research article title format

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• How to Write a Great Title

Maximize search-ability and engage your readers from the very beginning

Your title is the first thing anyone who reads your article is going to see, and for many it will be where they stop reading. Learn how to write a title that helps readers find your article, draws your audience in and sets the stage for your research!

How your title impacts the success of your article

Researchers are busy and there will always be more articles to read than time to read them.  Good titles help readers find your research, and decide whether to keep reading. Search engines use titles to retrieve relevant articles based on users’ keyword searches. Once readers find your article, they’ll use the title as the first filter to decide whether your research is what they’re looking for. A strong and specific title is the first step toward citations, inclusion in meta-analyses, and influencing your field. 

What to include in a title

Include the most important information that will signal to your target audience that they should keep reading.

Key information about the study design

Important keywords

What you discovered

Writing tips

Getting the title right can be more difficult than it seems, and researchers refine their writing skills throughout their career. Some journals even help editors to re-write their titles during the publication process! 

• Keep it concise and informative What’s appropriate for titles varies greatly across disciplines. Take a look at some articles published in your field, and check the journal guidelines for character limits. Aim for fewer than 12 words, and check for journal specific word limits.
• Write for your audience Consider who your primary audience is: are they specialists in your specific field, are they cross-disciplinary, are they non-specialists?
• Entice the reader Find a way to pique your readers’ interest, give them enough information to keep them reading.
• Incorporate important keywords Consider what about your article will be most interesting to your audience: Most readers come to an article from a search engine, so take some time and include the important ones in your title!
• Write in sentence case In scientific writing, titles are given in sentence case. Capitalize only the first word of the text, proper nouns, and genus names. See our examples below.

Don’t

• Write your title as a question In most cases, you shouldn’t need to frame your title as a question. You have the answers, you know what you found. Writing your title as a question might draw your readers in, but it’s more likely to put them off.
• Sensationalize your research Be honest with yourself about what you truly discovered. A sensationalized or dramatic title might make a few extra people read a bit further into your article, but you don’t want them disappointed when they get to the results.

Examples…

Format: Prevalence of [disease] in [population] in [location]

Example: Prevalence of tuberculosis in homeless women in San Francisco

Format: Risk factors for [condition] among [population] in [location]

Example: Risk factors for preterm births among low-income women in Mexico City

Format (systematic review/meta-analysis): Effectiveness of [treatment] for [disease] in [population] for [outcome] : A systematic review and meta-analysis

Example: Effectiveness of Hepatitis B treatment in HIV-infected adolescents in the prevention of liver disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Format (clinical trial): [Intervention] improved [symptoms] of [disease] in [population] : A randomized controlled clinical trial

Example: Using a sleep app lessened insomnia in post-menopausal women in southwest United States: A randomized controlled clinical trial

Format  (general molecular studies): Characterization/identification/evaluation of [molecule name] in/from [organism/tissue] (b y [specific biological methods] ) 

Example: Identification of putative Type-I sex pheromone biosynthesis-related genes expressed in the female pheromone gland of Streltzoviella insularis

Format  (general molecular studies): [specific methods/analysis] of organism/tissue reveal insights into [function/role] of [molecule name] in [biological process]  

Example: Transcriptome landscape of Rafflesia cantleyi floral buds reveals insights into the roles of transcription factors and phytohormones in flower development

Format  (software/method papers): [tool/method/software] for [what purpose] in [what research area]

Example: CRISPR-based tools for targeted transcriptional and epigenetic regulation in plants

Tip: How to edit your work

Editing is challenging, especially if you are acting as both a writer and an editor. Read our guidelines for advice on how to refine your work, including useful tips for setting your intentions, re-review, and consultation with colleagues.

• How to Write an Abstract
• How to Write Your Methods
• How to Report Statistics
• How to Write Discussions and Conclusions
• How to Edit Your Work

The contents of the Peer Review Center are also available as a live, interactive training session, complete with slides, talking points, and activities. …

The contents of the Writing Center are also available as a live, interactive training session, complete with slides, talking points, and activities. …

There’s a lot to consider when deciding where to submit your work. Learn how to choose a journal that will help your study reach its audience, while reflecting your values as a researcher…

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

Thank you so much:) Have a nice day!

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Thank you for the excellent article and tips for creating a research work, because I always forget about such an essential element as the keywords when forming topics. In particular, I have found a rapid help with the formation of informative and sound titles that also conforms to the standards and requirements.

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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13.1 Formatting a Research Paper

Learning objectives.

• Identify the major components of a research paper written using American Psychological Association (APA) style.
• Apply general APA style and formatting conventions in a research paper.

In this chapter, you will learn how to use APA style , the documentation and formatting style followed by the American Psychological Association, as well as MLA style , from the Modern Language Association. There are a few major formatting styles used in academic texts, including AMA, Chicago, and Turabian:

• AMA (American Medical Association) for medicine, health, and biological sciences
• APA (American Psychological Association) for education, psychology, and the social sciences
• Chicago—a common style used in everyday publications like magazines, newspapers, and books
• MLA (Modern Language Association) for English, literature, arts, and humanities
• Turabian—another common style designed for its universal application across all subjects and disciplines

While all the formatting and citation styles have their own use and applications, in this chapter we focus our attention on the two styles you are most likely to use in your academic studies: APA and MLA.

If you find that the rules of proper source documentation are difficult to keep straight, you are not alone. Writing a good research paper is, in and of itself, a major intellectual challenge. Having to follow detailed citation and formatting guidelines as well may seem like just one more task to add to an already-too-long list of requirements.

Following these guidelines, however, serves several important purposes. First, it signals to your readers that your paper should be taken seriously as a student’s contribution to a given academic or professional field; it is the literary equivalent of wearing a tailored suit to a job interview. Second, it shows that you respect other people’s work enough to give them proper credit for it. Finally, it helps your reader find additional materials if he or she wishes to learn more about your topic.

Furthermore, producing a letter-perfect APA-style paper need not be burdensome. Yes, it requires careful attention to detail. However, you can simplify the process if you keep these broad guidelines in mind:

• Work ahead whenever you can. Chapter 11 “Writing from Research: What Will I Learn?” includes tips for keeping track of your sources early in the research process, which will save time later on.
• Get it right the first time. Apply APA guidelines as you write, so you will not have much to correct during the editing stage. Again, putting in a little extra time early on can save time later.
• Use the resources available to you. In addition to the guidelines provided in this chapter, you may wish to consult the APA website at http://www.apa.org or the Purdue University Online Writing lab at http://owl.english.purdue.edu , which regularly updates its online style guidelines.

General Formatting Guidelines

This chapter provides detailed guidelines for using the citation and formatting conventions developed by the American Psychological Association, or APA. Writers in disciplines as diverse as astrophysics, biology, psychology, and education follow APA style. The major components of a paper written in APA style are listed in the following box.

These are the major components of an APA-style paper:

Body, which includes the following:

• Headings and, if necessary, subheadings to organize the content
• In-text citations of research sources
• References page

All these components must be saved in one document, not as separate documents.

The title page of your paper includes the following information:

• Title of the paper
• Author’s name
• Name of the institution with which the author is affiliated
• Header at the top of the page with the paper title (in capital letters) and the page number (If the title is lengthy, you may use a shortened form of it in the header.)

List the first three elements in the order given in the previous list, centered about one third of the way down from the top of the page. Use the headers and footers tool of your word-processing program to add the header, with the title text at the left and the page number in the upper-right corner. Your title page should look like the following example.

The next page of your paper provides an abstract , or brief summary of your findings. An abstract does not need to be provided in every paper, but an abstract should be used in papers that include a hypothesis. A good abstract is concise—about one hundred fifty to two hundred fifty words—and is written in an objective, impersonal style. Your writing voice will not be as apparent here as in the body of your paper. When writing the abstract, take a just-the-facts approach, and summarize your research question and your findings in a few sentences.

In Chapter 12 “Writing a Research Paper” , you read a paper written by a student named Jorge, who researched the effectiveness of low-carbohydrate diets. Read Jorge’s abstract. Note how it sums up the major ideas in his paper without going into excessive detail.

Write an abstract summarizing your paper. Briefly introduce the topic, state your findings, and sum up what conclusions you can draw from your research. Use the word count feature of your word-processing program to make sure your abstract does not exceed one hundred fifty words.

Depending on your field of study, you may sometimes write research papers that present extensive primary research, such as your own experiment or survey. In your abstract, summarize your research question and your findings, and briefly indicate how your study relates to prior research in the field.

Margins, Pagination, and Headings

APA style requirements also address specific formatting concerns, such as margins, pagination, and heading styles, within the body of the paper. Review the following APA guidelines.

Use these general guidelines to format the paper:

• Set the top, bottom, and side margins of your paper at 1 inch.
• Use double-spaced text throughout your paper.
• Use a standard font, such as Times New Roman or Arial, in a legible size (10- to 12-point).
• Use continuous pagination throughout the paper, including the title page and the references section. Page numbers appear flush right within your header.
• Section headings and subsection headings within the body of your paper use different types of formatting depending on the level of information you are presenting. Additional details from Jorge’s paper are provided.

Begin formatting the final draft of your paper according to APA guidelines. You may work with an existing document or set up a new document if you choose. Include the following:

• Your title page
• The abstract you created in Note 13.8 “Exercise 1”
• Correct headers and page numbers for your title page and abstract

APA style uses section headings to organize information, making it easy for the reader to follow the writer’s train of thought and to know immediately what major topics are covered. Depending on the length and complexity of the paper, its major sections may also be divided into subsections, sub-subsections, and so on. These smaller sections, in turn, use different heading styles to indicate different levels of information. In essence, you are using headings to create a hierarchy of information.

The following heading styles used in APA formatting are listed in order of greatest to least importance:

• Section headings use centered, boldface type. Headings use title case, with important words in the heading capitalized.
• Subsection headings use left-aligned, boldface type. Headings use title case.
• The third level uses left-aligned, indented, boldface type. Headings use a capital letter only for the first word, and they end in a period.
• The fourth level follows the same style used for the previous level, but the headings are boldfaced and italicized.
• The fifth level follows the same style used for the previous level, but the headings are italicized and not boldfaced.

Visually, the hierarchy of information is organized as indicated in Table 13.1 “Section Headings” .

Table 13.1 Section Headings

A college research paper may not use all the heading levels shown in Table 13.1 “Section Headings” , but you are likely to encounter them in academic journal articles that use APA style. For a brief paper, you may find that level 1 headings suffice. Longer or more complex papers may need level 2 headings or other lower-level headings to organize information clearly. Use your outline to craft your major section headings and determine whether any subtopics are substantial enough to require additional levels of headings.

Working with the document you developed in Note 13.11 “Exercise 2” , begin setting up the heading structure of the final draft of your research paper according to APA guidelines. Include your title and at least two to three major section headings, and follow the formatting guidelines provided above. If your major sections should be broken into subsections, add those headings as well. Use your outline to help you.

Because Jorge used only level 1 headings, his Exercise 3 would look like the following:

Citation Guidelines

In-text citations.

Throughout the body of your paper, include a citation whenever you quote or paraphrase material from your research sources. As you learned in Chapter 11 “Writing from Research: What Will I Learn?” , the purpose of citations is twofold: to give credit to others for their ideas and to allow your reader to follow up and learn more about the topic if desired. Your in-text citations provide basic information about your source; each source you cite will have a longer entry in the references section that provides more detailed information.

In-text citations must provide the name of the author or authors and the year the source was published. (When a given source does not list an individual author, you may provide the source title or the name of the organization that published the material instead.) When directly quoting a source, it is also required that you include the page number where the quote appears in your citation.

This information may be included within the sentence or in a parenthetical reference at the end of the sentence, as in these examples.

Epstein (2010) points out that “junk food cannot be considered addictive in the same way that we think of psychoactive drugs as addictive” (p. 137).

Here, the writer names the source author when introducing the quote and provides the publication date in parentheses after the author’s name. The page number appears in parentheses after the closing quotation marks and before the period that ends the sentence.

Addiction researchers caution that “junk food cannot be considered addictive in the same way that we think of psychoactive drugs as addictive” (Epstein, 2010, p. 137).

Here, the writer provides a parenthetical citation at the end of the sentence that includes the author’s name, the year of publication, and the page number separated by commas. Again, the parenthetical citation is placed after the closing quotation marks and before the period at the end of the sentence.

As noted in the book Junk Food, Junk Science (Epstein, 2010, p. 137), “junk food cannot be considered addictive in the same way that we think of psychoactive drugs as addictive.”

Here, the writer chose to mention the source title in the sentence (an optional piece of information to include) and followed the title with a parenthetical citation. Note that the parenthetical citation is placed before the comma that signals the end of the introductory phrase.

David Epstein’s book Junk Food, Junk Science (2010) pointed out that “junk food cannot be considered addictive in the same way that we think of psychoactive drugs as addictive” (p. 137).

Another variation is to introduce the author and the source title in your sentence and include the publication date and page number in parentheses within the sentence or at the end of the sentence. As long as you have included the essential information, you can choose the option that works best for that particular sentence and source.

Citing a book with a single author is usually a straightforward task. Of course, your research may require that you cite many other types of sources, such as books or articles with more than one author or sources with no individual author listed. You may also need to cite sources available in both print and online and nonprint sources, such as websites and personal interviews. Chapter 13 “APA and MLA Documentation and Formatting” , Section 13.2 “Citing and Referencing Techniques” and Section 13.3 “Creating a References Section” provide extensive guidelines for citing a variety of source types.

Writing at Work

APA is just one of several different styles with its own guidelines for documentation, formatting, and language usage. Depending on your field of interest, you may be exposed to additional styles, such as the following:

• MLA style. Determined by the Modern Languages Association and used for papers in literature, languages, and other disciplines in the humanities.
• Chicago style. Outlined in the Chicago Manual of Style and sometimes used for papers in the humanities and the sciences; many professional organizations use this style for publications as well.
• Associated Press (AP) style. Used by professional journalists.

References List

The brief citations included in the body of your paper correspond to the more detailed citations provided at the end of the paper in the references section. In-text citations provide basic information—the author’s name, the publication date, and the page number if necessary—while the references section provides more extensive bibliographical information. Again, this information allows your reader to follow up on the sources you cited and do additional reading about the topic if desired.

The specific format of entries in the list of references varies slightly for different source types, but the entries generally include the following information:

• The name(s) of the author(s) or institution that wrote the source
• The year of publication and, where applicable, the exact date of publication
• The full title of the source
• For books, the city of publication
• For articles or essays, the name of the periodical or book in which the article or essay appears
• For magazine and journal articles, the volume number, issue number, and pages where the article appears
• For sources on the web, the URL where the source is located

The references page is double spaced and lists entries in alphabetical order by the author’s last name. If an entry continues for more than one line, the second line and each subsequent line are indented five spaces. Review the following example. ( Chapter 13 “APA and MLA Documentation and Formatting” , Section 13.3 “Creating a References Section” provides extensive guidelines for formatting reference entries for different types of sources.)

