Q: Can a research paper title be a question?

Ideally, the title of your research paper should be more informative so that it attracts the attention of the readers. It should provide more information about your research and the main outcome that you have achieved. It is not advisable to have a question as the title of your paper as it is the first thing readers will see about your paper. The aim of conducting research is to find answers and having a question in your title may not be attractive to the readers. However, there is no specific guideline about this and you may find a number of published articles that have questions as their titles.

However, the example you have provided is not really a good title for a research paper because it does not state what your research has achieved with regard to this question. In order to create an effective title for your paper, you should make sure that it captures the essence of your research and engages the reader’s interest, making him/her want to read further.

 The following aspects can be kept in mind when deciding a suitable title for your research paper:

1. The purpose of the research
2. The scope of research
3. The narrative tone or the type of research the paper aims to describe
4. The methods used

Related reading:

• 3 Basic tips on writing a good research paper title
• How do I know if the title of my paper is appropriate?
• 5 Simple steps to write a good research paper title