2 ,
Aklilu Endalamaw ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-9121-6549 1 , 3 ,
Anteneh Zewdie 4 ,
Eskinder Wolka 4 &
Yibeltal Assefa ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-8636-1282 1

BMC Health Services Research volume 24 , Article number: 438 ( 2024 ) Cite this article

Metrics details

Quality has been a persistent challenge in the healthcare system, particularly in resource-limited settings. As a result, the utilization of innovative approaches is required to help countries in their efforts to enhance the quality of healthcare. The positive deviance (PD) approach is an innovative approach that can be utilized to improve healthcare quality. The approach assumes that solutions to problems are already available within the community and identifying and sharing those solutions can help others to resolve existing issues. Therefore, this scoping review aimed to synthesize the evidence regarding the use of the PD approach in healthcare system service delivery and quality improvement programs.

Articles were retrieved from six international databases. The last date for article search was June 02, 2023, and no date restriction was applied. All articles were assessed for inclusion through a title and/or abstract read. Then, articles that passed the title and abstract review were screened by reading their full texts. In case of duplication, only the full-text published articles were retained. A descriptive mapping and evidence synthesis was done to present data with the guide of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis extension for Scoping Reviews checklist and the results are presented in text, table, and figure formats.

A total of 125 articles were included in this scoping review. More than half, 66 (52.8%), of the articles were from the United States, 11(8.8%) from multinational studies, 10 (8%) from Canada, 8 (6.4%) from the United Kingdom and the remaining, 30 (24%) are from other nations around the world. The scoping review indicates that several types of study designs can be applied in utilizing the PD approach for healthcare service and quality improvement programs. However, although validated performance measures are utilized to identify positive deviants (PDs) in many of the articles, some of the selection criteria utilized by authors lack clarity and are subject to potential bias. In addition, several limitations have been mentioned in the articles including issues in operationalizing PD, focus on leaders and senior managers and limited staff involvement, bias, lack of comparison, limited setting, and issues in generalizability/transferability of results from prospects perspective. Nevertheless, the limitations identified are potentially manageable and can be contextually resolved depending on the nature of the study. Furthermore, PD has been successfully employed in healthcare service and quality improvement programs including in increasing surgical care quality, hand hygiene practice, and reducing healthcare-associated infections.

The scoping review findings have indicated that healthcare systems have been able to enhance quality, reduce errors, and improve patient outcomes by identifying lessons from those who exhibit exceptional practices and implementing successful strategies in their practice. All the outcomes of PD-based research, however, are dependent on the first step of identifying true PDs. Hence, it is critical that PDs are identified using objective and validated measures of performance as failure to identify true PDs can subsequently lead to failure in identifying best practices for learning and dissemination to other contextually similar settings.

Peer Review reports

The realization of universal health coverage objectives is an unattainable aspiration without the concurrent provision of healthcare services of the highest quality. For this reason, the sustainable development goal target 3.8 seeks not only financial risk protection, but also to enhance access to safe, and effective essential medications and vaccinations, and high-quality medical services [ 1 ]. To support this, international organizations including the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Bank have been promoting the idea of universal health coverage for all people to enjoy affordable access to the entire spectrum of high-quality healthcare services they require when and where they need them, and be incorporated into the healthcare system changes in several countries around the world [ 2 , 3 ].

Nevertheless, healthcare systems are grappling with a multitude of challenges when it comes to improving access and providing high-quality healthcare services on a global scale. These challenges encompass deficient data collection and monitoring systems, suboptimal organizational team culture and limited capacity, ineffective leadership, neglect of the incentivization of superior performance [ 4 ], and a dearth of evidence-based health policies to support implementation and augment the proficiency of healthcare professionals [ 5 ]. Furthermore, as highlighted by Darrudi A. et al. (2020), substandard care quality, coupled with inadequately regulated and fragmented healthcare delivery systems, escalating unmet health requirements, and the swift commercialization of healthcare within privatized systems constitute a significant challenge encountered by nations in their pursuit of universal health coverage [ 6 ]. As a result, there is a growing need to explore and use innovative approaches to improve and deliver safe, effective, and high-quality healthcare services in the healthcare system [ 7 , 8 ].

The positive deviance approach represents an innovative strategy aimed at identifying exemplary practices that are present within a given community [ 9 ]. This community in the context of healthcare encompasses various entities, including teams, groups, departments, and organizations [ 10 ]. In this regard, departments and organizations could include regional/provincial, zonal, and district-based administrative health offices, local health facilities, and their respective units. For instance, social service agencies, representatives of health care organizations, and local government bodies have been considered as communities in an article that utilized PD to understand how social service and health care providers collaborate in communities that attain relatively low levels of health care utilization and expenses among senior citizens [ 11 ]. The approach recognizes the value of existing expertise [ 12 ] and operates on the premise that solutions to problems already exist within the community, and the act of identifying and disseminating these solutions can assist others in addressing existing complex and intractable challenges [ 9 , 12 ]. Jason Gordon (2022) further emphasizes that despite having similar resource constraints as everyone else, there are individuals who excel in their performance to rules concerning organizational issues, and when given the opportunity, these PDs are willing to share their experiences as far as leaders facilitate the process [ 13 ]. Positive deviance has been applied in different sectors including social sciences, psychology, and healthcare [ 14 ], and yielded successful results in enhancing the nutritional status of children in multiple countries, such as Haiti, Vietnam, Pakistan, and India [ 15 ] and in preventing and addressing undernutrition and overweight among the adult population [ 15 , 16 , 17 ].

Application of PD is a somewhat lengthy process and involves different stages. The Bradley EH et al.‘s (2009) framework, which articulates a four-stage process, and the 4Ds/6Ds framework are commonly utilized in healthcare service-related articles. According to Bradley et al.‘s framework, the initial phase involves leveraging routinely gathered data to pinpoint organizations exemplifying exceptional performance, which is then subject to qualitative examination to formulate hypotheses regarding their superior outcomes. Subsequent stages involve the empirical validation of these hypotheses through statistical analysis in broader organizational samples and the dissemination of findings in collaboration with pertinent stakeholders to promote the replication of these best practices in comparable contexts [ 18 ]. The 4Ds/6Ds framework similarly starts with defining the issue at hand. In this framework, the first D stands for defining the problem and the next is for determining the presence of PDs or identifying them. The third D stands for discovering the successful but uncommon strategies that PDs apply in their practice and the fourth D represents the designing stage of interventions to allow others to apply these strategies in their practice. The final two Ds focus on evaluating the interventions’ effectiveness and ensuring the diffusion of effective practices to other entities [ 10 , 19 ].

