How to Create a Structured Research Paper Outline | Example


A research paper outline serves as a foundational roadmap for the comprehensive structure of an academic document. It acts as a guide, systematically organizing the main topics, subtopics, and supporting details in the intended order of presentation. Typically, this organizational tool plays a crucial role in ensuring a logical flow and coherence throughout the paper.


Creating a research project outline entails more than just listing bullet points (although you can use bullet points and lists in your outline). It includes how to organize everything you have done and thought about and want to say about your work into a clear structure you can use as the basis for your research paper.

This is the most generalized level of information. Begin by numbering the introduction, each idea you will present, and the conclusion. The main ideas contain the bulk of your 's information. Depending on your research, it may be chapters of a book for a , a series of dates for a historical research paper, or the methods and results of a scientific paper.

Creating an Outline - Writing a Research Paper

There are two different methods of creating an outline: let’s call these “abstract style” and “paper style.” These names reflect how briefly you summarize your work at this initial point, or show how extensive and complicated the methods and designs you used and the data you collected are. The type of outline you use also depends on how clear the story you want to tell is and how much organizing and structuring of information you still need to do before you can draft your actual paper.

Curious about how to write a research paper outline? This guide provides a systematic breakdown, detailing what elements to include and offering a step-by-step approach to creating one yourself, complete with illustrative paper outline examples. To strengthen your subject knowledge, we recommend checking out our after reading this article.

The conventional outline of a research paper comprises essential components such as an introduction, literature review, methodology, findings, and conclusion. Each section is further broken down into subsections, offering a clear hierarchy of information. This detailed layout not only aids the writer in maintaining a well-organized and coherent narrative but also assists readers in following the logical progression of the research.

That is certainly one useful (if not overly formalized) way of using outlining to prepare to draft an academic text. But here we want to talk about how to make an outline after you have done a research project or thesis work and are not quite sure how to put everything together into a written thesis to hand in or a research paper manuscript to submit to a journal.


How to Do Research: A Step-By-Step Guide: 4b. Outline the Paper

If you’re looking for ways to get started, checking out some research paper outline examples can make things a lot clearer. They show you exactly how to set up your paper, from start to finish, without the guesswork.

[PDF] Example Outline for a Research Paper - TCNJ School of Business

The should contain your or the topic of your research as well as the purpose of your study. You may include here the reason why you chose that particular topic or simply the significance of your research paper's topic. You may also state what type of approach it is that you'll be using in your paper for the entire discussion of your topic. Generally, your Introduction should orient your readers to the major points the rest of the paper will be covering, and how.

How to Create a Research Paper Outline (With Template & Examples)

A research paper outline in abstract style consists, like the, of short answers to the essential questions that anyone trying to understand your work would ask.

How to Write a Research Paper Outline - Polygence

You may feel it is easier to write without outlines, but once you start writing, organizing your ideas or thoughts becomes hard. Even if you have some fantastic ideas, producing an engaging story is practically hard. If you are not first creating an outline or conceptual guides while writing a research paper, you may lose track. A well-written outline is essential in completing your paper and maintaining quality. Establishing your point in paper writing is easy if you create an outline first. You can find an APA research paper outline template that best suits your requirement. Moreover, these tips can help you polish your writing. These tips and sample papers can help you write outstanding outlines without making any hassle.

Steps to Create an Effective Research Paper Outline · 1

While writing a paper outline, look through it many times and cross out any items that aren’t necessary or have no significance. While outlining, make sure to be specific and concise. It will prevent you from adding information that does not supporting your final essay. Remove all the extra information and points while c that weighs you down while you write.

How To Write a Research Paper Outline (With Examples and Tips)

A research paper outline typically contains between two and four layers of organization. The first two layers are the most generalized. Each layer thereafter will contain the research you complete and presents more and more detailed information.