Outline for a Research Paper

Outline for a Research Paper

Before you start working on the research paper itself, teachers usually require a research paper outline from you. Some students do not understand why an outline for a research paper is important and why they cannot start writing their papers at once. So, let us explain you why it is important to make an outline for a research paper and give you some instructions on how to produce it.

• An outline for a research paper helps to rally your thoughts together and concentrate on the work;
• An outline for a research paper will help you organize the information found in a logical chain;
• An outline for a research paper will help you see the relationships between ideas in your paper;
• An outline for a research paper makes it easier to build up a logical overview of your writing.

Now that you understand that an outline for a research paper is not just another whim of your teacher but a real need for you, let us present you the steps you need to take for making an effective outline for a research paper.

Get started

• Before making some notes in the outline for a research paper, you have to do the following:
• Set the purposes of your work;
• Identify the audience you are writing for;
• Formulate your personal statement on the problem under discussion.

Working on your research paper outline

Well, the first steps towards a successful work are already done. Now you have to realize your ideas. So, do the following:

• Brainstorm. Think of the ideas you would like to include into your paper. List them.
• Form groups. To make an effective outline for a research paper, you also have to group the ideas you are going to include into your paper, in other words, to set the interrelations between them.
• Organize your ideas logically. It is better to organize the ideas from the most general to the most specific. Thus, you will manage to arrange your ideas logically.
• Label. The last step in making an outline for a research paper is giving titles to each of your sections and subcategories.

Some experts also recommend include the bibliography into your research paper outline. Thus, you will not have difficulties when citing the sources in your research paper. However, of course, it is up to you. The most important thing is that your outline should be really helpful to you.