However, the available evidence on PD is mixed and there are controversies on the effectiveness of the approach, particularly in complex and demanding settings including the healthcare system. This is due in large part to methodological limitations of the extant studies including inconsistencies in the quality of strategies employed to identify PDs or positive deviant practices and the challenges related to the approach’s applicability in practical situations. For instance, a systematic review paper has reported that studies that applied the PD approach for quality improvement in complex interventions lack methodological quality and details in their work. The authors further stated that utilizing PD in healthcare settings poses challenges citing engaging staff more broadly in quality enhancement programs as a known difficult aspect [ 20 ]. As such, its potential for future use in the healthcare system is not well documented. Therefore, this scoping review aimed to synthesize the evidence regarding the use of the PD approach in healthcare system service delivery and quality improvement programs.

This scoping review is conducted by using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis extension for Scoping Reviews checklist (PRISMA-ScR), as a guide for article screening, extraction, analysis, and presentation of the results [ 21 ]. In addition, the Population, Concept, and Context (PCC) framework was employed to assess the research question’s appropriateness and make amendments. Regarding article search, several international databases including PubMed, Embase, and Scopus were explored to retrieve studies related to PD and its application in the healthcare system. A complete search strategy was developed for the different databases and has been included as a supplementary file in this scoping review (see Additional file 1 ). Details regarding the article search strategy and further clarification of concepts including the PCC framework are available somewhere else [ 22 ].

Research questions

The research questions of this scoping review are: (1) What research designs and methods are utilized in implementing PD in the healthcare system service delivery and quality improvement interventions?; (2) What are the strategies applied to identify PDs or measure positively deviant practices?; (3) What outcomes have been achieved using the PD approach?; and (4) What are the limitations in utilization of the PD approach, and what is its potential for use in the healthcare system service delivery and quality improvement programs?

Eligibility, screening, and data extraction

Articles published only in the English language are included due to feasibility issues, and letters or comments to the editor, commentator, and brief communication articles and literature review studies other than systematic review and meta-analysis articles are excluded due to the nature of the scoping review detailed methodological requirements. In addition, only studies that described the methods used to assess the performance of PDs were included. Furthermore, all articles were assessed independently by two authors for inclusion through a title and, or abstract read, and those that passed the title and abstract review were screened by reading the full texts. Details are available elsewhere [ 22 ].

Data analysis and presentation

A descriptive mapping and synthesis of the literature are employed to present data in text, table, and figure formats by using three major themes: Methodologies employed in using the PD including the strategies researchers utilized to identify PDs; outcomes or achievements reported from the usage of PD approach; and the prospects of PD in future health service research works. In addition, the results of this scoping review are reported based on the PRISMA-ScR guideline, and the entire process of study screening, selection, and inclusion is shown with the support of the PRISMA-ScR flow diagram [ 21 ].

Characteristics of included studies

We identified 2089 articles from different sources: PubMed ( n = 525), Google Scholar ( n = 377), Web of Science ( n = 358), Embase ( n = 339), Scopus ( n = 329), CINAHL ( n = 160), and reference searching ( n = 1). Then, 125 articles were included for the scoping review after the title, abstract, and full-text screening, and removal of duplications (Fig. 1 ). Most of the included articles, 121 (96.8%) are original articles, and the rest, 4 (3.2%) are systematic reviews. Furthermore, more than half, 66 (52.8%) of the articles were from the United States, 11(8.8%) from multinational studies, 10 (8%) from Canada, 8 (6.4%) from the United Kingdom, 4 (3.2%) from Brazil, 4 (3.2%) from Israel, and the remaining, 22 (17.6%) are from other nations around the world (Table 1 ).

PRISMA-ScR flow diagram for the article selection process

Methods followed in the utilization of PD for the healthcare system

Study design.

Regarding the methodological composition of the research corpus, it was found that qualitative methods predominate, constituting 44.0% of study designs, followed by mixed methods approaches at 20.8%, pre-post intervention studies at 12.8%, and cross-sectional analyses at 12.0%. Notably, the foundational framework employed in most of the scrutinized articles is delineated in Bradley EH et al.‘s (2009) publication, which articulates a four-stage process [ 18 ], and the 4Ds/6Ds framework [ 10 ]. However, the literature exhibits a lack of uniformity in documenting the specific stages of PD examined or employed, and the temporal span of the studies encompasses the period from 2006 to 2023 (Supplementary Table 1 ).

Strategies utilized by researchers to identify PDs

In this scoping review, we found that the selection process of PDs is a difficult job, and no consistent validated criteria are utilized. Recommendation-based criteria have been utilized to identify PDs in twelve papers even though some of the criteria for selection are less clear and subject to potential bias [ 25 , 34 , 49 , 52 , 58 , 79 , 89 , 94 , 98 , 106 , 120 , 123 ]. For instance, Toscos T, et al. (2018) used clinic liaison recommendations to identify positive deviant patients who displayed successful methods or practices for gaining access to healthcare, as well as healthcare workers who had developed successful care-delivery practices [ 94 ]. In addition, a combination of media influence and stakeholder recommendation [ 64 ], implementation-based [ 29 ], and experience-based criteria have also been used [ 31 , 91 ]. In six articles, the criteria for the selection of PDs were unclear or unspecified [ 39 , 47 , 50 , 76 , 143 , 145 ] and in the remaining papers, the selection of PDs does not apply as they are systematic reviews [ 20 , 57 , 59 , 63 ] and adoption program papers that are implemented based on best practices identified from other positive deviant practices [ 28 , 51 , 54 , 67 , 92 , 119 ]. However, performance-based criteria have been used to identify PDs at individual, health facility or health system levels in majority of the articles [ 11 , 23 , 24 , 26 , 27 , 30 , 32 , 33 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 48 , 53 , 55 , 56 , 60 , 61 , 62 , 65 , 66 , 68 , 69 , 70 , 71 , 72 , 73 , 74 , 75 , 77 , 78 , 80 , 81 , 82 , 83 , 84 , 85 , 86 , 87 , 88 , 90 , 93 , 95 , 96 , 97 , 99 , 100 , 101 , 102 , 103 , 104 , 105 , 107 , 108 , 109 , 110 , 111 , 112 , 113 , 114 , 115 , 116 , 117 , 118 , 121 , 122 , 124 , 125 , 126 , 127 , 128 , 129 , 130 , 131 , 132 , 133 , 134 , 135 , 136 , 137 , 138 , 139 , 140 , 141 , 142 , 144 ].

