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How to Build a Draft Outline for a Research Paper

Writing a research paper can be a daunting prospect if you don't have a plan for what you're going to write. These papers detail the research and study you've done on a specific topic, discussing what you've learned during your study. The only way to pull everything together in an organized manner so that you present your material in an orderly, understandable way is to put your research into an outline. This way, you can start at the beginning and move logically through to the end, presenting your conclusion.

Index cards

Instructions

- 1
  
  Put your research down into organized notes for your outline.
  
  Decide on your research topic, and develop a thesis statement for your research paper.
- 2
  
  Visit the library, and check out books on the topic of your paper. Find books that both support and disagree with your thesis statement. Conduct online research to find recent work that has been done on your topic.
- 3
  Write down topic paragraph headings in your outline. Choose headings that help you develop your research paper's thesis statement in a clear, orderly direction. Refer to your research so you can find material for individual paragraphs. Write short phrases, not full sentences. Include the title of the book, chapter and page where you found material and write this on index cards--one index card per paragraph for your outline.
- 4
  As you work on your outline, refer to your thesis statement frequently to make sure that each section and paragraph you're working on follows what your thesis statement says.
- 5
  Write out your outline from beginning to conclusion, placing sections in an order that presents your research in a clear, logical manner. Wrap up your outline with your conclusion section.

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