Tips for writing an interesting title, abstract and keywords for research articles in 2023

Attracting good readers to engage with your research paper can be challenging in 2023, given the huge digital overload and noise. Your title, abstract, and keywords are the primary tools you can use to improve article-level search engine optimisation and attract the attention of qualified readers, who may later cite your results. 

A large number of readers decide within 10 seconds whether to read further or leave the page. As a result, we need to be careful when writing titles, abstracts and keywords.

Here, I present a step-by-step guide to writing great titles, abstracts and keywords for new researchers.

Title

The title of an article is crucial in attracting the reader. It conveys the story within a few words. An author needs to be cautious when framing the title:

1. Short, crisp and crystal clear. Avoid more than 15 words.
2. No abbreviations.
3. Should have a few common Google search words.  
4. Should properly convey the research.
5. A few title words should appear in the first three lines of the abstract.

Keywords

Keywords are used by journals in search engine optimisation. Hence, we need to be careful when selecting  our keywords:
1. A maximum of five or six keywords.
2. Two to three keywords should appear in the title as well.
3. A few keywords should be present in the first 2–3 lines of the abstract.
4. Avoid abbreviations.
5. Use practically useful and Google searchable words.

Abstract

The best time to write the abstract is at the end of the writing project. Then you can best summarise your study easily and effectively. Comply with the word limit, as advised in the journal's instructions for authors. Your abstract should have the following content, in order:

Purpose of Study

An author needs to clearly state the purpose of the study in the first 2 or 3 lines. Here you can also provide a brief background of the study to spark your readers' interest.  

Methodology

Next, you need to introduce the study's methodology. It may be an experiment, a simulation, an interview, a literature survey, etc. Also, discuss software, hardware, sample collection tools, analysis tools, design, sampling, sample size and study population information.

Main Findings

After discussing the methodology, researchers should present the main results of the study in terms of their data, referring to various pertinent parameters. The reader should be informed about the main result of the study.

Implications

The author must discuss the implications of their study, ranging from technical to social. This will help readers to understand the study's importance.

Originality/Novelty

The author must highlight any innovation arising from the study as well as the study's originality. This means that the work should not be repeated under similar conditions.

For any queries, feel free to contact me at priy.dwivedi@gmail.com

Priy Dwivedi is an Assistant professor in the College of Engineering, National University of Science & Technology, Oman. His research interests include wastewater treatment and waste to useful products. He is an author, research trainer and public speaker. He is currently researching and writing about improving the learning experience of university students through a 'system thinking' approach.