Outcomes reported from the utilization of PD

We found that significant outcomes have been reported in various domains from utilizing the PD approach for healthcare service and quality improvement research and interventions around the world. In some situations, researchers used the PD approach to identify successful strategies of PDs and build conceptual models for best practice. For example, Rakic S, et al. (2021) used the PD approach to identify the strategies top-performing health centers utilized for better financial sustainability in the Republic of Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and built an organizational-level model for public primary healthcare centers [ 24 ]. Similarly, Assefa Y, et al. (2014) employed the same approach to explore best practices that contributed to patient retention in HIV care and developed a framework for improving patient retention in future implementation programs [ 43 ]. In other cases, most of the included articles are conducted to identify PDs and the strategies that make PDs different from others at the health system, health facility, and, or individual levels. For instance, Klaiman TA, et al. (2014) utilized a PD framework to identify PD local health departments that had exceptional maternal and child health outcomes in the community using uniquely detailed and matched annual maternal and child health-related county-level expenditure data for all local health departments in Florida and Washington, USA [ 83 ].

Effectiveness in reducing medication errors and hospitalizations

Positive deviance is found to be an effective strategy in reducing medication errors and hospitalizations. In this regard, a study has indicated that in a 3-phase PD interventional program, using the approach was effective in reducing medication errors with each intervention resulting in a 0.12% decline rate in reported errors [ 28 ]. In addition, effectiveness in time management and financial expenditure, improved health outcomes, enhanced healthcare service quality, improved hand hygiene practice, reduction of infections, and reductions in adverse events after operation have been reported as indicators of success in utilizing PD in the healthcare system. For example, Tanenbaum J, et al. (2018) reported the evaluation of an adopted PD program in Ohio, USA, from a nationwide primary care–led regional quality improvement collaborative operating with hospitalization rates for ambulatory care sensitive conditions known as “Better Health Partnership” resulted in reductions in age- and sex-adjusted hospitalization rates in targeted ambulatory care sensitive conditions (diabetes, heart failure, and hypertension) in Cuyahoga County more than the rates in the comparator counties in 2009–11 (106 fewer hospitalizations per 100,000 adults) and 2012–14 (91 fewer hospitalizations) [ 143 ].

Effectiveness in time management and financial expenditure

Utilizing the PD approach in healthcare safety and quality programs has led to huge time and cost savings. For instance, Gold R, et al. (2023) revealed that the application of the PD approach has resulted in great improvements in time management in surgical cases across all time intervals of procedures with an overall time of 49.84 min saved per day compared to the baseline values [ 32 ]. Similarly, an improvement in operating room time management after successive value improvement initiatives has also been reported [ 30 ]. In addition, a reduction from 4.0 to 3.0 days in median length of stay after lobectomy in thoracic surgery following local PD seminars and from 4.0 to 3.5 days after multicentre seminars are reported as successes in surgical practice together with trends of decline in multiple adverse event rates [ 34 ]. Furthermore, the Ohio study cited above has also indicated that the decline in hospitalization rates in targeted ambulatory care sensitive cases was estimated to be 5,746 hospitalizations in 2009-14, resulting in nearly $40 million in cost savings [ 143 ]. In other programs, disposable materials cost reduction of $397.53 per lobectomy in thoracic surgery after cost awareness and surgeon engaging PD interventions with futures of sustainability [ 30 ], and an additional estimated $2-2.5 M revenue per year increment from saving time, without affecting quality, safety, and workload, after an introduction of PD strategy-based surgical prepping time protocol had been reported [ 113 ].

Improved hand hygiene practice and infection prevention

Several PD-based interventional studies have indicated that utilizing the approach has resulted in better healthcare service quality practices, including an increase in hand hygiene compliance rates [ 25 , 26 , 36 , 61 , 63 ], and a reduction of infections [ 25 , 26 , 27 , 39 , 61 , 63 , 92 , 98 , 106 , 119 ]. Marra AR. et al. (2013) have revealed that improving hand hygiene practice in multiple inpatient settings has led to a decrease in the incidence of device-related healthcare-associated infections and the median length of stay after a PD intervention [ 61 ]. As an additional example, a monthly time series drop of healthcare-associated infection rates from 4.8 to 2.8 per 1000 patient-days [ 106 ], an increase in hand hygiene compliance, and a decline in Methicillin-resistant staphylococcus infection (MERSA) rates are also reported [ 63 ]. Furthermore, a sustained decreasing trend in the rate of device-related infections as a result of increasing use of alcoholic hand rub in nursing visits over 2 years [ 26 ], and a sharp decline in all access-related bloodstream infections from 2.04 per 100 patient-months preintervention to 0.75 after employing collaborative interventions and to 0.24 after augmenting the interventions with PD are documented in different settings [ 119 ]. Similarly, one program has reported several MRSA-free months in sustained and lasting changes in MERSA reduction rates, in the period after the application of PD without investing additional costs for the intervention [ 39 ].

Improved surgical care quality and reduction of complications

A trend in the reduction of multiple adverse event rates and health facility length of stay after pulmonary resection following best evidence- and best experience-based quality improvement PD seminars has been documented. In addition to the positive outcomes, the generation of universally applicable and successful consensus recommendations is made by the program for surgical safety and quality services [ 34 ]. Similarly, a reduction in post-operation complications after the application of surgeon self-evaluation in combination with a seminar-based PD quality improvement program has been observed in patients following non-cardiac thoracic surgery with a 34% decline in atrial fibrillation rates, a 38% decline in prolonged air leak rates and a 25% drop in anastomotic leak rates [ 34 , 37 ].