In APA style, book and article titles are formatted in sentence case, not title case. Sentence case means that only the first word is capitalized, along with any proper nouns.

Key Takeaways

• Following proper citation and formatting guidelines helps writers ensure that their work will be taken seriously, give proper credit to other authors for their work, and provide valuable information to readers.
• Working ahead and taking care to cite sources correctly the first time are ways writers can save time during the editing stage of writing a research paper.
• APA papers usually include an abstract that concisely summarizes the paper.
• APA papers use a specific headings structure to provide a clear hierarchy of information.
• In APA papers, in-text citations usually include the name(s) of the author(s) and the year of publication.
• In-text citations correspond to entries in the references section, which provide detailed bibliographical information about a source.

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Creating effective titles for your scientific publications

Associated data.

You work for months, maybe years, to plan and conduct your study. You write it up carefully, reporting every piece of data accurately. You get the approval of your co-authors and double-check everyone’s conflicts of interest for the disclosure form. You are ready to submit it when you remember that your work needs a title. “No problem,” you say. “I’ll just throw something together.”

Hold on—that’s not a good idea. The title of a scholarly article really does matter, for several reasons ( Video 1 , available online at www.VideoGIE.org ). It is the first thing a reader will see, so it helps him or her decide whether to read the rest of the article ( Fig. 1 ). 1 If you are publishing in a subscription model, it helps the reader decide whether to buy the whole article. Later, when the reader is writing his own article and wants to cite yours, he can find it more easily if you have given it an effective title. If the article is cited more, it will help your H-Index and G-Index, building your reputation and credibility. Furthermore, if your article is highly cited, it helps the publishing journal’s Impact Factor. Journal editors know which authors’ articles are highly cited and will react with interest when they see another article submitted by that author in the future.

Example of a poor title. It has a problem with grammar (“Are” instead of “Is”), it attempts to be funny, it is in the form of a question, uses abbreviations, does not have clear keywords, and does not make the point of the article clear.

Several elements make up an effective title ( Table 1 ). Studies have shown that shorter titles receive more citations; most recommend 10 to 15 words or between 31 and 40 characters. 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 Punctuation is important: commas and colons have been shown to increase citations, but articles with question marks or exclamation points are cited less frequently. 7 Keywords that help researchers find your article when they use search algorithms are critical, so make sure that your title accurately reflects the key concepts of your article. 4 , 8 , 9

Table 1

Elements of a good title for a scholarly publication

Avoid abbreviations or jargon in your title. 3 , 4 , 9 People from other fields whose research intersects with yours might cite you if they can find your article, but if you use abbreviations or jargon specific to your field, their searches won’t uncover your article.

Some authors think attracting attention with humor or puns is a good idea, but that practice is actually counterproductive. 3 , 4 , 5 , 9 Your title should reflect the tone of the article and of the journal, and because we are dealing with scholarly publications, that means the title should be formal as well. If you are writing an editorial or opinion piece, you might get away with a less-formal title, but for the most part, making your readers laugh should not be a priority.

Poor grammar and incorrect spelling are jarring and irritating to many readers as well as to editors and reviewers, so check and double check that the title is grammatical and everything is spelled and punctuated correctly. If you are using an editing or translation service to assist you with the composition of your article, be sure to include the title in the content submitted for review to catch errors you may have overlooked.

Above all, remember that your title is a reader’s first impression of your article, so make sure that impression is effective. Do all you can to create a title that is professional and does justice to the article you have worked so hard to create.

All authors disclosed no financial relationships relevant to this publication.

Supplementary data

Creating effective titles for scientific articles takes planning and knowledge. In this video, we discuss the elements of a good title.

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The title summarizes the main idea or ideas of your study. A good title contains the fewest possible words needed to adequately describe the content and/or purpose of your research paper.

Importance of Choosing a Good Title

The title is the part of a paper that is read the most, and it is usually read first . It is, therefore, the most important element that defines the research study. With this in mind, avoid the following when creating a title:

• If the title is too long, this usually indicates there are too many unnecessary words. Avoid language, such as, "A Study to Investigate the...," or "An Examination of the...." These phrases are obvious and generally superfluous unless they are necessary to covey the scope, intent, or type of a study.
• On the other hand, a title which is too short often uses words which are too broad and, thus, does not tell the reader what is being studied. For example, a paper with the title, "African Politics" is so non-specific the title could be the title of a book and so ambiguous that it could refer to anything associated with politics in Africa. A good title should provide information about the focus and/or scope of your research study.
• In academic writing, catchy phrases or non-specific language may be used, but only if it's within the context of the study [e.g., "Fair and Impartial Jury--Catch as Catch Can"]. However, in most cases, you should avoid including words or phrases that do not help the reader understand the purpose of your paper.
• Academic writing is a serious and deliberate endeavor. Avoid using humorous or clever journalistic styles of phrasing when creating the title to your paper. Journalistic headlines often use emotional adjectives [e.g., incredible, amazing, effortless] to highlight a problem experienced by the reader or use "trigger words" or interrogative words like how, what, when, or why to persuade people to read the article or click on a link. These approaches are viewed as counter-productive in academic writing. A reader does not need clever or humorous titles to catch their attention because the act of reading research is assumed to be deliberate based on a desire to learn and improve understanding of the problem. In addition, a humorous title can merely detract from the seriousness and authority of your research. 
• Unlike everywhere else in a college-level social sciences research paper [except when using direct quotes in the text], titles do not have to adhere to rigid grammatical or stylistic standards. For example, it could be appropriate to begin a title with a coordinating conjunction [i.e., and, but, or, nor, for, so, yet] if it makes sense to do so and does not detract from the purpose of the study [e.g., "Yet Another Look at Mutual Fund Tournaments"] or beginning the title with an inflected form of a verb such as those ending in -ing [e.g., "Assessing the Political Landscape: Structure, Cognition, and Power in Organizations"].

Appiah, Kingsley Richard et al. “Structural Organisation of Research Article Titles: A Comparative Study of Titles of Business, Gynaecology and Law.” Advances in Language and Literary Studies 10 (2019); Hartley James. “To Attract or to Inform: What are Titles for?” Journal of Technical Writing and Communication 35 (2005): 203-213; Jaakkola, Maarit. “Journalistic Writing and Style.” In Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Communication . Jon F. Nussbaum, editor. (New York: Oxford University Press, 2018): https://oxfordre.com/communication.

Structure and Writing Style

The following parameters can be used to help you formulate a suitable research paper title:

• The purpose of the research
• The scope of the research
• The narrative tone of the paper [typically defined by the type of the research]
• The methods used to study the problem

The initial aim of a title is to capture the reader’s attention and to highlight the research problem under investigation.

Create a Working Title Typically, the final title you submit to your professor is created after the research is complete so that the title accurately captures what has been 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. Referring back to the working title can help you reorient yourself back to the main purpose of the study if you find yourself drifting off on a tangent while writing. The Final Title Effective titles in research papers have several characteristics that reflect general principles of academic writing.

• Indicate accurately the subject and scope of the study,
• Rarely use abbreviations or acronyms unless they are commonly known,
• Use words that create a positive impression and stimulate reader interest,
• Use current nomenclature from the field of study,
• Identify key variables, both dependent and independent,
• Reveal how the paper will be organized,
• Suggest a relationship between variables which supports the major hypothesis,
• Is limited to 5 to 15 substantive words,
• Does not include redundant phrasing, such as, "A Study of," "An Analysis of" or similar constructions,
• Takes the form of a question or declarative statement,
• If you use a quote as part of the title, the source of the quote is cited [usually using an asterisk and footnote],
• Use correct grammar and capitalization with all first words and last words capitalized, including the first word of a subtitle. All nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs that appear between the first and last words of the title are also capitalized, and
• Rarely uses an exclamation mark at the end of the title.

The Subtitle Subtitles are frequently used in social sciences research papers because it helps the reader understand the scope of the study in relation to how it was designed to address the research problem. Think about what type of subtitle listed below reflects the overall approach to your study and whether you believe a subtitle is needed to emphasize the investigative parameters of your research.

1.  Explains or provides additional context , e.g., "Linguistic Ethnography and the Study of Welfare Institutions as a Flow of Social Practices: The Case of Residential Child Care Institutions as Paradoxical Institutions." [Palomares, Manuel and David Poveda.  Text & Talk: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Language, Discourse and Communication Studies 30 (January 2010): 193-212]

2.  Adds substance to a literary, provocative, or imaginative title or quote , e.g., "Listen to What I Say, Not How I Vote": Congressional Support for the President in Washington and at Home." [Grose, Christian R. and Keesha M. Middlemass. Social Science Quarterly 91 (March 2010): 143-167]

3.  Qualifies the geographic scope of the research , e.g., "The Geopolitics of the Eastern Border of the European Union: The Case of Romania-Moldova-Ukraine." [Marcu, Silvia. Geopolitics 14 (August 2009): 409-432]

4.  Qualifies the temporal scope of the research , e.g., "A Comparison of the Progressive Era and the Depression Years: Societal Influences on Predictions of the Future of the Library, 1895-1940." [Grossman, Hal B. Libraries & the Cultural Record 46 (2011): 102-128]

5.  Focuses on investigating the ideas, theories, or work of a particular individual , e.g., "A Deliberative Conception of Politics: How Francesco Saverio Merlino Related Anarchy and Democracy." [La Torre, Massimo. Sociologia del Diritto 28 (January 2001): 75 - 98]

6.  Identifies the methodology used , e.g. "Student Activism of the 1960s Revisited: A Multivariate Analysis Research Note." [Aron, William S. Social Forces 52 (March 1974): 408-414]

7.  Defines the overarching technique for analyzing the research problem , e.g., "Explaining Territorial Change in Federal Democracies: A Comparative Historical Institutionalist Approach." [ Tillin, Louise. Political Studies 63 (August 2015): 626-641.

With these examples in mind, think about what type of subtitle reflects the overall approach to your study. This will help the reader understand the scope of the study in relation to how it was designed to address the research problem.

Anstey, A. “Writing Style: What's in a Title?” British Journal of Dermatology 170 (May 2014): 1003-1004; Balch, Tucker. How to Compose a Title for Your Research Paper. Augmented Trader blog. School of Interactive Computing, Georgia Tech University; Bavdekar, Sandeep B. “Formulating the Right Title for a Research Article.” Journal of Association of Physicians of India 64 (February 2016); Choosing the Proper Research Paper Titles. AplusReports.com, 2007-2012; Eva, Kevin W. “Titles, Abstracts, and Authors.” In How to Write a Paper . George M. Hall, editor. 5th edition. (Oxford: John Wiley and Sons, 2013), pp. 33-41; Hartley James. “To Attract or to Inform: What are Titles for?” Journal of Technical Writing and Communication 35 (2005): 203-213; General Format. The Writing Lab and The OWL. Purdue University; Kerkut G.A. “Choosing a Title for a Paper.” Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part A: Physiology 74 (1983): 1; “Tempting Titles.” In Stylish Academic Writing . Helen Sword, editor. (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2012), pp. 63-75; Nundy, Samiran, et al. “How to Choose a Title?” In How to Practice Academic Medicine and Publish from Developing Countries? A Practical Guide . Edited by Samiran Nundy, Atul Kakar, and Zulfiqar A. Bhutta. (Springer Singapore, 2022), pp. 185-192.

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How to write a good research paper title

“Unread science is lost science .”

Credit: Mykyta Dolmatov/Getty

“Unread science is lost science.”

28 July 2020

Mykyta Dolmatov/Getty

With the influx of publications brought on by the pandemic, it’s become more challenging than ever for researchers to attract attention to their work.

Understanding which elements of a title will attract readers – or turn them away – has been proven to increase a paper’s citations and Altmetric score .

“In the era of information overload, most students and researchers do not have time to browse the entire text of a paper,” says Patrick Pu , a librarian at the National University of Singapore.

“The title of a paper, together with its abstract, become very important to capture and sustain the attention of readers.”

1. A good title avoids technical language

Since the primary audience of a paper is likely to be researchers working in the same field, using technical language in the title seems to make sense.

But this alienates the wider lay audience, which can bring valuable attention to your work . It can also alienate inexperienced researchers, or those who have recently entered the field.

“A good title does not use unnecessary jargon,” says Elisa De Ranieri , editor-in-chief at the Nature Communications journal (published by Springer Nature, which also publishes Nature Index.) “It communicates the main results in the study in a way that is clear and accessible, ideally to non-specialists or researchers new to the field.”

How-to: When crafting a title, says De Ranieri, write down the main result of the manuscript in a short paragraph. Shorten the text to make it more concise, while still remaining descriptive. Repeat this process until you have a title of fewer than 15 words.

2. A good title is easily searchable

Most readers today are accessing e-journals, which are indexed in scholarly databases such as Scopus and Google Scholar.

“Although these databases usually index the full text of papers, retrieval weightage for ‘Title’ is usually higher than other fields, such as ‘Results’,” Pu explains.

At the National University of Singapore, Pu and his colleagues run information literacy programmes for editors and authors. They give advice for publishing best practice, such as how to identify the most commonly used keywords in literature searches in a given field.

“A professor once told us how he discovered that industry experts were using a different term or keyword to describe his research area,” says Pu.

“He had written a seminal paper that did not include this ‘industry keyword’. He believes his paper, which was highly cited by academics, would have a higher citation count if he had included this keyword in the title. As librarians, we try to highlight this example to our students so that they will consider all possible keywords to use in their searches and paper titles.”

How-to: Authors should speak to an academic librarian at their institution to gain an understanding of keyword and search trends in their field of research. This should inform how the paper title is written.

3. A good title is substantiated by data

Authors should be cautious to not make any claims in the title that can’t be backed up by evidence.

“For instance, if you make a discovery with potential therapeutic relevance, the title should specify whether it was tested or studied in animals or humans/human samples,” says Irene Jarchum , senior editor at the journal Nature Biotechnology (also published by Springer Nature, which publishes the Nature Index.)

Jarchum adds that titles can be contentious because different authors have different views on the use of specific words, such as acronyms, or more fundamentally, what the main message of the title should be.

Some authors may over-interpret the significance of their preliminary findings, and want to reflect this in the title.

How-to: If you know your paper will be contentious within the scientific community, have the data ready to defend your decisions .

4. A good title sparks curiosity

A one-liner that sparks a reader’s interest can be very effective.

“A title has to pique the interest of the person searching for literature in a split-second – enough that they click on the title to read the abstract. Unread science is lost science,” says Christine Mayer , editor-in-chief of the journal Advanced Therapeutics .

Paper titles such as, "White and wonderful? Microplastics prevail in snow from the Alps to the Arctic" ( 2019 Science ), and “Kids these days: Why the youth of today seem lacking” ( 2019 Science Advances ) are good examples of this principle. Both papers have high Altmetric Attention scores, indicating that they have been widely read and discussed online.

How-to: Take note of the characteristics of paper titles that spark your own interest. Keep a record of these and apply the same principles to your own paper titles.

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How to Make a Research Paper Title with Examples

What is a research paper title and why does it matter?

