METHODOLOGY FOR CREATING TITLES OF SCIENTIFIC ARTICLES ON ECOLOGICAL ISSUES
Abstract
Relevance: The global shift toward "Vocational Education 4.0" and the integration of specialists into the international academic space significantly increase the requirements for scientific metadata quality. In the environmental safety sector, the article title serves as a primary indexing element; however, typical lexical barriers and structural redundancy often hinder the visibility of Ukrainian research in Scopus and Web of Science. Addressing the research gap in systematizing title-forming methodologies is vital for enhancing international scientific communication and ensuring the accurate representation of environmental findings.
Purpose: This study aims to develop and scientifically substantiate a methodology for creating titles of scientific articles on environmental issues that comply with the linguistic and technical requirements of international scientometric databases.
Methods: The research followed a phased mixed-methods design, integrating comparative linguistic analysis, content analysis of highly cited environmental publications (Q1-Q2), and a deductive approach to systematizing title effectiveness criteria. Practical testing involved a "diagnostic and corrective" stage with master’s and doctoral students majoring in "Ecology," utilizing the "semantic deletion" technique to transform descriptive Ukrainian structures into concise English nominative groups.
Results: Empirical findings establish that effective environmental research titles contain 8–12 words, place the key object in the initial position, and utilize the "Object: Aspect" model. The application of the proposed semantic deletion method reduces title length by 30–50% without loss of scientific meaning. The study identifies typical errors in English adaptation, specifically literal calquing and excessive use of prepositions, which negatively affect Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI). A step-by-step algorithm was developed, integrating noun adjuncts and gerund constructions to align titles with Academic English standards.
Conclusions: The developed methodology represents a strategic tool for increasing the academic mobility and competitiveness of specialists in the environmental safety field. Effective title construction facilitates a transition from "descriptiveness" to "nominativeness," optimizing metadata for search engine algorithms. Practically, the results provide a scalable framework for academic writing courses, helping young scientists avoid technical errors at the manuscript submission stage and increasing the citation potential of environmental research.
Keywords
environmental research communication, scientometric visibility, academic writing, metadata optimisation
Author Biography
Stanislav Dushkin
PhD in Technical Sciences, Associate Professor, Kharkiv National Automobile and Highway University https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9345-9632, e-mail: dushkin@khadi.kharkov.ua
Olena Sierikova
Doctor of Technical Sciences, Associate Professor, Leading Researcher, National Scientific Center “Ноn. Prof. М.S. Bokarius Forensic Science Institute” https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0354-9720, e-mail: sierikova_olena@ukr.net
Vadym Babakin
Doctor of Law, Professor, Leading Researcher National Scientific Center “Ноn. Prof. М.S. Bokarius Forensic Science Institute”, https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7157-0241, e-mail: babakin_vadym@ukr.net
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