Improved performance and care quality

Improvements in the quality of healthcare services and health outcomes have also been reported in different topics. For example, an overall increase in the proportion of controlled blood pressure (< 140/90 mmHg) among adult patients from 67% in 2013 to 74% in 2017) with improvements across all patient demographic and insurance subgroup types has been reported after implementation of a primary care practice regional health improvement collaborative programs in the USA [ 111 ]. In another interventional program, a consistent increase in the use of dual-method contraceptives was found among Ugandan women [ 70 ]. Similarly, PD clinician-owned practices have also been found to be more likely to achieve improvements in cardiovascular quality service outcomes without increasing health workers’ burnout than were practices owned by a hospital or health system [ 114 ]. Related to this, several strategies have also been reported to be significantly associated with lower risk-standardized mortality rates among patients with acute myocardial infarction in hospitals that implemented positive deviant practices in the USA. According to the report, not cross-training nurses from intensive care units for the cardiac catheterization laboratory, having cardiologists always on-site, holding monthly meetings for reviewing acute myocardial infarction cases between hospital clinicians and staff who transported patients to the hospital, fostering an organizational environment in which clinicians are encouraged to solve problems creatively, and having physician and nurse champions rather than nurse champions alone resulted in 0.44, 0.54, 0.70, 0.84 and 0.88% point reductions in a 30-day risk-standardized mortality rate respectively [ 87 ]. Moreover, a mental health support group program facilitated by Women’s Union staff for people with severe mental illness in rural Vietnam has indicated that the use of the PD approach was associated with a substantial improvement in personal functioning and reduction of stigma and discrimination among patients. In addition, the authors have reported that the intervention has resulted in a significant reduction in financial burdens for the families of patients with severe mental illness, and the program was feasible and highly acceptable by the community [ 145 ].

Reported limitations/challenges in using PD

The included articles have mentioned several limitations that can be related to the PD approach even though it is not possible to prove whether it is true or not as many of the limitations can be related to the specific study design of individual articles. Some examples of commonly reported limitations included are thematized and cited below as concerns in operationalizing who positive deviant is or are [ 55 , 57 , 66 , 74 , 95 , 101 , 107 ], the difficulty of confirming true PDs in comparison with others, as a change in time may affect outcomes and PDs are commonly identified with secondary data, and, or stored data in the past [ 83 , 85 , 102 , 107 , 115 , 143 ] a small number of participants [ 31 , 41 , 91 , 107 ], focus on leaders and senior managers and limited staff and patient, or other stakeholder perspective involvement [ 11 , 41 , 64 , 72 , 81 , 82 , 87 , 96 ], response bias including social desirability bias [ 55 , 64 , 81 , 84 , 85 , 86 , 87 , 96 , 101 , 102 ], and issue of not achieving information saturation in qualitative studies as PD is mainly qualitative in its initial stages [ 82 ].

Furthermore, limited study setting/s [ 30 , 31 , 41 , 44 , 80 , 82 , 88 , 90 , 101 ], difficulty of performing statistical tests due to small sample size [ 33 , 65 , 83 ], difficulty of adjusting confounders [ 30 , 34 , 63 , 68 , 114 ], lack of comparison and, or difficulty of doing comparative analysis [ 24 , 71 , 82 ], and issues of generalizability/transferability [ 11 , 30 , 42 , 44 , 64 , 72 , 80 , 82 , 84 , 91 , 96 , 98 , 100 , 102 , 143 ] are also reported as common limitations in several articles. In addition, the none-probability sampling methods used to recruit participants [ 94 ] and the Hawthorne effect, a type of reactivity in which individuals modify an aspect of their behavior in response to their awareness of being observed as positive deviant are included in many articles as limitations in using the approach of PD [ 30 , 32 , 49 , 66 , 71 ]. These limitations highlight the need for careful consideration of a balanced method when using the PD approach [ 146 ].

The overall uptake and publishing of PD studies for health care service and quality of care improvement is quite limited and heavily USA-focused. This distribution is unexpected as the PD approach is primarily believed to have huge significance for resource-limited settings [ 20 ]. The reason for this could be because the PD approach is an emerging science and may not be adequately promoted in many low- and middle-income countries. In addition, from the methodology perspective, the scoping review findings have indicated that diverse types of study designs can be applied in utilizing the PD approach for healthcare service and quality improvement programs. This could be surprising for some people because, during the initial stages of the review protocol development, some of the author’s understanding was that only limited study designs could be applicable in using the PD approach as the method utilized in identifying the strategies of PDs is mainly qualitative [ 18 ]. However, in line with our anticipation, most of the included articles utilized qualitative, mixed, and pre-post interventional designs. These are useful in utilizing PD and identifying the strategies of top performers in comparison with others. This is because, qualitative research is useful to understand the “why” behind the strategies and behaviors of top performers and uncover the motivations, challenges, and contextual factors that contribute to their success, and the mixed cross-sectional and interventional methods research can combine quantitative data to quantify the prevalence and impact of certain strategies, reinforce qualitative findings and offer a more comprehensive picture [ 147 ].

Furthermore, pre-post interventional designs are important to evaluate how the strategies implemented by top performers lead to improvements over time and in comparison with others who do not implement these strategies [ 148 , 149 ]. An example of this is the study conducted by Curry LA, et al. (2018) in 10 hospitals in the USA to enhance improvements in different domains of organizational culture that lead to significant changes in culture between baseline and 24 months, especially with regards to the learning environment and senior management support. The study further added that six hospitals having major cultural transformations reported considerably higher reductions in risk-standardised mortality rates in patients with acute myocardial infarction than four hospitals that did not shift culture citing a 1.07 and 0.23% point changes in the risk-standardised mortality rates between the two groups respectively over the period of 2011–2014 and 2012–2015 [ 150 ]. These findings are supported by studies from other disciplines as well. For instance, a systematic review paper has indicated that 21 randomized controlled trial studies were utilized to improve employee well-being and effectiveness using web-based psychological interventions delivered in the workplace [ 151 ]. In addition, another systematic review paper has indicated that qualitative studies, pre-and post-test design without a control, non-randomized trials, non-randomized cross-sectional studies, and randomized controlled trials were utilized in community-based nutritional programs conducted based on the PD approach to reduce childhood malnutrition across the globe [ 17 ].

