Write down the main topic of your paper. For example, if your paper is about the correlation between crime and economic hardship, your topic could be, "Crime rates and poverty: the causal link between violence and the lack of economic opportunities."
Write two or three short sentences under the main topic that explain why you chose that topic. These should be facts, supportable by the initial research you have done. For example, if you are writing a paper about the relationship between high crime rates and chronic unemployment, state how this problem is relevant socially, politically and economically.
Write a thesis sentence that states the angle and purpose of your research paper. For example, if your topic is about the link between crime and poverty, your thesis statement could be, "Job creation is the most important factor in reducing the crime rate in many inner-city communities."
List the items you will cover in the body of the paper that support your thesis statement. For example, under the thesis statement in step three, you could write, "I will begin by giving background information on rising crime rates in the inner city. I will then cite statistics that demonstrate the correlation between high areas of unemployment and crime. I will then discuss various solutions advanced by sociologists and government officials, and their effectiveness or lack thereof."
Provide a list of preliminary sources to give whomever may read the outline an idea of the authority of your references. In a paper about the crime rate's relation to joblessness, you could list government studies, sociological sources and the FBI's Uniform Crime Index, a recognized authority that compiles crime statistics in the United States.