Is it plagiarism to use other paper's section and subsection titles without modification? For example, I saw a paper having following a section title and its subsection titles. The titles are appropriate for my study, so I want to write them without modificaition. But I am not sure whether it is plagiarism.


Empirical study


Objects of analysis
Variables and measures


Independent variables
Dependent variables

Study operation
Threats to validity
Results and analysis
It is plagiarism if you copy someone else's "creative contribution". For example, if the section headings are


How does the method identify errant patterns in spider webs?
An analysis of one million images of spider webs
Results of our analysis and an attempt at tying web patterns to genetic disorders in arachnids


then copying these section headings is likely plagiarism unless you specifically reference that you are following the same structure as previously used by the founder of the field, A. Rachnidova, in her seminal paper "On the patterns of spider webs", Arachnophobia, vol. 13, 1962.

On the other hand, if you section headings are


Introduction
Methods
Results
Discussion


then there is no creative contribution in this -- everyone uses these sections headings, because they are descriptive of what these sections are. Consequently, you can also be "one of everyone" and use this without attribution.