Concerning the identification of PDs, the selection process has been reported to be a difficult task in the utilization of PD [ 20 ]. The scoping review findings have supported this statement and depicted that the selection process of PDs appeared to be too complex and dependent on the unique circumstances of each study or project. As a result, different articles and studies have utilized a range of methods and criteria to identify PDs including peer recommendations [ 25 , 49 , 52 , 106 , 120 , 123 ], and performance-based criteria such as lowest risk-adjusted morbidity [ 139 ], mortality [ 82 , 87 , 93 , 102 ], timely service [ 26 , 32 , 33 , 84 , 95 , 99 , 113 , 116 , 134 ], and standardized composite performance measures including high composite quality scores [ 86 , 115 , 137 ], high composite performance/healthcare service scores [ 11 , 23 , 27 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 53 , 62 , 65 , 69 , 75 , 78 , 109 , 110 , 117 , 118 , 122 , 124 , 131 , 138 , 140 , 144 ], and better clinical outcome scores [ 37 , 38 , 111 , 118 , 125 , 130 ]. This justifies the absence of a one-size-fits-all approach to selecting PDs, and the criteria used can vary greatly based on the specific domain and goals of initiatives. However, the use of non-standardized and, or non-validated criteria can lead to bias and this in turn can lead to failure in identifying true PDs [ 55 , 57 , 66 , 74 , 95 , 101 , 107 ]. For instance, recommendation-based criteria can still be used to identify positive deviants in settings where there is no sufficient resource and data to identify positive deviant practices. However, the researchers need to be cautious of possible bias in the process of identifying true positive deviants when using such methods and need to ensure whether the recommenders are genuine or not and use other performance-based rating criteria in other situations when using validated and, or standardized tools are applicable.

In line with the above findings, another scoping review paper has indicated that some researchers have used unstandardized and less clear criteria to select PDs and suggested that objective measures of health outcomes should be used whenever possible to reduce the possibility of bias in examining associations [ 146 ]. Furthermore, it is critical to consider the underlying assumption that the identified PDs are contextually comparable with other groups in terms of access to resources and expertise [ 20 ]. This is because, health workers, health facilities, and/or health systems with better expertise and financial resources could have advantages that can influence their performance and the subsequent outcomes in comparison with their counterparts signifying the need to consider the degree of resources between populations or groups when designing a sampling strategy [ 20 , 146 ]. This challenge can be addressed to some extent in the selection criteria. For instance, in one study, high and low-performing hospitals were purposefully selected from within a random set of top 5% and bottom 5% ranked hospitals to ensure diversity in areas such as volume of patients with acute myocardial infarction, teaching status, and socioeconomic status of patients [ 152 ].

Regarding the reported outcomes, the PD approach has been employed for several aims and objectives. For instance, Klaiman TA, et al. (2014) utilized a PD framework to identify positive deviant local health departments that had exceptional maternal and child health outcomes in the community. The authors used uniquely detailed and matched annual maternal and child health-related county-level expenditure data for all local health departments in Florida and Washington. The data were sourced from the Public Health Activities and Services Tracking database for identifying high-performing local health departments. These data were linked with factors depicting the local context and local health department structures [ 83 ]. In other cases, many of the articles are conducted to identify the strategies of PDs that make them successful and share their experience with the wider community. For example, Borghini A, et al. (2021), employed a mixed-methods study to identify PDs regarding maternal care at the regional level in 10 Italian regions. In the first phase, the researchers used quantitative data including performance metrics and maternity care indicators to identify top-performing regions. In the second phase, they investigated the organizational determinants and the experience of healthcare workers involved in the process qualitatively and identified seven best practices including the existence of trust among healthcare professionals and having shared goals as the reasons for better performance and success in comparison with other regions [ 53 ].

Furthermore, researchers have proved that the utilization of PD has helped them be successful in various healthcare services and quality improvement programs including in the reduction of medication errors [ 28 ], enhancing effectiveness in time management and/or financial expenditure [ 30 , 32 , 143 ], in improving hand hygiene practice and, or reducing infection rates [ 26 , 27 , 36 , 39 , 51 , 61 , 63 , 92 , 98 , 106 , 119 ], in improving surgical care quality and reduction of complications [ 34 , 37 ], and in other reported outcome measures including an increase in the proportion of controlled blood pressure (< 140/90 mmHg) among adult patients in the USA [ 111 ], a consistent increase in the use of dual-method contraceptives among women in Uganda [ 70 ], improvement in cardiovascular quality service outcomes [ 114 ], and improvement in personal functioning’s and reduction of stigma and discriminations among patients with severe mental illnesses after implementation of PD-based programs have indicated the huge potential of utilizing PD in healthcare service quality and other outcome improvement efforts [ 145 ]. These successes from the utilization of the PD approach are supported by other studies from different programs. For instance, a systematic review paper has indicated that the utilization of the PD approach has helped countries to reduce childhood malnutrition across the globe [ 17 ].

Similarly, a 65–80% persistent decline in childhood malnutrition in Vietnam and a substantial reduction in other communities across 41 different nations around the world, in programs that used PD has also been reported [ 8 , 153 ]. In addition, success in the prevention and treatment of undernutrition, overweight, and obesity in socioeconomically vulnerable mothers and the adult population has also been reported [ 15 , 16 ]. Furthermore, a reduction in neonatal mortality has been reported in Pakistan [ 8 , 153 ]. This could be because the strategies of PDs are internally driven and the solutions are generated within the community that can be implemented with minimal expenditures, particularly in settings with financial hardship [ 8 , 57 , 154 ]. However, it is important to note that each healthcare context is unique, and the success of PD interventions may depend on factors such as the specific challenges being addressed, the engagement of stakeholders, and the adaptability of the interventions to the local context [ 18 , 154 ].

