Learn How to Write a Research Paper Outline in 4 Easy Steps.
A Quick Tip on How to Start a Research Paper. Starting a research write-up requires a proper plan to ensure that every critical aspect necessary for quality writing is incorporated into the paper. Therefore, create a research paper outline to give you a framework through which all your paper will be based on.
Below is an example of a detailed outline. (It is for a research paper, but the principles and structure apply to any paper.) Notice the hierarchical use of the roman numeral system. Such a hierarchy is key to organizing your thinking and your argument and keeping track of the relationships between your ideas.
Outlining your first draft by listing each paragraph's topic sentence can be an easy way to ensure that each of your paragraphs is serving a specific purpose in your paper. You may find opportunities to combine or eliminate potential paragraphs when outlining—first drafts often contain repetitive ideas or sections that stall, rather than advance, the paper's central argument.
A research paper outline will keep your thoughts on track, enabling you to write that mammoth paper with relative ease. It still won’t be the easiest thing you’ve ever done, but imagine the sense of accomplishment you’ll have when you hand in that 15-pager (that’s about 3650 words)!
Example Research Paper Outline. To use APA paper outline or another style, you need to read many samples of such documents. There you can learn how to build the structure and its elements. Another good idea before you start will be to read the official manual for this style in order to refresh your mind or learn the basic rules of it.
A research paper is an expanded essay that presents your own interpretation or evaluation or argument. When you write an essay, you use everything that you personally know and have thought about a subject. When you write a research paper you build upon what you know about the subject and make a deliberate attempt to find out what experts know.
The pages in this section provide detailed information about how to write research papers including discussing research papers as a genre, choosing topics, and finding sources. The Research Paper There will come a time in most students' careers when they are assigned a research paper.