Formulating a Research Topic and Title
A research topic identifies the broad subject to be investigated, while the title communicates the final study focus. A strong topic is relevant, researchable, ethical and feasible; a strong title is accurate, specific and aligned with the proposed methods.
Learning objectives
- Generate researchable topics from health problems and evidence gaps.
- Narrow a broad subject using population, variables, setting and time.
- Assess feasibility, novelty, ethics and relevance.
- Write and critique clear research titles.
- Avoid common topic-selection and title-writing errors.
Sources of research topics
Clinical practice
Unexplained outcomes, diagnostic difficulties, adverse events or variation in treatment response.
Health services
Waiting times, stock-outs, referral delays, coverage gaps and poor continuity of care.
Community priorities
Local disease burden, cultural practices, access barriers and patient experience.
Existing evidence
Conflicting results, understudied populations and recommendations for further research.
From broad idea to researchable topic
Broad idea: malaria in pregnancy.
Narrowed problem: inconsistent use of insecticide-treated nets among pregnant women attending antenatal care.
Researchable topic: prevalence and factors associated with consistent insecticide-treated net use among pregnant women attending antenatal care at Facility X in 2026.
Use the following narrowing dimensions: population, condition or outcome, exposure/intervention, geographical setting, institutional setting, period and study purpose.
FINER criteria
| Criterion | Key question | Warning sign |
|---|---|---|
| Feasible | Are time, sample, skills, data and funds adequate? | Requires unavailable laboratory tests |
| Interesting | Will investigators and stakeholders remain engaged? | Chosen only because it seems easy |
| Novel | Does it confirm, extend or challenge knowledge? | Exact local question already answered well |
| Ethical | Can risks, consent and privacy be managed? | Unnecessary exposure to harm |
| Relevant | Could findings influence care, policy or knowledge? | No plausible user of results |
Using PICOT for intervention questions
- P: population or patient group.
- I: intervention or exposure.
- C: comparison.
- O: outcome.
- T: time, when relevant.
Example: Among adults with hypertension attending rural clinics (P), do SMS reminders (I), compared with usual care (C), improve six-month appointment attendance (O) over one year (T)?
Characteristics of a good research title
- Reflects the central variables or phenomenon.
- Identifies the population and setting where necessary.
- May state the design when informative.
- Uses precise terms and avoids unexplained abbreviations.
- Does not claim causation beyond the design.
- Is concise without becoming vague.
Worked title improvement
| Weak title | Problem | Improved title |
|---|---|---|
| A Study of Malaria | Too broad | Prevalence and Factors Associated with Malaria Parasitaemia among Children Under Five in District X, 2026 |
| Why Nurses Make Errors | Judgmental and assumes cause | Factors Associated with Reported Medication Errors among Nurses at Hospital Y |
| Effect of Social Media on Adolescents | Outcome and setting unclear | Association between Daily Social-Media Use and Depressive Symptoms among Secondary-School Students in Municipality Z |
| Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices | Population and subject absent | Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices regarding Antibiotic Use among Caregivers of Children Under Five at Facility A |
Scenario: testing feasibility
A student proposes a national five-year cohort with advanced genetic testing but has three months, one facility and no laboratory funding. The health problem may be important, yet the project is not feasible. A defensible revision might use existing facility records to describe treatment outcomes and associated routinely recorded factors over the previous two years.
Title-design alignment
- Use “prevalence” for a design capable of estimating prevalence.
- Use “factors associated with” when the study demonstrates association.
- Reserve “effect” or “effectiveness” for designs that support the claim.
- For qualitative work, titles may use “experiences,” “perceptions,” “barriers” or “lived experiences.”
- For evaluation, specify the programme and implementation or outcome focus.
Topic appraisal checklist
- What exact health or knowledge problem exists?
- Who experiences it, where and when?
- What is already known and what remains uncertain?
- Which variables or experiences will be studied?
- Can suitable participants and data be accessed?
- Can the work be completed ethically with available resources?
- Who will use the findings and how?
Review questions
- Apply FINER to a proposed study on adolescent substance use.
- Convert “maternal health” into two specific research titles.
- Critique: “The Causes of Poor Treatment by Health Workers.”
- Formulate a PICOT question for an appointment-reminder intervention.
Return to the Clinical Medicine Year 2 curriculum
References
- UAHEB. Guidelines on Research Proposal and Report Writing.
- WHO. Health Research Methodology.
- Kothari CR, Garg G. Research Methodology: Methods and Techniques.
Educational content only. Proposed studies require supervisory, ethical and institutional review.