From the prospect’s perspective, several limitations have been mentioned in the primary articles including issues in the operationalization of PD, the difficulty of identifying true PDs during selection time because of time-related changes in practice about who positive deviant is or are, bias, and issues in generalizability/transferability of results. Majority of these limitations might be specific to the respective studies design, setting, and contexts [ 155 , 156 ]. However, the cited limitations could have been attributed not only to the nature of specific studies but also to the peculiar nature of the PD approach. This is because the PD approach has assumptions and principles that need to be followed when selecting study participants whether it is at individual, group, or organization level. For instance, Bradley EH, et al.’s (2009) 4-stage framework that is proposed to be followed for healthcare quality research works in using the PD approach suggests using routinely collected data in identifying positive deviant organizations that consistently exhibit exceptionally high performance in the area of interest at stage 1, intensively examine the organizations using qualitative methods to generate hypotheses about practices that help organizations achieve top performance at stage 2; statistically test hypotheses in larger, representative samples of organizations at stage 3 and collaborate with key stakeholders to disseminate the findings, such as the organizations’ customers and suppliers at stage 4 [ 18 ].

As a result, when studies are conducted, following those assumptions can pose a limitation on the research designs selected and procedures followed including selection of PDs and using routinely collected data in measuring performance may affect the results of studies as the practice level is dynamic and progressive over time. For instance, Curry LA, et al. (2011) cited that study sites (hospitals) were visited at a single point in time, and using secondary data might not be good for identifying true PDs as their performance could have been changing (improving or declining) and others, in contrast, could be top performing at the time of applying PD [ 85 ]. The possible reason for this is that the continuous nature of practice improvement over time could affect the selection of positive deviant sites as other comparators may progress as well and top performers might become low-performing at another time [ 85 , 102 ]. This highlights the need to use robust criteria in the selection process of PDs [ 146 ].

Concerning the potentials, utilization of PD not only has been successfully employed in healthcare service and quality improvement programs but also the variables included as limitations or challenges in the articles are potentially manageable. For instance, the issue of operationalization of PD can be reduced or solved by using risk-adjusted and standardized composite measures including utilization of validated performance-based criteria and considering the consistency of top-performing individuals, healthcare organizations, and systems background history as one of the assumptions of PD is the consistency of performance over time [ 20 ]. In addition, combining the evaluation of the current practice level of PDs with their historical data in comparison with other assumed low performers can be a solution for these issues and reduce the effect of the changing and progressive nature of practice between high-performing and low-performing individuals, teams, and, or healthcare facilities. Furthermore, using data that can show consistent performance for several years could be one possible option that can reduce the effect of time change in using such data sources [ 18 ]. For instance, the Curry et al. (2011) study selected hospitals that showed consistency and ranked in either the top or the bottom 5% in risk-standardized mortality rates among patients with acute myocardial infarction over two 2 years. This was seemingly intentionally done to mitigate the effect of time change on the performance level of health facilities and identify the hospitals that are truly positively deviant in comparison to those that are negatively deviant [ 85 ]. In addition, several of the included studies have used validated criteria to identify PDs that can support the above findings including lowest risk-adjusted morbidity [ 139 ], mortality [ 82 , 87 , 93 , 102 ], lowest age-adjusted mortality [ 136 ], and standardized composite performance measures including high composite quality score [ 86 , 115 , 137 ], and high composite performance/healthcare service scores as using row morbidity and mortality rates without confounder adjustment is a non-reliable indicator of high and low performance [ 11 , 23 , 27 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 53 , 62 , 65 , 69 , 75 , 78 , 109 , 110 , 117 , 118 , 122 , 124 , 131 , 138 , 140 , 144 , 157 ].

Limitation of generalizability of results has also been mentioned related to small sample size, limited study setting, study design, and non-probability sampling techniques [ 11 , 30 , 42 , 44 , 64 , 72 , 80 , 82 , 84 , 91 , 96 , 98 , 100 , 102 , 143 ] and, or due to other peculiar nature of included studies as PD approach assumes exceptional performance that is quite different from the norm even with the inclusion of comparators [ 8 , 18 ]. However, it is worth considering that findings from qualitative studies are not intended to be generalized, but rather to provide insights into previously unexplored areas and to generate hypotheses for future quantitative evaluation [ 158 ]. In PD, qualitative studies help researchers to identify best practices from high achievers that can be adopted in other settings with similar contexts. Therefore, the results of PD-related studies may not be generalizable to other settings due to their intentional focus on high-performing teams or organization/s and usage of qualitative research designs as its foundation [ 18 ]. In addition, the issue of not testing statistical relationships [ 33 , 65 , 83 ] might not be an issue as the fundamental principle of qualitative studies is to generate ideas from a small sample of the population; therefore, the results can be tested in a larger and more representative sample of the population. This signifies the need to conduct a quantitative study after developing a testable hypothesis from the qualitative studies depending on the nature of their research questions due to the need for research findings to have a statistically significant relationship if it is to be scientifically accepted as a predictor variable or variable associated with another outcome variable [ 18 ]. Above all, it is paramount to consider that even in qualitative studies, the results can still apply to other contextually similar situations as far as rigorous procedures are followed by authors in conducting their qualitative studies. This is known as theoretical generalizability or transferability [ 159 ].

Moreover, limited study setting [ 30 , 31 , 41 , 44 , 80 , 82 , 88 , 90 , 101 ], and limited staff involvement are also repetitively mentioned as a challenge in utilizing PD [ 11 , 41 , 64 , 72 , 81 , 82 , 87 , 96 ]. This has been reflected in many studies suggesting that the process of recruiting study participants might disproportionately focus on leaders and senior managers, potentially neglecting insights from frontline staff who also contribute to successful practices. Related to this, the issue of possible failure to achieve information saturation has also been included [ 82 ]. This challenge should be addressed via the use of robust qualitative methods that if done well could ensure both a broad sample of respondents (especially the front line) and employ saturation as a criterion for sample size and data collection iteration. This justification has been supported by the fact that several other studies have considered multiple settings and stakeholders including frontline staff in their studies signifying the importance of taking multiple participants from various settings and including different stakeholders if researchers are to get rich sources of information on the performance of health facilities and other responsible bodies within the health system [ 78 , 81 , 84 , 91 , 95 , 110 , 112 ].