A research paper title summarizes the aim and purpose of your research study. Making a title for your research is one of the most important decisions when writing an article to publish in journals. The research title is the first thing that journal editors and reviewers see when they look at your paper and the only piece of information that fellow researchers will see in a database or search engine query. Good titles that are concise and contain all the relevant terms have been shown to increase citation counts and Altmetric scores .

Therefore, when you title research work, make sure it captures all of the relevant aspects of your study, including the specific topic and problem being investigated. It also should present these elements in a way that is accessible and will captivate readers. Follow these steps to learn how to make a good research title for your work.

How to Make a Research Paper Title in 5 Steps

You might wonder how you are supposed to pick a title from all the content that your manuscript contains—how are you supposed to choose? What will make your research paper title come up in search engines and what will make the people in your field read it? 

In a nutshell, your research title should accurately capture what you have done, it should sound interesting to the people who work on the same or a similar topic, and it should contain the important title keywords that other researchers use when looking for literature in databases. To make the title writing process as simple as possible, we have broken it down into 5 simple steps.

Step 1: Answer some key questions about your research paper

What does your paper seek to answer and what does it accomplish? Try to answer these questions as briefly as possible. You can create these questions by going through each section of your paper and finding the MOST relevant information to make a research title.

Step 2: Identify research study keywords

Now that you have answers to your research questions, find the most important parts of these responses and make these your study keywords. Note that you should only choose the most important terms for your keywords–journals usually request anywhere from 3 to 8 keywords maximum.

Step 3: Research title writing: use these keywords

“We employed a case study of 60 liver transplant patients around the US aged 20-50 years to assess how waiting list volume affects the outcomes of liver transplantation in patients; results indicate a positive correlation between increased waiting list volume and negative prognosis after the transplant procedure.”

The sentence above is clearly much too long for a research paper title. This is why you will trim and polish your title in the next two steps.

Step 4: Create a working research paper title

To create a working title, remove elements that make it a complete “sentence” but keep everything that is important to what the study is about. Delete all unnecessary and redundant words that are not central to the study or that researchers would most likely not use in a database search.

“ We employed a case study of 60 liver transplant patients around the US aged 20-50 years to assess how the waiting list volume affects the outcome of liver transplantation in patients ; results indicate a positive correlation between increased waiting list volume and a negative prognosis after transplant procedure ”

Now shift some words around for proper syntax and rephrase it a bit to shorten the length and make it leaner and more natural. What you are left with is:

“A case study of 60 liver transplant patients around the US aged 20-50 years assessing the impact of waiting list volume on outcome of transplantation and showing a positive correlation between increased waiting list volume and a negative prognosis” (Word Count: 38)

This text is getting closer to what we want in a research title, which is just the most important information. But note that the word count for this working title is still 38 words, whereas the average length of published journal article titles is 16 words or fewer. Therefore, we should eliminate some words and phrases that are not essential to this title.

Step 5: Remove any nonessential words and phrases from your title

Because the number of patients studied and the exact outcome are not the most essential parts of this paper, remove these elements first:

 “A case study of 60 liver transplant patients around the US aged 20-50 years assessing the impact of waiting list volume on outcomes of transplantation and showing a positive correlation between increased waiting list volume and a negative prognosis” (Word Count: 19)

In addition, the methods used in a study are not usually the most searched-for keywords in databases and represent additional details that you may want to remove to make your title leaner. So what is left is:

“Assessing the impact of waiting list volume on outcome and prognosis in liver transplantation patients” (Word Count: 15)

In this final version of the title, one can immediately recognize the subject and what objectives the study aims to achieve. Note that the most important terms appear at the beginning and end of the title: “Assessing,” which is the main action of the study, is placed at the beginning; and “liver transplantation patients,” the specific subject of the study, is placed at the end.

This will aid significantly in your research paper title being found in search engines and database queries, which means that a lot more researchers will be able to locate your article once it is published. In fact, a 2014 review of more than 150,000 papers submitted to the UK’s Research Excellence Framework (REF) database found the style of a paper’s title impacted the number of citations it would typically receive. In most disciplines, articles with shorter, more concise titles yielded more citations.

Adding a Research Paper Subtitle

If your title might require a subtitle to provide more immediate details about your methodology or sample, you can do this by adding this information after a colon:

“ : a case study of US adult patients ages 20-25”

If we abide strictly by our word count rule this may not be necessary or recommended. But every journal has its own standard formatting and style guidelines for research paper titles, so it is a good idea to be aware of the specific journal author instructions , not just when you write the manuscript but also to decide how to create a good title for it.

Research Paper Title Examples

The title examples in the following table illustrate how a title can be interesting but incomplete, complete by uninteresting, complete and interesting but too informal in tone, or some other combination of these. A good research paper title should meet all the requirements in the four columns below.

Tips on Formulating a Good Research Paper Title

In addition to the steps given above, there are a few other important things you want to keep in mind when it comes to how to write a research paper title, regarding formatting, word count, and content:

• Write the title after you’ve written your paper and abstract
• Include all of the essential terms in your paper
• Keep it short and to the point (~16 words or fewer)
• Avoid unnecessary jargon and abbreviations
• Use keywords that capture the content of your paper
• Never include a period at the end—your title is NOT a sentence

Research Paper Writing Resources

We hope this article has been helpful in teaching you how to craft your research paper title. But you might still want to dig deeper into different journal title formats and categories that might be more suitable for specific article types or need help with writing a cover letter for your manuscript submission.

In addition to getting English proofreading services , including paper editing services , before submission to journals, be sure to visit our academic resources papers. Here you can find dozens of articles on manuscript writing, from drafting an outline to finding a target journal to submit to.

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Writing Effective Research Paper Titles: Advice and Examples

Are you ready to submit your research paper for publication but haven't settled on a title yet? Do you have a title but aren't sure if it will be the right one for the journal editor or research database search engines? This article will help you fine tune or create an effective research paper title for your work.

Now that you have finished your research and analysis, and you're ready to take the final step before sending your work to journal editors and reviewers. The first thing journal editors and search engine results will see and show is your research paper title. Creating an effective research paper title is highly important to getting your paper in front of the right people. It is also going to be the only part of your paper that is available to everyone for free, and it will be what search engines use to index and show your work in search results. You therefore must design a clear and persuasive title that accurately represents your work.

When writing an effective research paper title, you want to ensure that the title includes all the relevant aspects of your work. Showcase those aspects in a way that entices the audience to read more. Be sure to use the nomenclature common in your field of study, because that will help your work show up in more search results and it will grab the attention of journal editors looking for articles that clearly represent the industry. If you are studying landslides, for example, you will want to include keywords relating to soil composition or grain size; if you are working on a study about organ transplants, then include the specific feature or procedure that affected successful transplants. Identify what parts of your research are going to interest your intended audience.

There are two key pieces of information that people will need to see in your paper title: the subject and the objective. Because you are already familiar with your study and its purpose, creating an effective research paper title is simply a matter of whittling down the words that describe the important aspects of your paper. The advice below will help you take steps to identify key areas of your research, organize the information, and trim it down to the right size for a title.

Develop a topic statement

To get started, consider a topic statement of your paper that includes the subject and scope of the study. The first step in building a topic statement is to ask yourself the following questions:

• What is your research paper about? "My paper is about gene therapy and how it can improve cognitive function in dementia patients."
• What was the subject of your study? "I used data from 40 dementia patients from 10 states in the US."
• What method did you use to perform your research? "I performed a randomized trial."
• What were the results? "My study showed that gene therapy improved cognitive function in those who received the treatment."

Once you have answered those questions (such as in the example answers above), make a list of the keywords you used. For this example, those keywords would include the following:

• gene therapy
• cognitive function
• 40 dementia patients
• improved cognitive function
• 10 states in the US
• randomized trial

Then, create your topic statement using those keywords. It might read something like this:

"This study is a randomized trial that investigates whether gene therapy improved cognitive function in 40 dementia patients from 10 states in the US. The results show improved cognitive function in those who received the treatment."

This statement has 36 words — too long for a title. However, it does contain the main required elements: the subject and the objective. It also includes a summary of the results, which can be used to increase the persuasive nature of the title. If you are writing this down on paper, it may be helpful to underline or circle the keywords you used in the statement, as this will help you visually see how the keywords work together in your statement.

Trim the statement

The next step is to remove all unnecessary words to create a working title. Unnecessary words include elements that make the sentences complete sentences. Also remove words that are not central to your study or that would not be used in a research database search.

" This study is a randomized trial that investigates whether gene therapy improved cognitive function in 40 dementia patients from 10 states in the US. The results show improved cognitive function in those who received the treatment ."

Next, take those words and move them around to form a new phrase. This may take a few tries to get it right, but it is worth the time.

"A randomized trial investigating whether gene therapy improved cognitive function in 40 dementia patients from 10 states in the US showed improved cognitive function."

This sample now has 24 words. We still need to get it down to the ideal 15 or fewer total words, with just the exact information journal editors will want. One way to do this is to use the keywords at the beginning and end of your title. Remove any irrelevant facts that other researchers will not be searching for. For example, the method you used is not usually the most searched-for keyword.

" A randomized trial investigating whether gene therapy improved cognitive function in 40 dementia patients from 10 states in the US showed improved cognitive function. "

The final result may be something like this:

"Investigating the impact of gene therapy on cognitive function in dementia patients"

The resulting title has 13 words, had the main action at the beginning, and the main subject of the study at the end. This is a good example of how to create an effective research paper title that will increase journal editors' and reviewers' interest, and it may even help your paper receive more citations down the road.

Main tips to remember

If you are working on your first research paper title, the process can seem intimidating. Even with the process outlined above, creating the best research paper title possible for your work can be difficult and time consuming. Be sure to set aside a good amount of time to developing your title so that you don't feel rushed. Some writers go through 20 or more iterations before they arrive at a title that achieves effectiveness, persuasiveness, and clarity of purpose all in one.

In addition to the above process, keep the following main tips in mind when writing an effective research paper title:

• Write your paper and abstract first, then work on your title. This will make the process much easier than trying to nail a title down without a full, finished paper to start from.
• Keep your title short! Do not include more than 15 words.
• Do not use a period at the end of your title.
• Be sure that the keywords you use truly represent the content of your paper.
• Do not use abbreviations in your title.
• Include all essential key terms from your paper. This ensures your paper will be indexed properly in research databases and search engines. If you are unsure of the best keywords to use, talk to an academic librarian at your institution. They can help you identify keyword and search trends in your research field.

Examples of research paper titles

The lists below illustrate what effective and ineffective research paper titles look like. Use these examples to help guide your research paper title.

Effective titles

• Nurses on the Move: A Quantitative Report on How Meditation Can Improve Nurse Performance
• Correction of the ion transport defect in cystic fibrosis transgenic mice by gene therapy
• Landslide mapping techniques and their use in the assessment of the landslide hazard
• HLA compatibility and organ transplant survival: Collaborative Transplant Study

Ineffective titles

• Meditation Gurus
• The landslide story
• Landslide hazard and risk assessment
• Pharmacodynamics of oral ganciclovir and valganciclovir in solid organ transplant recipients

No matter what kind of field you are doing research in, you have the opportunity to create an amazing and effective research paper title that will engage your readers and get your paper in front of the journal editors and reviewers you want. By taking the time to go through the title development process, you will finish your work with a title that matches the work outlined in your research paper.

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Thursday, February 23: The Clark Library is closed today.

APA Style (7th Edition) Citation Guide: Journal Articles

• Introduction
• Journal Articles
• Magazine/Newspaper Articles
• Books & Ebooks
• Government & Legal Documents
• Biblical Sources
• Secondary Sources
• Films/Videos/TV Shows
• How to Cite: Other
• Additional Help

Table of Contents

Journal article from library database with doi - one author, journal article from library database with doi - multiple authors, journal article from a website - one author.

Journal Article- No DOI

Note: All citations should be double spaced and have a hanging indent in a Reference List.

A "hanging indent" means that each subsequent line after the first line of your citation should be indented by 0.5 inches.

This Microsoft support page contains instructions about how to format a hanging indent in a paper.

• APA 7th. ed. Journal Article Reference Checklist

If an item has no author, start the citation with the article title.

When an article has one to twenty authors, all authors' names are cited in the References List entry. When an article has twenty-one or more authors list the first nineteen authors followed by three spaced ellipse points (. . .) , and then the last author's name. Rules are different for in-text citations; please see the examples provided.

Cite author names in the order in which they appear on the source, not in alphabetical order (the first author is usually the person who contributed the most work to the publication).

Italicize titles of journals, magazines and newspapers. Do not italicize or use quotation marks for the titles of articles.

Capitalize only the first letter of the first word of the article title. If there is a colon in the article title, also capitalize the first letter of the first word after the colon.

If an item has no date, use the short form n.d. where you would normally put the date.

Volume and Issue Numbers

Italicize volume numbers but not issue numbers.

Retrieval Dates

Most articles will not need these in the citation. Only use them for online articles from places where content may change often, like a free website or a wiki.

Page Numbers

If an article doesn't appear on continuous pages, list all the page numbers the article is on, separated by commas. For example (4, 6, 12-14)

Library Database

Do not include the name of a database for works obtained from most academic research databases (e.g. APA PsycInfo, CINAHL) because works in these resources are widely available. Exceptions are Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, ERIC, ProQuest Dissertations, and UpToDate.

Include the DOI (formatted as a URL: https://doi.org/...) if it is available. If you do not have a DOI, include a URL if the full text of the article is available online (not as part of a library database). If the full text is from a library database, do not include a DOI, URL, or database name.

In the Body of a Paper

Books, Journals, Reports, Webpages, etc.: When you refer to titles of a “stand-alone work,” as the APA calls them on their APA Style website, such as books, journals, reports, and webpages, you should italicize them. Capitalize words as you would for an article title in a reference, e.g., In the book Crying in H Mart: A memoir , author Michelle Zauner (2021) describes her biracial origin and its impact on her identity.

Article or Chapter: When you refer to the title of a part of a work, such as an article or a chapter, put quotation marks around the title and capitalize it as you would for a journal title in a reference, e.g., In the chapter “Where’s the Wine,” Zauner (2021) describes how she decided to become a musician.

The APA Sample Paper below has more information about formatting your paper.

• APA 7th ed. Sample Paper

Author's Last Name, First Initial. Second Initial if Given. (Year of Publication). Title of article: Subtitle if any. Name of Journal, Volume Number (Issue Number), first page number-last page number. https://doi.org/doi number

Smith, K. F. (2022). The public and private dialogue about the American family on television: A second look. Journal of Media Communication, 50 (4), 79-110. https://doi.org/10.1152/j.1460-2466.2000.tb02864.x

Note: The DOI number is formatted as a URL: https://doi.org/10.1152/j.1460-2466.2000.tb02864.xIf. 

