How to Write a Research Paper Outline
To write a good research paper it isn’t just necessary to know your subject material and what you wish to say. It is also necessary to give your paper a certain structure and direction so it does not seem to digress at points, or to jump from topic to another. Other than the inevitable ‘Introduction’, ‘Body’ and ‘Conclusion’, composing an outline will give you better insight on how you wish to connect the different parts of your paper, what material should be given what place, and how you wish to reach your conclusion. Your outline will be your map to the required destination; providing you with a straighter and simpler route.
Why you should have an outline
Other than giving your paper direction, an outline help in other ways:
1) It’ll tell you how much trouble you’re in: if you don’t have enough material to compose a proper outline, it’s a pretty good indicator that you need to do a bit more research.
2) It will make your research look more credible, and professional: a research paper is not a fictional story, thus it requires clear lucid transferal of ideas. Free writing does not provide that touch.
How
to construct an outline
Always work at a clean desk. You don’t want to find last year’s biology notes mixed in with your current research.
It always helps to know what your professor requires. Read through the assignment once again. Note down any particular point and subgroup your professor might be interested in. Once you know what is required of you, you can sift out all the material which might seem unnecessary.
Now read through all your notes. Look for patterns and classifications. Make separate piles of your findings so that they don’t mix with each other. Also see if you can divide your research into broad headings. Use highlighters, colored pens; or if you’re using index cards then paper clip them together. Categorizing material is even easier on a computer, but make sure the headings are a large font and there is plenty of space between them, so that material does not mix.
Once you’ve divided your notes and sifted out the unnecessary bits, read through them again to find trends and ideas that can be categorized together; or look for a flow within the information you’ve collected. Now pen down the important parts of your paper. Divide your material into the three main categories; introduction, body and conclusion.
While outlining the introduction you should ask yourself the following questions. What is your thesis statement? How are you going to approach the subject? Add very briefly the points you wish to cover in the thesis. This will remind you of what you should add in your body
The body will contain the arguments and the evidences you provide to back up your thesis statement and this is also the point where most students make mistakes. When providing arguments always make sure your arguments get stronger as the research paper progresses. Start with a reasonably good line of reasoning; your second argument should be stronger and your final the strongest. They should also progress inevitably to the conclusion.
The conclusion should be a restatement of your thesis and a summary of all the arguments you have provided in the body. NEVER introduce a new argument in the conclusion. The conclusion should connect wit the body. Many students restate their thesis statement in the conclusion while the body contains little material related to their case.
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