Main Steps of Constructing Your Outline Properly

By creating a quality outline, you can concentrate only on the relevant points of your research and keep this process under control. Some crucial rules to remember while preparing a good research paper outline are listed below:

1. Formulate a topic of your paper and write a heading.

Your paper heading must express the main idea you plan to cover in this work and it coincides with an outline heading.

2. Create categories, subcategories, and paragraphs, if needed.

How many levels of categorization you will have depends on the length and complexity of your paper.

3. Choose the proper outline type.

It can be either sentence outline, where all the headings are written in full sentences, or a topic outline that uses short phrases or even single words for headings. The first one is good when you explore one complex issue in your work, while the other will be helpful when you touch on several different points and compare them.

4. Organize your outline style according to the main rules.

The first level of headings is usually ordered with Roman numerals, second level categories with capital letters, third level ones with numbers, and fourth level subpoints (if needed at all) with lowercase letters. Mind proper capitalization as well. Topic outline usually implies capitalizing first letter of every word in a heading, while sentence outline means sticking to standard sentence capitalization rules. It is better to consult with your teacher on this point.

Simple Tricks to Keep in Mind on Making a Perfect Outline

Proper outline structure is essential. You should determine in which order to consider all the main points of your research paper and reflect it in the outline. It will help you write your work easily and logically, connect its parts, avoid needless distractions from the main topic, and develop your thoughts gradually from introduction to conclusion.

Each heading should be divided into at least two subcategories. Be careful not to overwhelm your outline with too many unnecessary subpoints.

Headings of the same level must be equal in terms of style and importance of the problems described under them.

The total length of the outline must be no more than one quarter of the whole paper.

How to Write Your Paper

1. Select a good topic.

The topic of your paper should be interesting to you and educational for your audience. It should also be rather narrow so that your paper provides the reader with unique information.

2. Conduct thorough research.

You should learn a lot about your topic before you start writing your paper. Consult your instructor to know what sources to analyze. You may also need to conduct your own experiments in order to prove your statements and arguments.

3. Make an outline.

Divide your paper into separate chapters before you start writing. Yu should think about what you’re going to include in each section and write down your plans on a sheet of paper. This will help you create a solid structure for your text.

4. Write the introduction chapter.

The first chapter of your paper should inform the reader about your topic and the objectives of your study. It should also briefly describe the contents of the following chapters, like literature review and methodology. The limitations and scope of your study should be discussed in the introduction too.

5. Write the body chapters.

In the body of your paper, you should provide the reader with the detailed review of your topic’s background and methods that you’ve used to conduct your research. The last body chapter should present the actual outcomes of your study and discuss them. Make sure to make smooth transitions between the body chapters.

6. Write the conclusion chapter.

The last chapter should summarize the points mentioned in the body and indicate the significance of the work done. You may also propose several ways to continue your research.

7. Create additional chapters.

These include “Bibliography” and “Appendices” where you should provide the full list of sources used and present materials that couldn’t be placed in the body chapters (graphs, tables, etc.)

General Guidelines for an APA Paper

The last step is to format your document correctly. You should set one-inch margins on all sides and make your text double-spaced. Use 12 pt. Times New Roman font. You should also create a running head in the top left corner of a page that should contain a short version of your paper’s title.

1. Choose something interesting. Your readers can tell if you have enthusiasm in your writing or not. Sometimes you are assigned a narrow category within history and you have to choose a topic within that category. This definitely limits your options but you can look into some different perspectives within that category.
2. Look for something you know about. Choosing an entirely unknown topic will add to the amount of work you have to do. Make it a little easier on yourself by selecting a subject you already have some knowledge in.
3. Narrow down the focus of your topic to a manageable size. If it’s too broad you won’t be able to cover it sufficiently.
4. Look for interesting perspectives or angles. Cover your topic differently than other writers have. Look for one interesting element within your topic to highlight.
5. Begin your research. This will help you to clarify exactly what you want to do. You will more easily find the focus or pathway you want to take.
6. Brainstorm about your idea. Write down everything you can think of that’s related to it. Look over your list and see what additional ideas pop into your mind.
7. Look through your school books and notes you have taken. Do any interesting bits catch your attention? Explore some new ideas.
8. Ask your teacher or look online for additional ideas. If nothing you’ve uncovered thus far sparks an interest, take time to do some more looking. You can also ask your librarian for sources of new ideas.
9. Re-use a topic you’ve seen before, but add your own unique twist to it so it’s slightly different. The more unique it is and the more “you” it is, the more interest you will have in writing it. The process will then seem easier to you.
10. Have you left the topic selection to the last minute? Do you feel stuck and don’t know what to do? Hire an online writing company to choose your topic and give you a list of references to use for your research. That will definitely get you started quickly.

Now that you are armed with 10 great suggestions, it’s time to start writing!

Find, Narrow down and Focus on a Researchable Topic

The first step in writing an academic research paper is discovering, narrowing and focusing on a research topic. You should try to choose a topic that interests you by attempting to write your way to the topic. You should also consult your instructor or professor, as well as your classmates. It is always advisable to pose the topic as a problem that needs a solution or a question that needs to be answered.

Find, Select and Read Sources

At this stage, you need to take a look at a variety of information sources. You need to make use of the library catalog, bibliographies, periodical indexes, and some suggestions from your professor/instructor. In addition, you need to consider primary versus secondary sources, as well as look at books, journals, and other sources of literature on the topic.

Group, Sequence and Document Information

When writing an academic research paper, it is important to be organized. You need to have a system for noting the sources you collected on bibliography cards. You also need a system that will help you organize material on the basis of its relative importance. Finally, you will need a system note taking.

Write an Outline and your Prospectus

The next stage in writing the academic paper is crafting the outline. At this stage of the paper, you need to consider what your topic is about, why it is significant, and the relevant background materials. You also need to develop your thesis statement or purpose statement at this point. Finally, you need to consider the organizational plan that will best suit your purpose.

Write the introduction

When writing the introduction of your paper, you will have to do several things. First, you need to present the relevant contextual or background material. Secondly, you need to define the key concepts or terms. Thirdly, you need to present an explanation of the focus of your paper and its specific purpose. Lastly, you must reveal the plan of organization of the paper.

Write the Body

This is the main section of an academic research paper. You should use the outline and your prospectus as a guide. You should develop the discussion around the main points that you want to present, rather than letting the sources dictate the organization of the paper. However, the sources should be integrate into the discussion. Instead of just reporting published work, you need to analyze, summarize, evaluate and explain published work. Lastly, navigate through the “ladder of abstraction” by moving from generalizations to different degrees of detail and then back to generalizations.

Write the Conclusion

If the point or argument of the paper is complicated, it is advisable to summarize the point or argument for the reader. In case you did not provide an explanation of the significance of the findings prior to the conclusion or in case you are moving inductively, you should use the concluding section of the paper to add-up your arguments or points and explain the significance. Proceed from a detailed level of consideration to a general level that brings back the topic to the context presented in the introduction. Finally, you may suggest what aspects of the topic need further research.

Revise the Final Draft

This is a very important step in writing academic papers. Check the organization of the entire paper and ensure there is a logical flow of the introduction, the discussion section in the body for depth and coherence, and the effectiveness of the conclusion. Other issues to revise include paragraph construction and sentence structure, punctuation, word choices, spellings, and documentation or citation.