Boosting Your Qualitative Research Title
Hello Curious Learner,
I struggle with writing concise, catchy titles for my qualitative studies. The last time I touched on this subject with my PhD supervisors I told them that my PhD research was WAY more interesting than my thesis title. With their help, I ended up changing the title and it was so much better! Fast forward a few months, I join a Facebook group for qualitative research teachers and scholars and quickly realize that the most frequent posts are some form of request for feedback on qualitative research titles. As a result, the purpose of this post is to help you craft a remarkable title that reflects your qualitative work, data and results.
Manuscript and research titles matter for qualitative, quantitative or mixed methods research. They offer the first “impression” someone will make of your work. When it comes to qualitative research, certain words or expression do not naturally fit within the qualitative paradigm as they tend to be linked to statistical methods used in quantitative research. Some examples are: correlation, increased/decreased risk, association, effect, etc. Obviously these words might be used in participants quotations and in the context of a qualitative study; however, I would avoid using them in the title because they might covey the wrong impression and, consequently, not reach the right audience.
Audience is the key word for my second point about qualitative research titles. Who is your audience? Where is your qualitative work being presented? You need to take that into consideration. Depending on where your research is being presented, you might choose a title that highlights the methods used or one of your key findings. I recently attended a workshop about communicating research to diverse audiences, and the presenter shared a blog post from Blog Charge that lists more than 700 catchy words. I found it worth reading because it also discusses what makes some words catchy.
My third and last point about qualitative research titles is also the most important one. If your participants are individuals or communities who cope with difficult circumstances, have suffered any form of racism or marginalization and/or have been portrayed in the media in a negative way, what picture is your title painting? What is your ethical responsibility? What words can you use to showcase their strengths or uniqueness? I believe that words and their meaning are powerful and, when in doubt, conduct a quick Google search and use a reputable dictionary to understand the various meanings of the words you are choosing.
In summary, you can boost your qualitative research title by:
1. Appropriately reflecting the qualitative paradigm
2. Knowing your audience
3. Being ethical while honouring your participants’ stories, strengths and particularities
Have fun playing with words and finding a title that, in some or many ways, makes sense and tells your reader what is coming their way.
Talk soon,
Maira
