Republic of the Philippines

Department of Education
Region VII – Central Visayas
SCHOOLS DIVISION OF TOLEDO CITY
DON ANDRES SORIANO NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL
Don Andres Soriano, Toledo City
Name of Learner: _______________________________ Grade Level & Section: ________________
Subject: Practical Research 2 Module No.: 5 Title: Writing Research Title
Learning Competencies: Module 5: WRITING RESEARCH TITLE (CS_RS12-Id-e-2)
>Determine the elements comprise a research title.
>Write a working research title.
>Appreciate the importance of making a working research title.
> Demonstrate responsibility in carrying out team task.

WRITING RESEARCH TITLE

A research title summarizes the main idea or ideas of your research study. A good title contains the fewest
possible words that adequately describe the contents and/or purpose of your research paper. The initial aim of a title
is to capture the reader’s attention and to draw his or her attention to the research problem being investigated.
Typically, the final title you submit to your teacher is created after the research is complete so that the title
accurately captures what was done. The working title should be developed early in the research process because it
can help anchor the focus of the study in much the same way the research problem does. Thus, working title is a
temporary name which is subject to change depending on the course of the research study if there are more
interesting discoveries emerge from the data. Referring back to the working title can help you reorient yourself
back to the main purpose of the study if you feel yourself drifting off on a tangent while writing.

CHARACTERISTICS OF A WORKING RESEARCH TITLE

According to Hairston and Keene (2020), making a good title for a paper involves ensuring that the title of the
research accomplishes four goals:
1. a good title predicts the content of the research paper;
2. a good title should be interesting to the reader;
3. it should reflect the tone of the writing; and
4. it should contain important keywords that will make it easier to be located during a keyword search.

CREATING A WORKING TITLE

Consider the following in making a working title for your quantitative research study:
1. Make sure your research title mentions the (a) subject matter/ variable, (b) locale of the study, (c)
population, and (d) period of the study.
2. In a study of relationship, mention the independent variables before the dependent ones. In a study of
difference and in experimental research, mention the dependent variables before the independent
ones.
3. Avoid unnecessary words and jargons. Make your title clear and comprehensible even to people who
are not experts in research world.
4. Make sure your title is between 5 and 15 words in length.
5. If you are writing a title for your research study, verify that your title conforms to the standards and
requirements set by your school. For example, many research studies require that titles fall under a
character limit, including spaces. Many schools require that titles take a very specific form, limiting your
creativity.

EXAMPLES OF TITLES
Broad Titles
Broad topics should always be narrowed down. The following are examples of broad topics:
• Blended Learning in English Classes
• Presidential Election Results
• Agri-business
• Social Networking
• Vegetarianism
Specific Titles
Specific topics are researchable. The following are example of specific research topics:
• Extent of Utilization of Blended Learning and Academic Performance in Freshmen English
Classes of the Asian Student in XYZ International School
• Impact of Agribusiness on the Philippine Economy
• Impact of Campaign Events and Materials on Presidential Election Results
• Social Networking and Online Selling of Part-Time Online Entrepreneurs
• Effects of Vegetarianism on Physical Health of Middle-Aged Individuals

Module 6: Describes Background of Research (CS_RS12-Id-e-4)

Learning Competencies:
 a. evaluate a sample background of research
b. draft background of research for the working research study
c. display the value of productivity in drafting the background of one’s research
d. demonstrate responsibility in carrying out team task.

Research background is the introduction section of a research paper. It needs to be written with special care since it establishes the
impression of the readers towards the research. It reveals the issue or concern directing to the research by giving information about the
problem. This information may have something to do with the condition, context, or construct of the problem. A research problem is the issue
or concern that creates the necessity to conduct the research study. Therefore, points in the research background needs to be strong so that
audiences can feel the need for investigation.

