The Research Paper: Developing an Outline

Outline of Research Paper Definition: An outline is a general plan of the material that is to be presented in a speech or a paper.

WHY Create An Outline? Aids in the process of writing Helps you organize your ideas Presents your material in a logical form Shows the relationships among ideas in your writing Constructs an ordered overview of your writing

How Do I Create An Outline?? Brainstorm: List all the ideas that you want to include in your paper. Organize: Group related ideas together. Order: Arrange material in subsections from general to specific or from abstract to concrete. Label: Create main and sub headings.

Types of Outlines The two main types of outlines are the topic outline and the sentence outline. In the topic outline, the headings are given in single words or brief phrases. In the sentence outline, all the headings are expressed in complete sentences.

Each level of notation (Roman numeral, upper case letter, Arabic numeral, lower case letter) represents a particular “size” of the idea noted: Formatting:

LEVEL OF NOTATION >Roman numerals (I,II,III) are the main ideas you want to establish in your essay. >Upper case letters (A,B,C) are the sub-points into which you can divide your main ideas. Arabic numerals (1,2,3) are supporting details. Lower case letters (a,b,c) are discussions and explanations of those details.

Each heading and subheading must have at least two parts. Example: I.     A.     B.         1.         2. II. Rules for Outlining Each heading and subheading must have at least two parts. Headings for parts of the paper of speech such as, Introduction and Conclusion, should not be used. Be consistent. Do not mix up the two types of outlines. Use either whole sentences of brief phrases, but not both.

Thesis: The multiple problems in America’s public school systems are causing students’ academic achievement rates to decrease and many solutions the boards of education are trying to implement are made ineffective because the most problematic source is not being targeted. I. Summary of the significance of education for all people     A. Jobs     B. Benefits to the economy II. Overview of the problems in American education system     A. Lack of sufficient funding     1. Too much unnecessary government spending 2. Entertainment industry receives too much attention a. Lack of resources (i.e. books, technology, classroom supplies)

Directions: For your topic, write a strong thesis statement. Next, write a rough draft of a TOPIC outline. (this is just topics/phrases) Remember, clarify what points you are going to discuss in detail in the “research paper.”