In-Text Paraphrase:

(Author's Last Name, Year)

Example: (Smith, 2000)

In-Text Quote:

(Author's Last Name, Year, p. Page Number)

Example: (Smith, 2000, p. 80)

Author's Last Name, First Initial. Second Initial if Given., & Last Name of Second Author, First Initial. Second Initial if Given. (Year of Publication). Title of article: Subtitle if any. Name of Journal, Volume Number (Issue Number), first page number-last page number. https://doi.org/doi number

Note: Separate the authors' names by putting a comma between them. For the final author listed add an ampersand (&) after the comma and before the final author's last name.

Note: In the reference list invert all authors' names; give last names and initials for only up to and including 20 authors. When a source has 21 or more authors, include the first 19 authors’ names, then three ellipses (…), and add the last author’s name. Don't include an ampersand (&) between the ellipsis and final author.

Note : For works with three or more authors, the first in-text citation is shortened to include the first author's surname followed by "et al."

Reference List Examples

Two to 20 Authors

Case, T. A., Daristotle, Y. A., Hayek, S. L., Smith, R. R., & Raash, L. I. (2011). College students' social networking experiences on Facebook. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 3 (2), 227-238. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appdev.2008.12.010

21 or more authors

Kalnay, E., Kanamitsu, M., Kistler, R., Collins, W., Deaven, D., Gandin, L., Iredell, M., Saha, J., Mo, K. C., Ropelewski, C., Wang, J., Leetma, A., . . . Joseph, D. (1996). The NCEP/NCAR 40-year reanalysis project. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society , 77 (3), 437-471. https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0477(1996)077<0437:TNYRP>2.0.CO;2

In-Text Citations

Two Authors/Editors

(Case & Daristotle, 2011)

Direct Quote: (Case & Daristotle, 2011, p. 57)

Three or more Authors/Editors

(Case et al., 2011)

Direct Quote: (Case et al., 2011, p. 57)

Author's Last Name, First Initial. Second Initial if Given. (Year of Publication). Title of article: Subtitle if any.  Name of Journal, Volume Number (Issue Number if given). URL

Flachs, A. (2010). Food for thought: The social impact of community gardens in the Greater Cleveland Area.  Electronic Green Journal, 1 (30). http://escholarship.org/uc/item/6bh7j4z4

Example: (Flachs, 2010)

Example: (Flachs, 2010, Conclusion section, para. 3)

Note: In this example there were no visible page numbers or paragraph numbers, in this case you can cite the section heading and the number of the paragraph in that section to identify where your quote came from. If there are no page or paragraph numbers and no marked section, leave this information out.

Journal Article - No DOI

Author's Last Name, First Initial. Second Initial if Given. (Year of Publication). Title of article: Subtitle if any.  Name of Journal, Volume Number (Issue Number), first page number-last page number. URL [if article is available online, not as part of a library database]

Full-Text Available Online (Not as Part of a Library Database):

Steinberg, M. P., & Lacoe, J. (2017). What do we know about school discipline reform? Assessing the alternatives to suspensions and expulsions.  Education Next, 17 (1), 44–52.  https://www.educationnext.org/what-do-we-know-about-school-discipline-reform-suspensions-expulsions/

Example: (Steinberg & Lacoe, 2017)

(Author's Last Name, Year, p. Page number)

Example: (Steinberg & Lacoe, 2017, p. 47)

Full-Text Available in Library Database:

Jungers, W. L. (2010). Biomechanics: Barefoot running strikes back.  Nature, 463 (2), 433-434.

Example: (Jungers, 2010)

Example: (Jungers, 2010, p. 433)

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Reference List: Textual Sources

Welcome to the Purdue OWL

This page is brought to you by the OWL at Purdue University. When printing this page, you must include the entire legal notice.

Copyright ©1995-2018 by The Writing Lab & The OWL at Purdue and Purdue University. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, reproduced, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our terms and conditions of fair use.

Basic Format for Books

Edited book, no author, edited book with an author or authors, a translation.

Note : When you cite a republished work, like the one above, in your text, it should appear with both dates: Plato (385-378/1989)

Edition Other Than the First

Article or chapter in an edited book.

Note : When you list the pages of the chapter or essay in parentheses after the book title, use "pp." before the numbers: (pp. 1-21). This abbreviation, however, does not appear before the page numbers in periodical references, except for newspapers. List any edition number in the same set of parentheses as the page numbers, separated by a comma: (2nd ed., pp. 66-72).

Multivolume Work

Articles in periodicals.

APA style dictates that authors are named with their last name followed by their initials; publication year goes between parentheses, followed by a period. The title of the article is in sentence-case, meaning only the first word and proper nouns in the title are capitalized. The periodical title is run in title case, and is followed by the volume number which, with the title, is also italicized. If a DOI has been assigned to the article that you are using, you should include this after the page numbers for the article. If no DOI has been assigned and you are accessing the periodical online, use the URL of the website from which you are retrieving the periodical.

Article in Print Journal

Note: APA 7 advises writers to include a DOI (if available), even when using the print source. The example above assumes no DOI is available.

Article in Electronic Journal

Note :  This content also appears on Reference List: Online Media .

As noted above, when citing an article in an electronic journal, include a DOI if one is associated with the article.

DOIs may not always be available. In these cases, use a URL. Many academic journals provide stable URLs that function similarly to DOIs. These are preferable to ordinary URLs copied and pasted from the browser's address bar.

Article in a Magazine

Article in a newspaper.

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Article Style and Formats

This section provides detailed general style and formatting requirements for manuscripts published in the AACR journals. For initial submission, the AACR journals do not impose strict article size or formatting requirements. Rather, authors are encouraged to format their manuscript in a manner that makes it easy for peer reviewers to read and assess. Text must be clean with all manuscript sections and items present and legible, the author list must be complete and accurate, and a conflict-of-interest statement present. For initial submission only, authors are encouraged to present each figure and its legend together in sequence to facilitate peer review.

Authors of revised manuscripts must observe all instructions below and in the individual journal instruction pages. See the links below for each journal's specific instructions for the categories of articles, article size recommendations, and any exceptions or additions to the general article style and formatting instructions that follow.

Manuscripts should be written in clear, grammatical English with all pages and/or lines numbered. For the convenience of authors whose native language is not English, we have provided a list of editing and proofreading services for scientific manuscripts in our Author Services Center . Laboratory jargon as well as terminology and abbreviations not consistent with internationally accepted guidelines should be avoided. Numbered and lettered sections in the text should be avoided. Each table and figure must be cited in sequential order in the text. Simple chemical formulas or mathematical equations should be presented in a form that allows their reproduction in single horizontal lines of type.

Manuscripts should be arranged in the following order: title page, text and references, tables, figure legends, and figures (appropriately numbered), but note the exception described above regarding initial submission of figures and legends. See below for a full explanation of what is to be included in these sections.

When submitting manuscripts that include supplementary data, please be sure to upload supplementary files separately, in the appropriate area of the submission form (see also the detailed policies on preparation of Supplementary Data ). Please do not append supplementary files to the main manuscript file.

Title. Write a brief, informative title. Abbreviations should not be used in titles. It is important for literature retrieval to include in the title the key words that identify the nature of the subject matter, including, if applicable, the species on which the work is done.

Authors and affiliations. Authors are urged to include their full names, complete with first and middle names or initials. Academic degrees should not be included. The names and locations of institution or company affiliations at the time the work was completed should be given for all authors. Departments, units, or laboratories should also be specified. If several institutions are listed on a manuscript, it should be clearly indicated with which department and institution each author is affiliated by using corresponding superscript numbers.

Running title. A brief running title of no more than 60 characters should be provided. Choose the running title carefully, as it will be used in electronic alerting services and some mobile device applications. Abbreviations may be used in the running title.

Additional information. Include the following notes on the title page (if applicable) in this order:

• Full name, mailing address, and email address of the corresponding author
• A conflict of interest disclosure statement; additional information is available at this link: Conflict of Interest Policy
• Other notes about the manuscript as a whole, including the word count, and the total number of figures and tables Please note that, authors who substantially exceed the word limit given for the type of article (see specific instructions for each journal) may have their manuscript returned. For Clinical Cancer Research only, a 150-word statement of translational relevance describing how the results might be applied to the future practice of cancer medicine, should be provided on a page between the title page and abstract.

The abstract must be concise, yet should accurately outline the content of the manuscript (see the links at the top of this page for abstract length requirements for each type of article). Because these abstracts are used by secondary services (e.g., MEDLINE, Chemical Abstracts, Web of Science, Scopus), they should recapitulate in abbreviated form the purpose of the study and the experimental technique, results, and data interpretations. Data such as the number of test subjects and controls, strains of animals or viruses, drug dosages and routes of administration, tumor yields and latent periods, length of observation period, and magnitude of activity should be included. Vague, general statements such as "The significance of the results is discussed" or "Some physical properties were studied" should be avoided. Important terms relevant to the content of the manuscript should be incorporated into the abstract to assist indexers and searchers. Abbreviations should be kept to an absolute minimum; however, if they are needed, they must be explained at first mention within the abstract so that it can be understood as an independent unit from the remainder of the manuscript. Do not cite references in the abstract.

Introduction

The introduction should provide a brief overview of the background and rationale for the study. It is not necessary to cite all of the background literature in the introduction. Brief reference to the most pertinent articles generally suffices to acquaint the reader with the findings of others in the field and with the problem or question that the investigation addresses.

Materials and Methods

Explanation of the experimental methods should be adequate for repetition by qualified investigators. Authors are encouraged to publish the step-by-step protocol(s) used in their study at protocols.io and then include the unique digital object identifier(s) (DOI) in the Materials and Methods. Please see Improving Reproducibility for more information.

Procedures that have been fully described in detail in a previous publication need not be described in detail but rather cited with appropriate references and details of any modifications to the procedure. New procedures and substantially modified previously published procedures must be described in detail.

If any experiments or analyses were outsourced to an institutional core facility or external service provider, this must be stated in the Materials and Methods along with the name of the provider. If possible, the methodological details of the work conducted by the provider should be included in the manuscript, or a suitable reference cited.

The sources of all reagents and tools used should be provided. Any commercial product that is mentioned should include the name of the manufacturer and catalog number. Authors are strongly encouraged to include a unique searchable Research Resource Identifier (RRID), as assigned by the Resource Identification Initiative, for each relevant reagent, tool, and core facility used. Please see Improving Reproducibility for more information. If statistical analysis was performed as part of the study, please include a Statistical Analysis subsection. A Data Availability Statement must be present at the end of the Materials and Methods in a "Data Availability" subsection.

Include a concise summary of the data presented in all display items (figures and tables). Excessive elaboration of data shown in display items should be avoided.

The data should be interpreted concisely without repeating material already presented in the Results section. Speculation is permissible, but it must be well founded, and discussion of the wider implications of the findings is encouraged.

Acknowledgments

Include funding information and the names of others contributing to the work who are not identified as authors. This should include any people, services, or generative artificial intelligence technologies that contributed to the generation of the manuscript.

Number the references in the order of their first mention in the text; cite only the number assigned to the reference. The reference list should be limited to only those citations essential to the presentation. Before submission of the manuscript, authors should verify the accuracy of all references and check that all references have been cited in the text. For manuscripts with more than 6 authors, the names of the first 6 authors must be listed, followed by " et al. " For manuscripts with 6 or fewer authors, all authors should be listed. Please note that although example references are shown below, a manuscript’s references need not be formatted according to journal style prior to submission.

Reference examples:

Data Availability Statement

All original research must contain a Data Availability Statement describing how readers may obtain the data acquired and/or used in the study. If there are any limitations on availability, these must be explained. Please see Data for details of the AACR journals’ data availability requirements.

Below are example statements for various scenarios. If different datasets used in the study have different data availability terms, please combine appropriate statements, and specify the datasets for which the different terms of availability apply. The Data Availability Statement should be placed at the end of the Materials and Methods (or Methods) section in its own subsection titled "Data Availability."

Data were generated by the authors and deposited in a repository

The data generated in this study are publicly available in [repository name(s)] at [list one or more hyperlinked codes].

Examples: The data generated in this study are publicly available in Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) at GSE158739 and GSE158812 .

The data generated in this study are publicly available in Genbank at MT006230 and in Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) at GSE144569 .

Data were generated by the authors and available on request (permitted only for data types for which a community-recognized, structured repository does not exist)

The data generated in this study are available upon request from the corresponding author.

Data were generated by the authors and included in the article

The data generated in this study are available within the article and its supplementary data files.

Note: This statement is only appropriate if the raw data is available in the article or supplementary data files. Plots of data (even individual data points), images displayed in figures, or summary tabular data do not qualify as data included in the article. In these cases, the authors should instead state whether the raw data is available in a suitable repository or on request from the corresponding author.

Raw data were generated in a core facility (and may be unavailable) but processed data are available from the authors

Raw data for this study were generated at [facility name]. Derived data supporting the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon request.

Data were generated by the authors but are not publicly available for declared legitimate reason(s)

The data generated in this study are not publicly available due to [describe reasons for restriction such as information that could compromise patient privacy or consent] but are available upon reasonable request from the corresponding author.

Publicly available data generated by others were used by the authors

The data analyzed in this study were obtained from [repository name(s)] at [list one or more hyperlinked codes or urls].

The data that support the findings of this study are available in [repository name(s)] at [list one or more hyperlinked codes]. These data were derived from the following public domain resources: [list resources and hyperlinked codes]

Examples: The data analyzed in this study were obtained from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) at GSE22396 , GSE124857 , and GSE124731 .

The data analyzed in this study were obtained from figshare at https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.12280541.v4 .

Data generated by others were used under license by the authors

The data analyzed in this study are available from [third party name]. Restrictions apply to the availability of these data, which were used under license for this study. Data are available from the authors upon reasonable request with the permission of [third party name].

No data was generated or analyzed in the reported study

Data sharing is not applicable to this article as no data were created or analyzed in this study.

Examples of Combined Data Availability Statements

The data generated in this study are available within the article and its supplementary data files. Expression profile data analyzed in this study were obtained from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) at GSE22396 , GSE124857 , and GSE124731 .

The sequence data generated in this study are publicly available in Genbank at MT006230 , in Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) at GSE144569 , and within the article and its supplementary data files. The data from the Broad Institute’s Cancer Dependency Map project that were analyzed in this study were obtained from figshare at https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.12280541.v4 .

The human sequence data generated in this study are not publicly available due to patient privacy requirements but are available upon reasonable request from the corresponding author. Other data generated in this study are available within the article and its supplementary data files.

Display Items

A summary of the data should be provided in the text with a callout to the table. Tabular data should not duplicate data already presented in detail in the text. Unnecessary columns of data that can easily be derived from other data in the table should not be included. Large groups of individual values should be avoided; instead, these should be averaged and an appropriate designation of the dispersion, such as standard deviation or standard error, should be included. Authors are obligated to indicate the significance of their observations by appropriate statistical analysis.

Every table must have a descriptive title and enough explanatory information so the reader can understand the data without reference to the text. Table titles should be short and to the point and should generally not include references. Each column must carry an appropriate heading and, if measurements are given, the units should be given with the column heading. Number tables using Arabic numerals; table footnotes should be indicated with lower-case alphabetical letters: a, b, c, etc. Include a note after the footnotes in which all abbreviations used in the table that have not been used in the text are explained. Complex or large tables should be uploaded in a tabular data file format as supplementary data.