Furthermore, although lack of comparison has been mentioned as a limitation in some studies, the inclusion of comparators in the implementation of the PD approach has been mentioned as a strength as well and proved its importance in testing the impact of PD-based interventional studies [ 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 32 , 34 , 36 , 37 , 39 , 61 , 70 , 98 , 106 , 113 , 119 , 143 , 145 ]. The reason why it is important to include comparators in the utilization of PD is that it helps researchers to uncover the traits that distinguish high performers from low performers, as well as to shed light on the unproductive practices of low performers. In addition, performing statistical tests by including comparators is also recommended if the later stages are to be implemented after the identification of PDs, as in stage 3 of Bradly EH, et al.’s (2009) framework [ 18 ]. Furthermore, in implementation research, a PD intervention can be applied to one group, and the results can be compared to a control group that was not exposed to the PD intervention, allowing researchers to investigate the true impact of the positive deviant practice/s in other similar settings [ 160 ]. However, this may not be always possible due to various reasons including refusal of low-performing individuals, groups, and, or healthcare settings due to fearing reprisal and other reasons. Moreover, resource constraints may make the inclusion of comparators very challenging in different situations. In such instances, other options can be considered, if comparison is needed including before and after intervention analysis as pre-post interventional designs play a crucial role in assessing the efficacy of strategies employed by high achievers in other similar settings, elucidating their impact over time [ 148 , 149 ].

Different forms of bias including recall, social desirability, interviewer and researcher biases, and the Hawthorne Effect have been also cited as limitations in many articles [ 55 , 64 , 81 , 84 , 85 , 86 , 87 , 96 , 101 , 102 ]. However, even though the approach has a special focus on qualitative studies, these issues are not specific to PD and can be handled contextually. For instance, blinding of study participants, data collectors, and analyzers can be done to reduce the effect of social desirability, interviewer, and researcher biases, respectively. This is because even though the PD approach commands the researchers to identify top-performing individuals, groups, and organizations, and identify their strategies for being successful [ 18 ], the data collectors, study participants, and data analyzers can still be blinded regarding the research design and who positive deviant is and is not. An example of bias in data analysis is a faulty interpretation. This occurs, when authors approach analysis intending to justify their belief or perspective, which can potentially lead to the discovery of facts that support their point of view invariably [ 161 ]. Therefore, having different data analyzers and comparing the results of the outcomes could help in reducing such biases. In addition, blinding study participants about what they are going to be asked may not be applicable, in fact, however, at least they still can be blinded to whether they or their facility is considered as positive deviant or not. Recall and social desirability biases and the Hawthorne Effect would also likely act similarly among participants from positive and negative deviant categories, limiting its impact on the comparisons provided, particularly, if the participants did not know their deviant category, suggesting the importance of blinding high and low performing classifications [ 115 ].

Nevertheless, as with other approaches, different strategies can be employed to minimize the effect of bias in the utilization of PD. For instance, one article used three techniques to minimize the effect of researchers’ preconceived biases from affecting the results. These techniques were (1) enhancing the attention of researchers’ reflexiveness through systematic debriefings with an organizational psychologist; (2) utilizing a multidisciplinary team to analyze transcripts critically with an explicit focus on identifying negative (disconfirming) cases; and (3) training of interviewers on the strategies of data collection including how to encourage participants to get both reliable data during interviews, without interviewer judgment [ 82 ]. In summary, incorporating different strategies can enhance the robustness and applicability of PD-related studies in healthcare and other fields. As a result, careful planning and addressing potential design flaws and methodological limitations are important for deriving meaningful conclusions from such studies [ 10 , 18 ].

Implications

Several articles have proved the successfulness of utilizing the PD approach in multiple areas of the healthcare system including in improving quality of care, increasing hand hygiene compliance rate, infection prevention, prevention of postoperative complications, and medication errors. This indicates the enormous potential of utilizing the PD approach for healthcare service quality improvement programs. Moreover, even though some earlier articles stated that the utility of the PD approach is limited in complex settings including the healthcare system [ 20 ], and various included articles have mentioned several limitations, as highlighted before, these issues are potentially manageable if they are carefully handled [ 10 , 18 ].

Strength and limitations

This scoping review only included articles that are conducted at the health system, health facility, and individual levels within the healthcare systems. In addition, only studies published in the English language were considered. Another limitation is that some articles might be missed due to failing to use the phrase “positive deviance”, despite utilizing the approach in their studies, related to inconsistent use of different terminologies to describe PDs in several situations [ 57 ]. However, comprehensive searches were employed across multiple databases using predefined search strategies.

Positive deviance has been extensively utilized for healthcare service and quality enhancement programs around the world, particularly in developed countries as most of the articles are from three countries (USA, Canada, and the United Kingdom) with the USA contributing to more than half of all the included articles. In addition, several types of study designs including qualitative, mixed-methods, interventional, and randomized controlled trials have been employed by researchers and program implementers depending on the context and specific objectives of their project works. By identifying and learning from those who exhibit exceptional practices, healthcare systems have been able to implement successful strategies, enhance quality, reduce errors, and improve patient outcomes. However, all the outcomes of PD-based research depend on the first step of identifying true PDs. This is because unless studies use objective and validated measures of performance, identification of true PDs is less likely, and this can in turn result in failure to identify best practices for learning. Therefore, researchers need to take different contexts in the initial stages of PD into consideration to avoid the problems reported in the identification processes of PDs including the usage of standardized performance measures. In addition, the use of comparators and exploring the practice of low performers can help to uncover the traits that distinguish good performers from low performers, as well as to shed light on unproductive practices.

Data availability

Data is provided within the manuscript or supplementary information files.

