The Research Paper outline Peter J. Marcotullio

Outline of lecture Outline definition and purpose Outline structure Examples Assignment

Definition and purpose of the outline

Definition and purpose What is an outline? An outline is the organizational plan for your paper. After you determine your thesis/research question for a start, and know that your destination is a thoughtful conclusion, your outline is the plan to get from one to the other.

Definition and purpose What is the purpose of an outline? Articulate what you plan to say, presents how you're going to get where you want to go; Helps you organize your ideas, presents your material in a logical form Demonstrates how you're going to move from supporting paragraph to supporting paragraph; and, Shows the relationships among ideas Defines boundaries and terms

Definition and purpose Outlines change during the process of research, this doesn’t make creating them useless, but rather makes them more important Re-writing an outline can be an important tool/process that helps you to think through your project

Template for the structure of the outline

Template for the structure of the outline Roman Numeral Version 1st Section 1st part of the section 2nd part of the section 1st sub-section of 2nd part 2nd sub-section of 2nd part 1st sub-sub-section of 2nd sub-section of 2nd part 2nd sub-sub-section of 2nd sub-section of 2nd part

Template for the structure of the outline Distinctions between headings by font details (used for titles, although titles are not always necessary) CAPITAL LETTERS BOLD Bold Italicized Underlined

Template for the structure of the outline Section titles INTRODUCTION LITERATURE REVIEW RESEARCH DESIGN (DATA AND METHODS) RESULTS, FINDINGS or CASE STUDY DISCUSSION CONCLUSION

Template for the structure of the outline INTRODUCTION (written after the research is finished - no section or sub-section titles) in three parts “The grab” State the problem Laying out the common understanding of the problem of interest “Flipping” the common understanding Introducing the Intellectual Merit of the project; rationale Outlining the structure of the paper (providing the roadmap for the reader)

State the problem State the common understanding Flip the common understanding

Intellectual Merit How important is the paper’s information to advancing knowledge and understanding within its own field or across different fields? To what extent is the research creative, original, or potentially transformative?

“The Roadmap” A paragraph describing the title of each section in the paper This description can be accompanied by a brief overview of what the reader can expect in each section This paragraph is the last one in the introduction

Template for the structure of the outline II. LITERATURE REVIEW Sections are based upon the components of the question asked Each section might introduce a different field of literature or specific area of interest Sub-section might introduce different debates within the field of interest Sub-sub sections are for refined points Create a space to provide your “conceptual model” or your “perspective

Template for the structure of the outline III. RESEARCH DESIGN Sections in your research design present the major tasks you undertook to complete the research (i.e., how you answered the question you posed); They may describe the data and where you obtain it You can also have a section on the specific methods you used to analyze data (statistical, GIS, surveys, etc.)

Template for the structure of the outline IV. RESULTS OR FINDINGS Sub-sections in your results section present ONLY the research findings or the findings and results of the case study. Results can be presented in tables, pictures, maps and charts, but each table and chart must be explained in the text. Sub-sections can be based upon the different “sets” of findings. Case studies outline the major issues and findings in specific instances; (note: there is NO discussion of the results in this section)

Template for the structure of the outline V. DISCUSSION Sub-sections in your discussion are based upon your interpretation of the findings; You may want to have a sub-section on implications for theory; You may want to have a sub-section on “policy implications” and/or “recommendations” You may also want to provide a section on qualifications to your study

Template for the structure of the outline VI. CONCLUSION Sub-sections in your conclusions are based upon the final points you would like to emphasize for the reader This section may alternatively be a summary of the paper