Tables should not be included as part of a figure. Authors are discouraged from submitting tables that have been previously published, even with permission.

Please see Statistics and Images for important editorial policy information related to figures. Figures should be used when salient points need illustration for better comprehension by the reader. Figures must be submitted in their final design and color format. All figures that the author intends to have printed in black and white should be supplied in this format so that editors and reviewers can properly evaluate the presentation of the data. For initial submission only, figures may be supplied in pdf, jpg or Word document format and should be on the same page as the legend, either at the end of the manuscript file or embedded in the text near the figure callout. See File Types for details on the allowable file types for revised manuscripts.

Each figure must be accompanied by a figure legend consisting of a short title sentence followed by a description of the figure and the data shown. If the figure consists of multiple panels, each panel should be labeled and described in the legend. Figure legends must include the number of technical and biological replicates performed for the experiment(s) depicted. Legends should not repeat details present in the main text and should generally not include references. Stains and original magnifications should be listed where applicable. Define all symbols and adequately identify all parts of the figure necessary for interpretation. Abbreviations explained in the main text of the manuscript need not be redefined in the figure legend.

Figures must be cited and numbered in the order in which they appear in the text. For revised submissions, all figure legends should be listed together in one section (Figure Legends) directly preceding the appearance of the figures in the manuscript. Ensure that both legends and figures are numbered and match up appropriately.

When graphs are reduced to the size of a single column (7.94 cm / 3.125 in), the text in the graph must be no smaller than 6 pt and no larger than 12 pt, and all symbols must be discernible. In the published form, the minimum thickness of lines (rules) used to present drawn art is 0.5 point. If a drawn image will be reduced in size for publication, the lines used to draw the original art must be thick enough to be reduced and still meet the minimum requirement. Lines thinner than 0.5 point thickness may be completely lost if an image is reduced in size.

Best practices for choice of graph type

• Reserve bar charts for presentation of data such as counts and lengths.
• Use a line graph to display and connect related data points and a bar graph for unrelated data points.
• Sample data is best displayed by plotting individual data points when sample numbers are small. Use a box plot, violin plot, or bean plot for larger sample sizes and to show data distributions. See Statistics for guidelines on sample sizes. A free tool for plotting sample data and generating an EPS file for incorporation into figures is available at http://boxplot.tyerslab.com .
• A pie chart is effective for showing data trends, but, if it is important to provide quantitative comparisons, a bar graph may be preferable.

Best practices for graph design

• Avoid the use of patterned fills. These add visual clutter and impede interpretation. Use black, up to four shades of gray, and white to provide six alternative encodings; or use color if more encodings are required.
• Always use distinct colors and avoid the use of red and green for contrast.
• Avoid background shading.
• Display only the left and bottom axes unless a top and/or right axis is absolutely necessary.
• Axes labels should not extend beyond the axes lines and must include the name and units of the parameter measured.
• Consider whether related data plotted in multiple graphs can and should be shown in a single graph.
• Remove unnecessary tick marks and grid lines. Use grid lines only when necessary and make sure they have substantially less visual prominence than the data and axes lines.
• Avoid axes breaks. These can mask important differences in the data.
• Open symbols, particularly circles, are most appropriate for plotting high-density data points that overlap.

Best practices for images

• When images are related to one another or should be compared, group them together with narrow bands of white space between them. If the image background is close to white, use lines for separation.
• Symbols, arrows, letters, and scale bars overlying the image should strongly contrast with the background so as to be clearly visible and are best provided on a separate layer from the underlying image in a layered image file.
• Single channel fluorescence images are best displayed in grayscale so that intensity differences can be discerned more accurately. Avoid the use of red, which is particularly problematic in this regard.

Figures should be original. Authors are discouraged from submitting figures that have been previously published, even with permission. If use of a previously published figure is necessary, the author must apply for written permission from the copyright holder and supply confirmation of the permission grant before publication.

Supplementary Data

Supplementary data is intended to provide additional substantive information that is directly relevant to the article content but not essential for understanding the conclusions. The article must stand on its own merits and be complete and self-explanatory without the supplementary data. Additional text, such as supplementary results or discussion, is not acceptable and should be included in the main article. Supplementary data should be equal in quality and presentation to material within the main article. The supplementary data are subject to the same scientific standards of peer review and are included at the discretion of the editor. Each supplementary item/file must be referenced at least once in the main article text at an appropriate point. Supplementary items should be referred to in a similar manner to that used for a table or figure in the body of the manuscript, for example, "(Supplementary Fig. S1)" or "(Table 3 and Supplementary Table S3)." Each supplementary file should be accompanied by a brief description to be entered in the submission system when uploading the files. The description will be posted online to communicate the contents of the file and to aid in online indexing. Supplementary figures must include full legends (preferably on the same page as the figure) and tables should include captions.

General Guidelines on Acceptability

• Supplementary data should fall within the conceptual scope of the main manuscript but not extend beyond it. Preliminary data that simply extend the scope of the study should not be included.
• Supplementary material should not repeat information that is already included in the main manuscript.
• Data that have been previously published are not acceptable.
• Supplementary data may also be that which cannot be included in the main version of the manuscript due to space constraints (e.g., limits placed on the number of figures and tables allowed in an article) or format restrictions.
• Figures and tables
• More detailed materials and methods than can be included in the body of the article, but the main text should contain sufficient methodology for an experienced investigator to replicate the experiments
• Electronic multimedia files (e.g., video, audio, or animation)
• Database information
• Three-dimensional structures/images, sequence alignments, and data sets that are very large

The following file types are acceptable file formats for the main manuscript files:

• Manuscript files: Word (doc, docx), Encapsulated Postscript (eps), Rich Text Format (rtf), or pdf (accepted for initial submissions only)
• Graphics files: eps, tiff, ai, psd, png, ps, or jpg (accepted for initial submissions only). Powerpoint (ppt, pptx) files are discouraged but may be acceptable. Color images should be supplied in RGB.

For supplementary data the following file types are preferable: pdf, doc, docx, txt, xls, xlsx, xml, png, avi, mov, mp4, mp3 and zip. Other file types may be acceptable but please contact the journal editorial office.

Terminology and Abbreviations

For information on gene and protein nomenclature and formatting, please see Gene Nomenclature .

Generic names of drugs are preferred. To help identify compounds that may not be recognized by their generic name, the brand name may be included at first mention only. If a non-U.S. proprietary name is used, the name of the comparable U.S. product should be given. When there is no generic name for a drug, authors should give the chemical name or formula or a description of the active ingredients. Authors should refer to the formally adopted generic names listed in the current edition of USAN and the USP Dictionary of Drug Names.

Abbreviations are in general a hindrance to readers in fields other than that of the author(s), to abstractors, and to scientists whose primary language is not English. Authors should limit their use. See our brief list of Standard Abbreviations that may be used without explanation (e.g., DNA). All abbreviations not on this list must be spelled out at first mention in both the abstract and the text. Single words (e.g., melanoma, folate, vincristine) should not be abbreviated, nor should abbreviations be used for individual types of cancer or other diseases that consist of two words (e.g., prostate cancer or breast cancer).

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Research Paper Format – Types, Examples and Templates

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Research paper format is an essential aspect of academic writing that plays a crucial role in the communication of research findings . The format of a research paper depends on various factors such as the discipline, style guide, and purpose of the research. It includes guidelines for the structure, citation style, referencing , and other elements of the paper that contribute to its overall presentation and coherence. Adhering to the appropriate research paper format is vital for ensuring that the research is accurately and effectively communicated to the intended audience. In this era of information, it is essential to understand the different research paper formats and their guidelines to communicate research effectively, accurately, and with the required level of detail. This post aims to provide an overview of some of the common research paper formats used in academic writing.

Research Paper Formats

Research Paper Formats are as follows:

• APA (American Psychological Association) format
• MLA (Modern Language Association) format
• Chicago/Turabian style
• IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) format
• AMA (American Medical Association) style
• Harvard style
• Vancouver style
• ACS (American Chemical Society) style
• ASA (American Sociological Association) style
• APSA (American Political Science Association) style

APA (American Psychological Association) Format

Here is a general APA format for a research paper:

• Title Page: The title page should include the title of your paper, your name, and your institutional affiliation. It should also include a running head, which is a shortened version of the title, and a page number in the upper right-hand corner.
• Abstract : The abstract is a brief summary of your paper, typically 150-250 words. It should include the purpose of your research, the main findings, and any implications or conclusions that can be drawn.
• Introduction: The introduction should provide background information on your topic, state the purpose of your research, and present your research question or hypothesis. It should also include a brief literature review that discusses previous research on your topic.
• Methods: The methods section should describe the procedures you used to collect and analyze your data. It should include information on the participants, the materials and instruments used, and the statistical analyses performed.
• Results: The results section should present the findings of your research in a clear and concise manner. Use tables and figures to help illustrate your results.
• Discussion : The discussion section should interpret your results and relate them back to your research question or hypothesis. It should also discuss the implications of your findings and any limitations of your study.
• References : The references section should include a list of all sources cited in your paper. Follow APA formatting guidelines for your citations and references.

Some additional tips for formatting your APA research paper:

• Use 12-point Times New Roman font throughout the paper.
• Double-space all text, including the references.
• Use 1-inch margins on all sides of the page.
• Indent the first line of each paragraph by 0.5 inches.
• Use a hanging indent for the references (the first line should be flush with the left margin, and all subsequent lines should be indented).
• Number all pages, including the title page and references page, in the upper right-hand corner.

APA Research Paper Format Template

APA Research Paper Format Template is as follows:

Title Page:

• Title of the paper
• Author’s name
• Institutional affiliation
• A brief summary of the main points of the paper, including the research question, methods, findings, and conclusions. The abstract should be no more than 250 words.

Introduction:

• Background information on the topic of the research paper
• Research question or hypothesis
• Significance of the study
• Overview of the research methods and design
• Brief summary of the main findings
• Participants: description of the sample population, including the number of participants and their characteristics (age, gender, ethnicity, etc.)
• Materials: description of any materials used in the study (e.g., survey questions, experimental apparatus)
• Procedure: detailed description of the steps taken to conduct the study
• Presentation of the findings of the study, including statistical analyses if applicable
• Tables and figures may be included to illustrate the results

Discussion:

• Interpretation of the results in light of the research question and hypothesis
• Implications of the study for the field
• Limitations of the study
• Suggestions for future research

References:

• A list of all sources cited in the paper, in APA format

Formatting guidelines:

• Double-spaced
• 12-point font (Times New Roman or Arial)
• 1-inch margins on all sides
• Page numbers in the top right corner
• Headings and subheadings should be used to organize the paper
• The first line of each paragraph should be indented
• Quotations of 40 or more words should be set off in a block quote with no quotation marks
• In-text citations should include the author’s last name and year of publication (e.g., Smith, 2019)

APA Research Paper Format Example

APA Research Paper Format Example is as follows:

The Effects of Social Media on Mental Health

University of XYZ

This study examines the relationship between social media use and mental health among college students. Data was collected through a survey of 500 students at the University of XYZ. Results suggest that social media use is significantly related to symptoms of depression and anxiety, and that the negative effects of social media are greater among frequent users.

Social media has become an increasingly important aspect of modern life, especially among young adults. While social media can have many positive effects, such as connecting people across distances and sharing information, there is growing concern about its impact on mental health. This study aims to examine the relationship between social media use and mental health among college students.

Participants: Participants were 500 college students at the University of XYZ, recruited through online advertisements and flyers posted on campus. Participants ranged in age from 18 to 25, with a mean age of 20.5 years. The sample was 60% female, 40% male, and 5% identified as non-binary or gender non-conforming.

Data was collected through an online survey administered through Qualtrics. The survey consisted of several measures, including the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) for depression symptoms, the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) for anxiety symptoms, and questions about social media use.

Procedure :

Participants were asked to complete the online survey at their convenience. The survey took approximately 20-30 minutes to complete. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlations, and multiple regression analysis.

Results indicated that social media use was significantly related to symptoms of depression (r = .32, p < .001) and anxiety (r = .29, p < .001). Regression analysis indicated that frequency of social media use was a significant predictor of both depression symptoms (β = .24, p < .001) and anxiety symptoms (β = .20, p < .001), even when controlling for age, gender, and other relevant factors.

The results of this study suggest that social media use is associated with symptoms of depression and anxiety among college students. The negative effects of social media are greater among frequent users. These findings have important implications for mental health professionals and educators, who should consider addressing the potential negative effects of social media use in their work with young adults.

References :

References should be listed in alphabetical order according to the author’s last name. For example:

• Chou, H. T. G., & Edge, N. (2012). “They are happier and having better lives than I am”: The impact of using Facebook on perceptions of others’ lives. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 15(2), 117-121.
• Twenge, J. M., Joiner, T. E., Rogers, M. L., & Martin, G. N. (2018). Increases in depressive symptoms, suicide-related outcomes, and suicide rates among U.S. adolescents after 2010 and links to increased new media screen time. Clinical Psychological Science, 6(1), 3-17.

Note: This is just a sample Example do not use this in your assignment.

MLA (Modern Language Association) Format

MLA (Modern Language Association) Format is as follows:

• Page Layout : Use 8.5 x 11-inch white paper, with 1-inch margins on all sides. The font should be 12-point Times New Roman or a similar serif font.
• Heading and Title : The first page of your research paper should include a heading and a title. The heading should include your name, your instructor’s name, the course title, and the date. The title should be centered and in title case (capitalizing the first letter of each important word).
• In-Text Citations : Use parenthetical citations to indicate the source of your information. The citation should include the author’s last name and the page number(s) of the source. For example: (Smith 23).
• Works Cited Page : At the end of your paper, include a Works Cited page that lists all the sources you used in your research. Each entry should include the author’s name, the title of the work, the publication information, and the medium of publication.
• Formatting Quotations : Use double quotation marks for short quotations and block quotations for longer quotations. Indent the entire quotation five spaces from the left margin.
• Formatting the Body : Use a clear and readable font and double-space your text throughout. The first line of each paragraph should be indented one-half inch from the left margin.

MLA Research Paper Template

MLA Research Paper Format Template is as follows:

• Use 8.5 x 11 inch white paper.
• Use a 12-point font, such as Times New Roman.
• Use double-spacing throughout the entire paper, including the title page and works cited page.
• Set the margins to 1 inch on all sides.
• Use page numbers in the upper right corner, beginning with the first page of text.
• Include a centered title for the research paper, using title case (capitalizing the first letter of each important word).
• Include your name, instructor’s name, course name, and date in the upper left corner, double-spaced.

In-Text Citations

• When quoting or paraphrasing information from sources, include an in-text citation within the text of your paper.
• Use the author’s last name and the page number in parentheses at the end of the sentence, before the punctuation mark.
• If the author’s name is mentioned in the sentence, only include the page number in parentheses.