Creswell (2014) suggested a model in writing a research introduction which is coined as THE DIFICIENCIES MODEL OF AN
INTRODUCTION. This approach in writing an introduction requires researchers to find gaps or unresolved issues existing in the literature
or research readings. The following are the elements of the model which you may follow in writing your research background or
introduction:
1. State the research problem
2. Review studies that have addressed the problem
3. Indicate deficiencies in the studies
4. Advance the significance of the study for particular audiences
5. State the purpose statement

To help you understand the abovementioned elements, the author simplified them into questions that you may answer to build up your
research background section of your research paper.
1. What is the problem that you are trying to address?
2. What are the constructs in the problem that the audiences need to understand? How do you define them?
3. What do other studies and literature say about the problem?
4. What are the deficiencies or issues in the studies or literature that leads to your problem?
5. Who will take significant of your research?
6. Why do you have to address the problem?

STATING THE RESEARCH PROBLEM

The research problem is the issue or concern you are trying to address in your research. This may not sprout necessarily from
readings or literature. You may address problems in your study that come from observation. However, it gives more strength to your
research background if you can provide baseline data as to the reason of the existence of your research problem. Baseline data are the results
of measurement before conducting a research study. Therefore, include baseline data as the established reason of the emergence of your
research problem. Another important matter to be considered in stating your research problem as the first part of your introduction is to
define the constructs of your problem. Construct is the broad concept or topic in your study. For example, if your research problem involves
the mismanagement of time by the students, time management is the construct that you must elucidate so that audience would know what it
means and how it is related in your study.

REVIEWING STUDIES THAT HAVE ADDRESSED THE PROBLEM

In the next part of your research background or introduction, you have to review studies that have addressed the problem or at least attempted
to do so. There is no standard rule as to the number of studies that you have to review. It depends if you think that you already have covered
the majority or the entire studies pertaining to finding solution to the problem at hand. For the sake if this research endeavor, let us say that
you will have to review at least three studies: one international study, one national study, and one local study. In case there is no local study
finding solution to the problem at hand, you may consider having two national studies in addition to one international study. This is to give
additional strength to your research background that the problem at hand is experienced worldwide if not nationwide. With the absence of
studies finding solution to the problem at hand doe to its uniqueness, you may consider finding literature that talks about the problem. This
literature is not necessarily research articles. It may be articles from magazines, books, or journals.

DEFICIENCIES IN THE STUDY

Deficiency means the lack or inadequacy of solution to the problem. After reviewing studies that have addressed the problem or at least
attempted to do so, you have to point out the deficiencies in the studies or literature you have reviewed. These deficiencies may have been
caused by the design, methodology, or external threats or factors affecting the result of the study causing to unresolve problem. These
deficiencies are to be addressed by your research study. In some manner, problems may have been resolved by the researches or literature
you have reviewed. Therefore, you may consider replicating the methodology used in their study to see if it applies to the same problem in
your locality.
In a simple way of speaking, deficiencies are the gaps or issues encountered or contained in the studies or literature you have reviewed. It is
important to point them out to strengthen the baseline leading to conveying the need of research.

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

In this part of your research background, you have to itemize the people, group of people, or institutions that may take advantage or
significant of your study and how they will be able to experience it. Through this, they will be interested in reading your research paper. Your
study will be appealing to them since it suggests or provide ways in addressing their problem or relating to it.

PURPOSE STATEMENT
Purpose statement is the expression of the intent or goal of your research work. In general sense, your goal is to address the problem.
However, there must be a specific objective that you would like to achieve in addressing the problem. For example, you would like to
correlate if malnutrition has an effect to the class participation of the junior high school students in your school. Instead of saying that your
goal is to address the problem in malnutrition among junior high school students in your school, you have to state the specific objective
leading to this solution. This is because addressing the malnutrition may require you to perform a very large scale action research or many
research endeavors before fulfilling it. Therefore, state the specific objective instead of the broad one. It is noteworthy to state the specific
goal of your research study in the research background section so that the audience will have the idea what outcome they will get by the end
of the research study. In qualitative research, the purpose statement can be discussed by the researcher in a separate section. In quantitative
research, the statement of the problem is used instead. The purpose of the research study may be reiterated in the statement of the problem
section. So, the research background provides the researcher an avenue to explain the purpose of the research study—how it exists and a
glance of how it will be done.