Research: Your Outline Mrs. Cumberland

Why create an outline? Helpful when you want to show the hierarchical relationship Show logical ordering of information Keep track of large amounts of information

Primary reasons Aids in the process of writing Helps you organize your ideas Presents your material in a logical form Shows the relationship among ideas in your writing Constructs an ordered overview of your writing Defines boundaries and groups

How do I create an outline? Determine the purpose of your paper Determine the audience you are writing for Develop the thesis of your paper

Then Brainstorm: List 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

Remember Creating an outline before writing your paper will make organizing your thoughts a lot easier

Main Components for Effective Outlines Parallelism- How do I accomplish this? Each heading and subheading should preserve parallel structure. If the first heading is a verb, the second heading should be a verb Example: I. Choose Desired Colleges II. Prepare Application (choose and prepare are both verbs- present tense is usually preferred for an outline)

Coordination All the information contained in Heading I should have the same significance as the information contained in Heading 2 Example: I. Visit and evaluate college campuses II. Visit and evaluate college websites A. Note important statistics Look for interesting classes

Subordination The information in the headings should be more general, while the information in the subheadings should be more specific. Example: I. Describe an influential person in your life A. Favorite high school teacher B. Grandparent

Division Each heading should be divided into 2 or more parts Example: I. Compile resume A. List relevant coursework List work experience List volunteer experience

Example of the way one student formulated a thesis statement and determined the major topics of support First, Jon wrote a tentative thesis statement about the dangers of professional football. Then, based on his knowledge of the sport and on some preliminary reading, he decided to try these supporting topics: A. Head injuries B. Shoulder and spinal cord injuries C. Knee injuries, leg fractures

Finally, he write down his thesis statement and entered his major topics on the outline opposite A,B, and C. Later, after he does his research, he will fill in a brief list of examples, facts, quotations, and he like that he will use in his paper. He will enter them under each major topic, using the number provided. He may also find another major topic, for example, injuries resulting from artificial turf.

Of course, Jon may find so much information about head injuries that he will decide to limit his essay just to concussions suffered by quarterbacks. In that case, he’ll change his thesis statement and reverse his topics. Since writing a paper is an exploration, it’s not surprising that the writer often ends up in an unexpected place.

Preliminary Outline Thesis Statement: Despite efforts to improve safety through rules and equipment changes, professional football is a violent game that causes many serious injuries

Head injuries (Major topic) Statistical or numerical evidence- the incidence of head injuries in the National Football League Quotation from Dr. Robert Cantu, medical director of the National Center for Catastrophic Sports Injury Research in Chapel Hill, NC. Example: Drew Bledsoe, Buffalo Bills quarterback, who has suffered multiple concussions.

B. Shoulder and Spinal cord injuries 1. 2. 3. C. Knee injuries

Points to Remember Look for supporting facts, statistics, details, examples, nd quotations, under your major topics, in this case: Head injuries Shoulder and spinal cord injuries Knee injuries

2. The number of major topics is not fixed There are often more than three

The number of subtopics is also not fixed, but would never have fewer than two under a given topic

Strive for logic, consistence, and completeness in your outline The major topics are the chief supporters for the thesis statement Subtopics provide further support in the form of facts, quotations, statistics, and examples

Topic outline, rather than a full-sentence outline, is usually sufficient for most research essays

Summary Topic Outlines Make clear the structure of your paper Show how supporting topics and subtopics connect to your thesis statement Remind you tat the topic headings on your note cards should match the major topics in your outline Change during the research process

Sample Thesis Statement A. First Major Supporting Topic 1. Specific examples, details 2. Specific examples, details 3. Specific examples, details B. Second Major Supporting Topic 1. Specific examples, details 2. Specific examples, details 3. Specific examples, details