Works Cited Page

• List all sources cited in alphabetical order by the author’s last name.
• Each entry should include the author’s name, title of the work, publication information, and medium of publication.
• Use italics for book and journal titles, and quotation marks for article and chapter titles.
• For online sources, include the date of access and the URL.

Here is an example of how the first page of a research paper in MLA format should look:

Headings and Subheadings

• Use headings and subheadings to organize your paper and make it easier to read.
• Use numerals to number your headings and subheadings (e.g. 1, 2, 3), and capitalize the first letter of each word.
• The main heading should be centered and in boldface type, while subheadings should be left-aligned and in italics.
• Use only one space after each period or punctuation mark.
• Use quotation marks to indicate direct quotes from a source.
• If the quote is more than four lines, format it as a block quote, indented one inch from the left margin and without quotation marks.
• Use ellipses (…) to indicate omitted words from a quote, and brackets ([…]) to indicate added words.

Works Cited Examples

• Book: Last Name, First Name. Title of Book. Publisher, Publication Year.
• Journal Article: Last Name, First Name. “Title of Article.” Title of Journal, volume number, issue number, publication date, page numbers.
• Website: Last Name, First Name. “Title of Webpage.” Title of Website, publication date, URL. Accessed date.

Here is an example of how a works cited entry for a book should look:

Smith, John. The Art of Writing Research Papers. Penguin, 2021.

MLA Research Paper Example

MLA Research Paper Format Example is as follows:

Your Professor’s Name

Course Name and Number

Date (in Day Month Year format)

Word Count (not including title page or Works Cited)

Title: The Impact of Video Games on Aggression Levels

Video games have become a popular form of entertainment among people of all ages. However, the impact of video games on aggression levels has been a subject of debate among scholars and researchers. While some argue that video games promote aggression and violent behavior, others argue that there is no clear link between video games and aggression levels. This research paper aims to explore the impact of video games on aggression levels among young adults.

Background:

The debate on the impact of video games on aggression levels has been ongoing for several years. According to the American Psychological Association, exposure to violent media, including video games, can increase aggression levels in children and adolescents. However, some researchers argue that there is no clear evidence to support this claim. Several studies have been conducted to examine the impact of video games on aggression levels, but the results have been mixed.

Methodology:

This research paper used a quantitative research approach to examine the impact of video games on aggression levels among young adults. A sample of 100 young adults between the ages of 18 and 25 was selected for the study. The participants were asked to complete a questionnaire that measured their aggression levels and their video game habits.

The results of the study showed that there was a significant correlation between video game habits and aggression levels among young adults. The participants who reported playing violent video games for more than 5 hours per week had higher aggression levels than those who played less than 5 hours per week. The study also found that male participants were more likely to play violent video games and had higher aggression levels than female participants.

The findings of this study support the claim that video games can increase aggression levels among young adults. However, it is important to note that the study only examined the impact of video games on aggression levels and did not take into account other factors that may contribute to aggressive behavior. It is also important to note that not all video games promote violence and aggression, and some games may have a positive impact on cognitive and social skills.

Conclusion :

In conclusion, this research paper provides evidence to support the claim that video games can increase aggression levels among young adults. However, it is important to conduct further research to examine the impact of video games on other aspects of behavior and to explore the potential benefits of video games. Parents and educators should be aware of the potential impact of video games on aggression levels and should encourage young adults to engage in a variety of activities that promote cognitive and social skills.

Works Cited:

• American Psychological Association. (2017). Violent Video Games: Myths, Facts, and Unanswered Questions. Retrieved from https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2017/08/violent-video-games
• Ferguson, C. J. (2015). Do Angry Birds make for angry children? A meta-analysis of video game influences on children’s and adolescents’ aggression, mental health, prosocial behavior, and academic performance. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 10(5), 646-666.
• Gentile, D. A., Swing, E. L., Lim, C. G., & Khoo, A. (2012). Video game playing, attention problems, and impulsiveness: Evidence of bidirectional causality. Psychology of Popular Media Culture, 1(1), 62-70.
• Greitemeyer, T. (2014). Effects of prosocial video games on prosocial behavior. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 106(4), 530-548.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Chicago/Turabian Formate is as follows:

• Margins : Use 1-inch margins on all sides of the paper.
• Font : Use a readable font such as Times New Roman or Arial, and use a 12-point font size.
• Page numbering : Number all pages in the upper right-hand corner, beginning with the first page of text. Use Arabic numerals.
• Title page: Include a title page with the title of the paper, your name, course title and number, instructor’s name, and the date. The title should be centered on the page and in title case (capitalize the first letter of each word).
• Headings: Use headings to organize your paper. The first level of headings should be centered and in boldface or italics. The second level of headings should be left-aligned and in boldface or italics. Use as many levels of headings as necessary to organize your paper.
• In-text citations : Use footnotes or endnotes to cite sources within the text of your paper. The first citation for each source should be a full citation, and subsequent citations can be shortened. Use superscript numbers to indicate footnotes or endnotes.
• Bibliography : Include a bibliography at the end of your paper, listing all sources cited in your paper. The bibliography should be in alphabetical order by the author’s last name, and each entry should include the author’s name, title of the work, publication information, and date of publication.
• Formatting of quotations: Use block quotations for quotations that are longer than four lines. Indent the entire quotation one inch from the left margin, and do not use quotation marks. Single-space the quotation, and double-space between paragraphs.
• Tables and figures: Use tables and figures to present data and illustrations. Number each table and figure sequentially, and provide a brief title for each. Place tables and figures as close as possible to the text that refers to them.
• Spelling and grammar : Use correct spelling and grammar throughout your paper. Proofread carefully for errors.

Chicago/Turabian Research Paper Template

Chicago/Turabian Research Paper Template is as folows:

Title of Paper

Name of Student

Professor’s Name

I. Introduction

A. Background Information

B. Research Question

C. Thesis Statement

II. Literature Review

A. Overview of Existing Literature

B. Analysis of Key Literature

C. Identification of Gaps in Literature

III. Methodology

A. Research Design

B. Data Collection

C. Data Analysis

IV. Results

A. Presentation of Findings

B. Analysis of Findings

C. Discussion of Implications

V. Conclusion

A. Summary of Findings

B. Implications for Future Research

C. Conclusion

VI. References

A. Bibliography

B. In-Text Citations

VII. Appendices (if necessary)

A. Data Tables

C. Additional Supporting Materials

Chicago/Turabian Research Paper Example

Title: The Impact of Social Media on Political Engagement

Name: John Smith

Class: POLS 101

Professor: Dr. Jane Doe

Date: April 8, 2023

I. Introduction:

Social media has become an integral part of our daily lives. People use social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to connect with friends and family, share their opinions, and stay informed about current events. With the rise of social media, there has been a growing interest in understanding its impact on various aspects of society, including political engagement. In this paper, I will examine the relationship between social media use and political engagement, specifically focusing on how social media influences political participation and political attitudes.

II. Literature Review:

There is a growing body of literature on the impact of social media on political engagement. Some scholars argue that social media has a positive effect on political participation by providing new channels for political communication and mobilization (Delli Carpini & Keeter, 1996; Putnam, 2000). Others, however, suggest that social media can have a negative impact on political engagement by creating filter bubbles that reinforce existing beliefs and discourage political dialogue (Pariser, 2011; Sunstein, 2001).

III. Methodology:

To examine the relationship between social media use and political engagement, I conducted a survey of 500 college students. The survey included questions about social media use, political participation, and political attitudes. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and regression analysis.

Iv. Results:

The results of the survey indicate that social media use is positively associated with political participation. Specifically, respondents who reported using social media to discuss politics were more likely to have participated in a political campaign, attended a political rally, or contacted a political representative. Additionally, social media use was found to be associated with more positive attitudes towards political engagement, such as increased trust in government and belief in the effectiveness of political action.

V. Conclusion:

The findings of this study suggest that social media has a positive impact on political engagement, by providing new opportunities for political communication and mobilization. However, there is also a need for caution, as social media can also create filter bubbles that reinforce existing beliefs and discourage political dialogue. Future research should continue to explore the complex relationship between social media and political engagement, and develop strategies to harness the potential benefits of social media while mitigating its potential negative effects.

Vii. References:

• Delli Carpini, M. X., & Keeter, S. (1996). What Americans know about politics and why it matters. Yale University Press.
• Pariser, E. (2011). The filter bubble: What the Internet is hiding from you. Penguin.
• Putnam, R. D. (2000). Bowling alone: The collapse and revival of American community. Simon & Schuster.
• Sunstein, C. R. (2001). Republic.com. Princeton University Press.

IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) Format

IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) Research Paper Format is as follows:

• Title : A concise and informative title that accurately reflects the content of the paper.
• Abstract : A brief summary of the paper, typically no more than 250 words, that includes the purpose of the study, the methods used, the key findings, and the main conclusions.
• Introduction : An overview of the background, context, and motivation for the research, including a clear statement of the problem being addressed and the objectives of the study.
• Literature review: A critical analysis of the relevant research and scholarship on the topic, including a discussion of any gaps or limitations in the existing literature.
• Methodology : A detailed description of the methods used to collect and analyze data, including any experiments or simulations, data collection instruments or procedures, and statistical analyses.
• Results : A clear and concise presentation of the findings, including any relevant tables, graphs, or figures.
• Discussion : A detailed interpretation of the results, including a comparison of the findings with previous research, a discussion of the implications of the results, and any recommendations for future research.
• Conclusion : A summary of the key findings and main conclusions of the study.
• References : A list of all sources cited in the paper, formatted according to IEEE guidelines.

In addition to these elements, an IEEE research paper should also follow certain formatting guidelines, including using 12-point font, double-spaced text, and numbered headings and subheadings. Additionally, any tables, figures, or equations should be clearly labeled and referenced in the text.

AMA (American Medical Association) Style

AMA (American Medical Association) Style Research Paper Format:

• Title Page: This page includes the title of the paper, the author’s name, institutional affiliation, and any acknowledgments or disclaimers.
• Abstract: The abstract is a brief summary of the paper that outlines the purpose, methods, results, and conclusions of the study. It is typically limited to 250 words or less.
• Introduction: The introduction provides a background of the research problem, defines the research question, and outlines the objectives and hypotheses of the study.
• Methods: The methods section describes the research design, participants, procedures, and instruments used to collect and analyze data.
• Results: The results section presents the findings of the study in a clear and concise manner, using graphs, tables, and charts where appropriate.
• Discussion: The discussion section interprets the results, explains their significance, and relates them to previous research in the field.
• Conclusion: The conclusion summarizes the main points of the paper, discusses the implications of the findings, and suggests future research directions.
• References: The reference list includes all sources cited in the paper, listed in alphabetical order by author’s last name.

In addition to these sections, the AMA format requires that authors follow specific guidelines for citing sources in the text and formatting their references. The AMA style uses a superscript number system for in-text citations and provides specific formats for different types of sources, such as books, journal articles, and websites.

Harvard Style

Harvard Style Research Paper format is as follows:

• Title page: This should include the title of your paper, your name, the name of your institution, and the date of submission.
• Abstract : This is a brief summary of your paper, usually no more than 250 words. It should outline the main points of your research and highlight your findings.
• Introduction : This section should introduce your research topic, provide background information, and outline your research question or thesis statement.
• Literature review: This section should review the relevant literature on your topic, including previous research studies, academic articles, and other sources.
• Methodology : This section should describe the methods you used to conduct your research, including any data collection methods, research instruments, and sampling techniques.
• Results : This section should present your findings in a clear and concise manner, using tables, graphs, and other visual aids if necessary.
• Discussion : This section should interpret your findings and relate them to the broader research question or thesis statement. You should also discuss the implications of your research and suggest areas for future study.
• Conclusion : This section should summarize your main findings and provide a final statement on the significance of your research.
• References : This is a list of all the sources you cited in your paper, presented in alphabetical order by author name. Each citation should include the author’s name, the title of the source, the publication date, and other relevant information.

In addition to these sections, a Harvard Style research paper may also include a table of contents, appendices, and other supplementary materials as needed. It is important to follow the specific formatting guidelines provided by your instructor or academic institution when preparing your research paper in Harvard Style.

Vancouver Style

Vancouver Style Research Paper format is as follows:

The Vancouver citation style is commonly used in the biomedical sciences and is known for its use of numbered references. Here is a basic format for a research paper using the Vancouver citation style:

• Title page: Include the title of your paper, your name, the name of your institution, and the date.
• Abstract : This is a brief summary of your research paper, usually no more than 250 words.
• Introduction : Provide some background information on your topic and state the purpose of your research.
• Methods : Describe the methods you used to conduct your research, including the study design, data collection, and statistical analysis.
• Results : Present your findings in a clear and concise manner, using tables and figures as needed.
• Discussion : Interpret your results and explain their significance. Also, discuss any limitations of your study and suggest directions for future research.
• References : List all of the sources you cited in your paper in numerical order. Each reference should include the author’s name, the title of the article or book, the name of the journal or publisher, the year of publication, and the page numbers.

ACS (American Chemical Society) Style

ACS (American Chemical Society) Style Research Paper format is as follows:

The American Chemical Society (ACS) Style is a citation style commonly used in chemistry and related fields. When formatting a research paper in ACS Style, here are some guidelines to follow:

• Paper Size and Margins : Use standard 8.5″ x 11″ paper with 1-inch margins on all sides.
• Font: Use a 12-point serif font (such as Times New Roman) for the main text. The title should be in bold and a larger font size.
• Title Page : The title page should include the title of the paper, the authors’ names and affiliations, and the date of submission. The title should be centered on the page and written in bold font. The authors’ names should be centered below the title, followed by their affiliations and the date.
• Abstract : The abstract should be a brief summary of the paper, no more than 250 words. It should be on a separate page and include the title of the paper, the authors’ names and affiliations, and the text of the abstract.
• Main Text : The main text should be organized into sections with headings that clearly indicate the content of each section. The introduction should provide background information and state the research question or hypothesis. The methods section should describe the procedures used in the study. The results section should present the findings of the study, and the discussion section should interpret the results and provide conclusions.
• References: Use the ACS Style guide to format the references cited in the paper. In-text citations should be numbered sequentially throughout the text and listed in numerical order at the end of the paper.
• Figures and Tables: Figures and tables should be numbered sequentially and referenced in the text. Each should have a descriptive caption that explains its content. Figures should be submitted in a high-quality electronic format.
• Supporting Information: Additional information such as data, graphs, and videos may be included as supporting information. This should be included in a separate file and referenced in the main text.
• Acknowledgments : Acknowledge any funding sources or individuals who contributed to the research.

ASA (American Sociological Association) Style

ASA (American Sociological Association) Style Research Paper format is as follows:

• Title Page: The title page of an ASA style research paper should include the title of the paper, the author’s name, and the institutional affiliation. The title should be centered and should be in title case (the first letter of each major word should be capitalized).
• Abstract: An abstract is a brief summary of the paper that should appear on a separate page immediately following the title page. The abstract should be no more than 200 words in length and should summarize the main points of the paper.
• Main Body: The main body of the paper should begin on a new page following the abstract page. The paper should be double-spaced, with 1-inch margins on all sides, and should be written in 12-point Times New Roman font. The main body of the paper should include an introduction, a literature review, a methodology section, results, and a discussion.
• References : The reference section should appear on a separate page at the end of the paper. All sources cited in the paper should be listed in alphabetical order by the author’s last name. Each reference should include the author’s name, the title of the work, the publication information, and the date of publication.
• Appendices : Appendices are optional and should only be included if they contain information that is relevant to the study but too lengthy to be included in the main body of the paper. If you include appendices, each one should be labeled with a letter (e.g., Appendix A, Appendix B, etc.) and should be referenced in the main body of the paper.