Abbreviations

Population Concept and Context

Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis extension for Scoping Reviews

Positive Deviance

Positive Deviants

Universal Health Coverage

United States of America

World Health Organization

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AM and YA conceived the idea; AM planned and designed the study protocol and all the other authors participated in reviewing and editing the protocol; AM conducted article searches; AM, YA, and BB planned the data extraction and statistical analysis; AM and BB screened articles, and AM extracted the data from the included articles, performed the analysis and wrote the first draft. YA and EE reviewed the draft and provided critical insights. All authors have reviewed, participated in editions, and approved the submission of the final manuscript.

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Kassie, A.M., Eakin, E., Abate, B.B. et al. The use of positive deviance approach to improve health service delivery and quality of care: a scoping review. BMC Health Serv Res 24 , 438 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-024-10850-2

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Sample Thesis Titles. Completing a thesis is the capstone experience of the QMSS program. Students take this opportunity to apply the tools and methodologies developed through their coursework to questions of particular interest to them. The list of theses below demonstrates the broad array of substantive subject areas to which our graduates ...
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Descriptive research is a methodological approach that seeks to depict the characteristics of a phenomenon or subject under investigation. In scientific inquiry, it serves as a foundational tool for researchers aiming to observe, record, and analyze the intricate details of a particular topic. This method provides a rich and detailed account ...
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The following steps will help you design your document title. 1. Read the Instructions to Authors. Once you have selected a journal, review the types of titles recently published and read the Instructions to Authors to learn what the journal requires for paper titles. Instructions regarding titles are often brief.
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Research Paper Title. Research Paper Title is the name or heading that summarizes the main theme or topic of a research paper.It serves as the first point of contact between the reader and the paper, providing an initial impression of the content, purpose, and scope of the research.A well-crafted research paper title should be concise, informative, and engaging, accurately reflecting the key ...
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Make sure your research title describes (a) the topic, (b) the method, (c) the sample, and (d) the results of your study. You can use the following formula: [ Result ]: A [ method] study of [ topic] among [ sample] Example: Meditation makes nurses perform better: a qualitative study of mindfulness meditation among German nursing students. Avoid ...
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The title page (or cover page) of your thesis, dissertation, or research paper should contain all the key information about your document. It usually includes: Dissertation or thesis title. Your name. The type of document (e.g., dissertation, research paper) The department and institution. The degree program (e.g., Master of Arts)
PDF DISSERTATION AND THESIS FORMATING GUIDE Spring 2019
research. Content will always include a descriptive title and subtitles. It must also include an abstract, a full introduction delineating a research question, a comprehensive literature review, and a final overall discussion describing the results of the research and the contribution of the dissertation/thesis to the field.
The Thesis Title
The thesis title should be concise, engaging, descriptive and explanatory without being informal or cute. Avoid too much jargon, abbreviations, initials, acronyms and redundant words unless the requirements specify it. Capitalise all the necessary words, including all nouns, pronouns, adjectives, verbs, and adverbs.
Research Title Generator: Make a Title for Your Thesis or Paper Easily
Welcome to our free online research title generator. You can get your title in 3 simple steps: Type your search term and choose one or more subjects from the list, Click on the "Search topic" button and choose among the ideas that the title generator has proposed, Refresh the list by clicking the button one more time if you need more options.
The first record of Cepaea vindobonensis (Pfeiffer, 1828
Existing data on the phylogeography of European taxa of steppic provenance suggests that species were widely distributed during glacial periods but underwent range contraction and fragmentation ...
PDF This electronic thesis or dissertation has been downloaded from Explore
4.2 Summary of Research Questions (RQ) and Hypothesis (H) 118 4.3 Descriptive statistics analysis 120 4.4 Reliability analysis 122 4.5 RQ1 Relationship between perception of leadership style and staff job satisfaction 125 4.6 RQ2: Demographic differences in leadership style perceptions 128
PDF Institute of Education and Research University of the Punjab, Lahore
A research question is a question that a research thesis sets out to answer. Choosing a research question is an essential element of both quantitative and qualitative research. Investigation will require data collection and analysis, and the methodology for this will vary widely.
Investigation of genetic polymorphism of Russian rape and turnip rape
The objective of the presented research study was to investigate DNA polymorphism of the rapeseed and turnip rape varieties developed at Federal Williams Research Center of Forage Production and Agroecology and detect informative markers for varietal identif ication and genetic certif ication. To genotype 18 gDNA samples, 42 and 25 combinations ...
The use of positive deviance approach to improve health service
Methods followed in the utilization of PD for the healthcare system Study design. Regarding the methodological composition of the research corpus, it was found that qualitative methods predominate, constituting 44.0% of study designs, followed by mixed methods approaches at 20.8%, pre-post intervention studies at 12.8%, and cross-sectional analyses at 12.0%.
Nikitov's Personal Information
Full Names: Sergei Apollonovich Nikitov Date of Birth: 23 April, 1955 Nationality: Russian Marital Status: Married with one child Education and Academic Qualifications. 1962 - 1972 Primary and secondary school, Berdichev, Ukraine, USSR 1973 - 1979 MSc (Specialising in Solid State Physics), Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (State ...
Gennady Volkov
Gennady Volkov was awarded the academic title of Associate Professor by the decision of the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation on December 15, 1999. He defended the doctoral thesis on the "Principles of Land Law" on June 8, 2005. The defense took place at the Faculty of Law of Lomonosov Moscow State University.
Electronic Thesis and Dissertation (ETD) Formatting Requirements
Information contained in an appendix of the ETD should be nonessential to the thesis or dissertation; i.e., the document should be able to stand alone without the Appendix material. When determining whether information should be in an appendix, consider whether it is essential to your research argument and consult with your committee as needed.
Science research writing : for native and non-native speakers of
Summary: "This book enables STEMM researchers to write effective papers for publication as well as other research-related texts such as a doctoral thesis, technical report, or conference abstract. Science Research Writing uses a reverse-engineering approach to writing developed from extensive work with STEMM researchers at Imperial College London.
ML 405 Research Additional Notes
Descriptive or neutral title - This has the essential elements of the research theme, that is, the patients/subjects, design, interventions, comparisons/control, and outcome, but does not reveal the main result or the conclusion.[3,4,12,16] Such a title allows the reader to interpret the findings of the research paper in an impartial manner and ...

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