One way teachers help students learn to write research papers is by teaching them to create an outline of the essay before they start writing it. Some teachers require an outline submitted prior to approving the topic. It helps both the students and teachers find out if they’re on the right track before going further in the research process.
Although your teacher will tell you what editorial style to use for your essay, such as APA, MLA or Chicago, there are no specific formatting rules in these styles to create an outline. The outline is not part of the finished product, so there is no need to have a certain style for it.
Your teacher may explain how they want the essay outline formatted. In that case, follow those instructions. Even if your teacher doesn’t require an outline, it’s a good idea to create one for yourself.
Organizing Principles
Use one of these organizing principles when you create your outline:
| Method: | Pairs well with: |
|---|---|
| Chronological | Historical discussions |
| Cause & Effect | How something that happened created an effect for the next event |
| Process | What was/were the process/steps? |
| Deductive Logic | Moves from the general to the specific |
| Inductive Logic | Moves from the specific to the general |
Formatting an Essay Outline
Even though you don’t have to format your outline in a particular editorial style for publication, there are still basic rules to follow. First of all, there are two types of outlines you can create:
- Topic Outline
- Sentence Outline
The outline is for you to organize your thoughts on the research and writing process. Writing a paper or essay is a step-by-step procedure and the outline keeps you on track. Unless you have a specific instructions for your assignment, create the outline so that it works for you.
If you feel you can stay on track using short phrases, use the topic outline. But, if you think you’ll need longer sentences, use the sentence outline.
Creating the Essay Outline
The basic format of an outline is using Roman numerals for the main points, then using capital letters, numbers, lower-case letters and so forth for subtopics.
Example
I. Introduction
A. Thesis
1. argument
a. proven
B. Purpose Statement
II. Literature Review
A. Existing research
The subtopics lay out the specifics of the larger topics. Create the outline in the same manner as you will your research paper. For example, Section I will cover your introduction, including your thesis and/or statement of purpose. The final section is your conclusion.
An Invaluable Research Tool
Even though the outline of the paper isn’t published as part of the research paper, it’s an excellent way to develop your essay or research paper. Follow your teacher’s instructions and then use this helpful tool to get you through the research and writing process.