APSA (American Political Science Association) Style

APSA (American Political Science Association) Style Research Paper format is as follows:

• Title Page: The title page should include the title of the paper, the author’s name, the name of the course or instructor, and the date.
• Abstract : An abstract is typically not required in APSA style papers, but if one is included, it should be brief and summarize the main points of the paper.
• Introduction : The introduction should provide an overview of the research topic, the research question, and the main argument or thesis of the paper.
• Literature Review : The literature review should summarize the existing research on the topic and provide a context for the research question.
• Methods : The methods section should describe the research methods used in the paper, including data collection and analysis.
• Results : The results section should present the findings of the research.
• Discussion : The discussion section should interpret the results and connect them back to the research question and argument.
• Conclusion : The conclusion should summarize the main findings and implications of the research.
• References : The reference list should include all sources cited in the paper, formatted according to APSA style guidelines.

In-text citations in APSA style use parenthetical citation, which includes the author’s last name, publication year, and page number(s) if applicable. For example, (Smith 2010, 25).

About the author

Muhammad Hassan

Researcher, Academic Writer, Web developer

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Published on 17.4.2024 in Vol 26 (2024)

Mobile Apps to Support Mental Health Response in Natural Disasters: Scoping Review

Authors of this article:

• Nwamaka Alexandra Ezeonu 1 , MBBS, MSc, MBA   ; 
• Attila J Hertelendy 2, 3 , BSc, MHS, MSc, PhD   ; 
• Medard Kofi Adu 4 , BSc, MSc   ; 
• Janice Y Kung 5 , BCom, LMIS   ; 
• Ijeoma Uchenna Itanyi 1, 6, 7 , MBBS, MPH   ; 
• Raquel da Luz Dias 4 , BSc, MSc, PhD   ; 
• Belinda Agyapong 8 , HDip, BSc, MEd   ; 
• Petra Hertelendy 9 , BS   ; 
• Francis Ohanyido 10 , MBBS, MBA, MPH   ; 
• Vincent Israel Opoku Agyapong 4 , BSc, PGD, MBChB, MSc, MD, PhD   ; 
• Ejemai Eboreime 4 , MBBS, MSc, PhD  

1 Center for Translation and Implementation Research, College of Medicine, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria

2 Department of Information Systems and Business Analytics, College of Business, Florida International University, Miami, FL, United States

3 Department of Emergency Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States

4 Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada

5 Geoffrey and Robyn Sperber Health Sciences Library, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada

6 Department of Community Medicine, University of Nigeria, Enugu, Nigeria

7 Department of Public Health Sciences, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada

8 Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada

9 Department of Psychology, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, United States

10 West African Institute of Public Health, Abuja, Nigeria

Corresponding Author:

Ejemai Eboreime, MBBS, MSc, PhD

Department of Psychiatry

Faculty of Medicine

Dalhousie University

5909 Veterans' Memorial Lane

8th Floor Abbie J Lane Memorial Building, QEII Health Sciences Centre

Halifax, NS, B3H 2E2

Phone: 1 9024732479

Email: [email protected]

Background: Disasters are becoming more frequent due to the impact of extreme weather events attributed to climate change, causing loss of lives, property, and psychological trauma. Mental health response to disasters emphasizes prevention and mitigation, and mobile health (mHealth) apps have been used for mental health promotion and treatment. However, little is known about their use in the mental health components of disaster management.

Objective: This scoping review was conducted to explore the use of mobile phone apps for mental health responses to natural disasters and to identify gaps in the literature.

Methods: We identified relevant keywords and subject headings and conducted comprehensive searches in 6 electronic databases. Studies in which participants were exposed to a man-made disaster were included if the sample also included some participants exposed to a natural hazard. Only full-text studies published in English were included. The initial titles and abstracts of the unique papers were screened by 2 independent review authors. Full texts of the selected papers that met the inclusion criteria were reviewed by the 2 independent reviewers. Data were extracted from each selected full-text paper and synthesized using a narrative approach based on the outcome measures, duration, frequency of use of the mobile phone apps, and the outcomes. This scoping review was reported according to the PRISMA-ScR (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews).

Results: Of the 1398 papers retrieved, 5 were included in this review. A total of 3 studies were conducted on participants exposed to psychological stress following a disaster while 2 were for disaster relief workers. The mobile phone apps for the interventions included Training for Life Skills, Sonoma Rises, Headspace, Psychological First Aid, and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Behavioural Health Disaster Response Apps. The different studies assessed the effectiveness or efficacy of the mobile app, feasibility, acceptability, and characteristics of app use or predictors of use. Different measures were used to assess the effectiveness of the apps’ use as either the primary or secondary outcome.

Conclusions: A limited number of studies are exploring the use of mobile phone apps for mental health responses to disasters. The 5 studies included in this review showed promising results. Mobile apps have the potential to provide effective mental health support before, during, and after disasters. However, further research is needed to explore the potential of mobile phone apps in mental health responses to all hazards.

Introduction

Rising global average temperatures and associated changes in weather patterns result in extreme weather events that include hazards such as heatwaves, wildfires, hurricanes, floods, and droughts [ 1 ]. These extreme events linked to climate change are resulting in overlapping and so-called cascading disasters leading to record numbers of “billion dollar” disasters with significant losses of lives and property [ 2 , 3 ]. In 2021 alone, approximately 10,000 fatalities caused by disasters were reported globally, while the economic loss was estimated at approximately US $343 billion [ 4 ]. Disasters are predicted to become more recurring as a result of the impact of human activities such as burning fossil fuels and deforestation, which release greenhouse gases into the atmosphere that trap heat and cause global temperatures to rise [ 5 ].

These catastrophes can adversely affect physical health, mental health, and well-being in both the short and long term as a result of changes due to the political and socioeconomic content, evacuations, social disruption, damage to health care facilities, and financial losses [ 6 - 10 ]. It is estimated that about 33% of people directly exposed to natural disasters will experience mental health sequelae such as posttraumatic stress disorders (PTSDs), anxiety, and depression, among others [ 11 , 12 ].

There is growing recognition of the importance of incorporating mental health into medical and emergency aspects of disaster response [ 12 , 13 ]. However, in contrast to most medical response strategies that are largely curative, mental health response to disasters is predicated on the principles of preventive medicine, thus, emphasizing health promotion, disaster prevention, preparedness, and mitigation [ 14 ]. The strategies of mental health response span across primary prevention (mitigating the risk of ill health before it develops), secondary prevention (early detection and intervention), and tertiary prevention (managing established ailment and averting further complications) [ 15 ].

Mobile health (mHealth) technology has shown great promise in mental health and has been applied across the 3 levels of prevention [ 16 - 20 ]. For example, SMS text messaging and mobile apps have been developed to promote mental health awareness among young people and older adults (primary prevention) [ 21 ]. Additionally, during the COVID-19 pandemic, mHealth was deployed at the population level in Canada to screen for symptoms of anxiety and depression (secondary prevention) [ 22 ]. In addition, mHealth interventions were deployed to support first responders and essential workers during the pandemic [ 23 , 24 ]. Further, the technology has been deployed for therapeutic purposes in patients diagnosed with mental health conditions while simultaneously providing support against complications such as suicidal ideation (tertiary prevention) [ 25 ].

Although videoconferencing and phone calls can be used for mental health conditions, mobile apps provide more mobility and accessibility, are interactive, more adaptable to users’ routines, and can be used repeatedly [ 26 , 27 ]. While numerous academic studies have been conducted on the app of mHealth in the preventive and curative management of mental health conditions in clinical, community, and public health settings, including epidemic response and control, little is known about the use of mobile apps in the mental health components of natural disaster management. This scoping review aims to fill this gap in the literature by mapping where and how mobile apps have been used as part of natural disaster mental health response strategies.

This scoping review was reported according to the PRISMA-ScR (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews) [ 28 ]. The PRISMA-ScR checklist is available in Multimedia Appendix 1 . The protocol was not registered.

Search Strategy

A medical librarian (JYK) collaborated with the research team to identify relevant keywords and subject headings for the review, such as mHealth or m-health; mobile health or mobile applications; public health emergency, disaster, or catastrophe; and flood, earthquake, or hurricane. Equipped with this knowledge, the librarian developed and executed comprehensive searches in 6 electronic databases, including Ovid MEDLINE, Ovid Embase, APA PsycInfo, CINAHL, Scopus, and Web of Science Core Collection. The search was conducted on June 30, 2022, and was limited to the English language. The full search strategies are available in Multimedia Appendix 2 .

Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria

We included papers that applied mobile apps for mental health responses to disasters. Papers were included if the study participants were persons affected by a natural disaster (setting), the intervention included using a mobile phone app, and the outcome included the assessment of a mental health problem. Studies in which participants were exposed to a man-made disaster were included if the sample also included some participants exposed to a natural disaster. The mental health conditions included were stress, anxiety, depression, and PTSD. Only full-text studies published in English were included. Studies that did not include any intervention with a mobile app for mental health, those focused on videoconferencing or phone calls, and papers on protocols, trial registration, or review were excluded.

Selection of Studies

The search identified papers that were retrieved from the databases. After removing duplicates, the initial titles and abstracts of the unique papers were screened by 2 independent review authors based on the inclusion criteria in a web-based tool called Covidence (Veritas Health Innovation Ltd) [ 29 ]. Full texts of the selected papers that met the inclusion criteria were reviewed by the 2 independent reviewers. The research team resolved disagreements through discussion. The bibliographies from the included studies were also reviewed to identify additional studies for inclusion.

Data Extraction and Synthesis

Data from each selected full-text paper were extracted into a data extraction form developed by the research team. The data included the author and year of publication, country of study, study design, number of participants, type of natural disaster, name of the mobile app, duration of use of the app, outcome measures, and the study’s findings. These data were synthesized using a narrative approach based on the outcome measures, the duration, frequency of use of the mobile apps, and the outcomes.

Search Results

Of the 1532 papers retrieved from the searches, 976 unique papers had their titles and abstracts screened after deduplication. A total of 38 papers were moved to full-text screening, and data were extracted from 5 papers [ 30 - 34 ] ( Figure 1 ). Table 1 shows the summary of the details of the papers.

a TLS: Training for Life Skills.

b PTSD: posttraumatic stress disorder.

c MBSR: Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction.

d PFA: Psychological First Aid.

e SAMHSA: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

Characteristics of Included Studies

Of the 5 studies included in this review, 3 (60%) were conducted in the United States [ 30 , 31 , 34 ], while 2 (40%) were conducted in South Korea [ 32 , 33 ]. All studies used different study designs. A total of 3 studies used a quasi-experimental design—the first, a single group postexperiment with 22 participants [ 32 ]; the second, a multiple-baseline single case experimental design with 7 participants [ 30 ], while the third study used a 1-group pre- and posttest design with 318 participants [ 31 ]. The Training for Life Skills (TLS) app study had only a posttest following the use of the app [ 32 ]; the other 2 had baseline and follow-up measurements with the Sonoma Rises app study having, in addition, preintervention and postintervention measurements. The Psychological First Aid (PFA) study was designed as a qualitative study, while the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) study used a mixed methods descriptive design.

Characteristics of the Population

The TLS, Sonoma, and Headspace apps were designed for disaster survivors, while the PFA and SAMHA apps were designed to support disaster relief workers. The TLS app study was administered to adults with a median age of 32 years. Participants of the Sonoma Rises app study had a mean age of 16 (SD 0.98) years, while participants of the Headspace app study had a mean age of 46.1 (SD 10) years. The TLS app study focused on all types of disasters; the Sonoma Rises study focused on adolescents exposed to wildfires, while the Headspace app focused on women who experienced hurricanes and deep-water oil spillage. The PFA study involved 19 disaster health care workers who first underwent disaster simulation training using the mobile app.

Characteristics of the Mobile App Interventions

The included studies revealed several mobile phone apps used as interventions. The first, the TLS app, was used as a psychological first aid program for disaster survivors with content on information, psychological healing, and mood change [ 32 ]. The second was the Sonoma Rises app, a Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)–compliant, cloud-based mobile app with daily push notifications as reminders designed to help survivors of wildfires or other disasters to find their new routines, build resilience, and increase well-being. The app included 6 self-paced content sections, psychoeducation, and direct connections to free and local mental health care services. The third was the Headspace app for a mindfulness-based stress reduction program that included a series consisting of 10 sessions designed to be used for about 10 minutes per day. The SAMHSA Disaster App equips behavioral health providers to respond to all kinds of traumatic incidents by enabling them to readily access disaster-specific information and other important materials directly on their mobile devices [ 34 ]. The PFA mobile app provided evidence-based information and tools for disaster workers to prepare for, execute, and recover from providing psychological first aid during disasters. Accessibility via smartphones and the inclusion of multimedia interventions and assessments tailored for disaster contexts were key features enabling its use integrated with the simulation training [ 33 ].

Frequency and Duration of App Use

The 3 survivor-based apps had variations in the duration of the intervention (app use), which were 8 weeks, at least 5 times a week, frequency of use per day not specified [ 32 ]; 4 weeks for 10 minutes per day [ 30 ]; and 6 weeks for 5-10 minutes per day [ 31 ]. Both the TLS app and the Sonoma Rises app studies had weekly follow-up assessments. The different interventions were applied at least a year following the disasters. Participants in the Sonoma Rises app study used the app on an average of 17 (SD 8.92) days and visited the app an average of 43.50 (SD 30.56) times, with an average session lasting 56.85 (SD 27.87) seconds. The mean time spent on the app was 35.77 (SD 30.03) minutes, while for the TLS app study, the median time spent on the app over the 8 weeks of use was 200-399 minutes. Participants used the Headspace app an average of 24 (SD 36) days and logged in an average of 36 (SD 80) times. There was no description of the frequency and duration of use for the relief worker apps.

Effectiveness Outcomes

Effectiveness outcomes refer to the effects or impact of an intervention or program on the intended outcomes or goals. Different measures were used to assess the effectiveness of the apps’ use as either the primary or secondary outcome. Emotional quotients (emotional stability), basic rhythm quotients (brain stability), alpha-blocking rates (increased positive mood), and brain quotients assessed using electroencephalogram (EEG)–measured brainwave activities adjusted for self-reported app use time were used in the TLS app study [ 32 ]. The Headspace app study assessed effectiveness using a combination of measures such as trait mindfulness using a 15-item Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS)—trait version; depressive symptoms using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale-10 (CESD-10); perceived stress with the Perceived Stress Scale, 4-item version (PSS-4); and sleep quality using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) [ 31 ]. The Sonoma Rises app study measured efficacy using daily ratings of anxiety and fear, weekly measures of post-traumatic stress symptoms using the Child PTSD Symptom Scale (CPSS-5) for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition ( DSM-5 ), internalizing and externalizing symptoms using the Behaviour and Feelings Survey (BFS), psychosocial functioning using the Ohio Scale for Youth—Functioning subscale (OSY), and measures of anxiety (Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 [GAD-7]), depression (Patient Health Questionnaire-9 [PHQ-9]), well-being—Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (WEMWBS), sleep (Insomnia—Severity Index [ISI]), academic engagement (Student Engagement Instrument [SEI]), and perceived social support (Wills’ Social Support Scale [WSSS]) [ 30 ].

All 3 survivor-based apps were found to have positive benefits in addressing mental health issues among persons exposed to natural disasters. The TLS mobile app was shown to be effective in increasing positive and decreasing negative psychological factors according to app use time. The TLS mobile apps’ use had a significant effect on the emotional quotients (β=.550; P <.008), explanatory power (EP) was 30%, had a significant positive effect on the basic rhythm quotient (left brain: β=.598; P <.003; EP 35; right brain: β=.451; P <.035; EP 20%). Additionally, it had a significant positive effect on the alpha-blocking rate (left brain: β=.510; P <.015; EP 26%; right brain: β=.463; P <.035, EP 21%); and a significant positive effect on the brain quotient (β=.451; P <.035; EP 20%) [ 16 ]. The Headspace app had a positive effect on depression (odds ratio [OR] 0.3, 95% CI 0.11-0.81), physical activity (OR 2.8, 95% CI 1.0-7.8), sleep latency (OR 0.3, 95% CI 0.11-0.81), sleep duration (OR 0.3, 95% CI 0.07-0.86), and sleep quality (OR 0.1, 95% CI 0.02-0.96); however, there was no change in mindfulness scores from baseline to follow-up. For the Sonoma Rises app, no significant effects were observed for the clinical and functional outcomes because the longitudinal part of the study was affected by limited statistical power as a result of small sample size and historical confounds that made the participants miss data submission. However, visual inspection of individual data following the intervention showed downward trends across the study phases for daily levels of anxiety, fearfulness, and individual posttraumatic stress symptom severity.

For the PFA app, the qualitative study explored disaster health workers’ experiences with simulation training using focus group discussions. A total of 19 participants engaged in disaster scenarios with standardized patients, using a PFA app for guidance. Workers valued the practical educational approach, felt increased self-efficacy to support survivors, and identified areas for enhancing simulations and app tools to optimize effectiveness.

Implementation Outcomes

Implementation outcomes refer to the effects of an intervention or program implementation on various aspects of the implementation process, such as the fidelity of implementation, acceptability, adoption, feasibility, and maintainability. In the papers reviewed, feasibility was assessed using enrollment, program participation, and retention. Acceptability was measured using how well participants liked the app using a rating scale, how much of the app program was completed, the biggest barriers, and whether the app would be recommended to others. Data on characteristics of app use (engagement) were measured using the total number of log ins, average log ins per program completer, platform used (iOS, Android, or web-based), day of week of use (weekday vs weekend), and time of day of use (in 4-hour blocks) [ 30 , 31 ].

The Headspace app was reported to be cost-effective to implement and easy to use [ 31 ]. For engagement, only 14% (43/318) of the enrolled women used the app. The level of engagement with the app was high, with 72% (31/43) of participants completing some or all the sessions. Retention was also high with 74% (32/43) of the participants completing the follow-up survey. Lack of time was cited as the main barrier to using the app for 37% (16/43) of users and 49% (94/193) of nonusers. The majority of the users (32/43, 74%) reported high levels of satisfaction with the app. Acceptability was also high, with most participants (32/43, 74%) reporting that they liked the app and 86% (37/43) reporting that they would recommend it to others. Characteristics of app use showed that of the 1530 log ins, most participants (n=1191, 78%) used the iOS platform, mainly on weekdays (n=1147, 75%) and at different times of day mostly from noon to 4 PM (n=375, 25%).

Sonoma Rises was found to be feasible in terms of engagement and satisfaction among teens with high levels of disaster-related posttraumatic stress symptoms [ 30 ]. The self-assessment and data visualization features of the Sonoma Rises app strongly appealed to all the participants, and they were willing to recommend the app to their friends. Self-satisfaction with the mobile app was rated as extremely high (mean 8.50, SD 0.58, on a scale of 0 to 10, with 10 as totally satisfied). The participants agreed or strongly agreed to recommend this intervention to a friend. The participants found the intervention helpful (mean 2, SD 0.82); had the content, functions, and capabilities they needed (mean 3, SD 1.12); and were satisfied with how easy it was to use the app (mean 2, SD 0), on a scale of 1 to 5 with 1 as strongly agree and 5 as strongly disagree. In the qualitative feedback, to make the use of the app better, the participants suggested more notifications to return to the app and the use of the app immediately after a disaster. Implementation outcome was not an objective of the TLS app, hence, none was reported.

Other Mobile Apps With Potential Use in Disasters

Some mobile apps not meeting the inclusion criteria showed promise for supporting mental health in disasters. PTSD Coach provides tools for managing PTSD symptoms [ 35 ]. Though not disaster-specific, its psychoeducation, symptom tracking, and coping strategies could aid survivors. Similarly, COVID Coach was designed to help manage pandemic-related stress and anxiety [ 36 ]. These apps are summarized in Table 2 .

a PTSD: posttraumatic stress disorder.

Principal Findings

This review sought to identify and map the use of mobile apps for the mental health component of natural disaster management. We found only 5 studies meeting the inclusion criteria. The scarcity of published literature in this area suggests that mobile apps have not been extensively used in mental health responses to natural disasters. Academic studies on the public’s use of mobile technologies in disaster management are still nascent [ 37 ], but there has been increased interest in developing and deploying digital technology and mobile apps by governments and nonstate actors as part of disaster preparedness and response [ 38 , 39 ]. A recent systematic review found that there is a lack of mental health preparedness in most countries when it comes to disasters [ 40 ]. The 5 studies included in our scoping review confirmed this gap and further demonstrated that mobile apps can provide mental health support to disaster-affected individuals and communities. The studies found that the use of mobile apps was associated with improvements in mental health outcomes, such as decreased anxiety and depression symptoms and increased resilience. The reviewed studies also suggest that mobile apps can be effective in delivering psychoeducation and coping skills training to disaster-affected individuals. A 2017 scoping review found that mobile apps have been largely used for communication purposes in disaster management [ 37 ]. The scope of use was classified into 5 categories which are not mutually exclusive. These categories are (1) crowdsourcing (organize and collect disaster-related data from the crowd), (2) collaborating platforms (serve as a platform for collaboration during disasters), (3) alerting and information (disseminate authorized information before and during disasters), (4) collating (gather, filter, and analyze data to build situation awareness), and (5) notifying (for users to notify others during disasters) [ 37 ].

Some authors classify disaster response into 3 phases: preparedness, response, and mitigation [ 41 ]. The studies included in this review exclusively examined the use of mobile apps during the recovery phase of disaster management. However, none of the studies explored the potential of mobile apps during the preparedness or response phases of disaster management. By addressing this gap, future research could help to provide more comprehensive and effective strategies for the use of mobile apps throughout all phases of disaster management. Examples of potential opportunities are demonstrated in Figure 2 .

Preparedness Phase

Mobile apps can play a critical role as primary prevention interventions by raising awareness and promoting mental health literacy in the community in preparation for natural disasters. These apps can provide information on common mental health problems that may arise during and after disasters and offer tips on staying mentally healthy. For example, apps can include psychoeducation modules on coping skills, stress reduction, and self-care techniques, as well as information on how to prepare for a disaster and what steps to take to protect one’s mental health during and after a disaster. The use and effectiveness of mobile apps in health literacy have been demonstrated in the literature [ 19 ], thus providing a foundation for adaptation in disaster management.

Response Phase

Mobile apps can be used to connect people in need of mental health support with mental health professionals or other resources. For example, apps can provide information on emergency hotlines, crisis intervention services, and support groups. This was demonstrated as effective during the COVID-19 pandemic [ 42 ]. Mobile apps can also provide coping strategies and techniques to manage stress and anxiety in response to other natural disasters [ 34 ]. In this scoping review, we found that 3 apps had positive benefits in addressing mental health issues among persons exposed to natural disasters.

Recovery Phase

As part of secondary and tertiary prevention strategies, mobile apps can provide valuable ongoing support to those affected by disasters. For secondary prevention, mobile apps can be designed to support early detection and intervention for mental health problems after a natural disaster. These apps can include screening tools to identify common mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, and PTSD and offer appropriate referral pathways [ 43 ]. Additionally, apps can provide symptom-tracking tools to help individuals monitor their mental health over time [ 43 ]. For tertiary prevention, mobile apps can support the ongoing management of established mental health problems after a natural disaster. For example, apps can provide evidence-based psychotherapy interventions, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy, to help individuals manage their symptoms [ 44 ]. They can also connect individuals with support groups and peer-to-peer networks to provide additional emotional support and help individuals connect with others who have experienced similar challenges. Furthermore, mobile apps can offer self-help tools, such as meditation exercises and mood tracking, to help people cope with the ongoing mental health effects of the disaster. They can also provide information on local mental health services and support groups, helping individuals access the resources they need to manage their mental health.

General Mental Health Apps Show Promise for Disaster Response

While not specifically designed for disaster contexts, some mobile apps demonstrate strategies to support mental health that could aid disaster survivors. PTSD Coach delivers PTSD psychoeducation, symptom tracking tools, coping skills training, and crisis resource access—elements that could help survivors experiencing common postdisaster issues like trauma or loss [ 35 ]. Though it was tailored for veterans and civilians with PTSD, 1 study found it improved users’ depression and functioning. Similarly, COVID Coach offered pandemic-related stress management through symptom tracking, healthy coping recommendations, and crisis line referrals [ 36 ]. By leveraging the scalability of mobile apps, COVID Coach reached many struggling during a global crisis. These examples illustrate that apps may provide accessible, far-reaching mediums for disseminating disaster mental health resources—even without disaster-specific tailoring. Research should further explore adapting evidence-based, general mental health apps for disaster contexts or incorporate elements of them into future disaster response tools. With mental health needs magnified during disasters, mobile apps with thoughtful design show promise in expanding access to psychosocial support.

There are several potential limitations when using mobile apps for mental health responses to disasters. One of the main concerns is the accessibility of these apps, as not all members of the affected communities may have access to smartphones or internet connectivity. Furthermore, language and cultural barriers may prevent effective use. Another potential limitation is the quality and accuracy of the information provided. Without proper oversight, some apps may provide misinformation or inaccurate advice, which could exacerbate mental health issues. In addition, privacy concerns around collecting and storing sensitive data must be addressed.

Barriers like lack of mobile devices and internet access can impede adoption, especially in marginalized areas. Apps not designed for low literacy users or that are only available in certain languages could also limit accessibility. Concerns around privacy and security may deter some individuals. However, smartphone ubiquity globally enables use by vulnerable groups. Government agencies and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) can promote adoption by integrating vetted apps into disaster protocols and funding dissemination. Developing apps with stakeholders and prelaunch user testing also facilitate uptake. Monitoring user feedback allows for ongoing optimization and troubleshooting of barriers. Cultural tailoring to address stigma and use local beliefs further enables implementation success. Finally, limited evidence-based research into app effectiveness highlights the need for more rigorous evaluation and testing of mobile apps for disaster mental health response.

This scoping review has certain methodological limitations that should be considered while interpreting its results. First, the search was restricted to 6 electronic databases and only English-language papers were considered. We also searched MEDLINE and not PubMed, and these may have led to the omission of some relevant studies. Second, the study focused on mobile phone apps for mental health response to disasters, disregarding other types of technology that could also be used in disaster management such as telehealth, SMS text messaging, and emails. Moreover, since the study included only 5 papers, it may not offer a comprehensive overview of the use of mobile phone apps in disaster response strategies. There is the possibility of the existence of apps not yet published in academic literature. Fourth, the nonuse of a control group in the design of the studies makes it difficult to determine whether the observed effects were entirely due to the use of the apps or other characteristics of the participants that predisposed them to use the apps. Fifth, the small sample sizes for the studies mean they require caution with generalization. Despite these limitations, the review provides valuable insights into the use of mobile apps in disaster response and serves as a useful resource for developing contextually appropriate mobile apps for disaster management. Last, our study focused on natural disasters, further research should examine the role of apps in supporting mental health in conflict and complex emergencies such as wars, outbreaks of violence, and complex political conflict situations [ 45 ].

Conclusions

This scoping review found that mobile apps have not been extensively used in mental health responses to natural disasters, with only 5 studies meeting the inclusion criteria. However, the studies included in this review demonstrate that mobile apps can be useful in providing mental health support to disaster-affected individuals, as well as equip disaster responders. There is a critical gap identified in this study, as none of the studies investigated the use of mobile apps for potential victims in the preparedness or response phases of disaster management. We, therefore, recommend that mobile apps be integrated into the various phases of disaster management as part of mental health response. Additionally, it is important to ensure that these apps are accessible to all members of the community, taking into account cultural, linguistic, and other factors that may impact their effectiveness. Mobile apps have great potential to provide valuable ongoing support to those affected by disasters, and they can be a valuable resource in disaster management, helping people cope with the mental health effects of disasters and connecting with the necessary support services.

The findings from this scoping review have important implications for policy makers, disaster management professionals, and mental health practitioners. There is a clear need for policies and protocols that integrate evidence-based mobile apps into mental health disaster planning and response. Disaster agencies should invest in developing, evaluating, and widely disseminating mobile apps specifically designed to mitigate psychological trauma before, during, and after catastrophic events. Mental health professionals can incorporate vetted mobile apps into their standard of care for at-risk disaster survivors. Going forward, a collaborative approach across these groups will be essential to leverage mobile technology in building community resilience and addressing the rising mental health burdens in an era defined by climate change–fueled natural disasters.

Acknowledgments

This work was funded by the Department of Psychiatry, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada. The funder was not involved in the conceptualization or implementation of the study, nor the decision to publish the findings.

Conflicts of Interest

None declared.

The PRISMA-SCR checklist. PRISMA-SCR: Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews.

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Abbreviations

Edited by G Eysenbach; submitted 13.06.23; peer-reviewed by T Benham, K Goniewicz, R Konu, J Ranse, P Moreno-Peral; comments to author 10.01.24; revised version received 25.02.24; accepted 23.03.24; published 17.04.24.

©Nwamaka Alexandra Ezeonu, Attila J Hertelendy, Medard Kofi Adu, Janice Y Kung, Ijeoma Uchenna Itanyi, Raquel da Luz Dias, Belinda Agyapong, Petra Hertelendy, Francis Ohanyido, Vincent Israel Opoku Agyapong, Ejemai Eboreime. Originally published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (https://www.jmir.org), 17.04.2024.

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