Term Paper 4
HUFLIT

UNIT 4: Preparing outline
An outline is a map of your term paper. It shows what information
each section or paragraph will contain, and in what order. Most
outlines use numbers and/or bullet points to arrange information
and convey points.
How to write an outline?
• Identify your topic or thesis statement.
• Decide what points you would like to discuss during your paper.
• Put your points in logical, numerical order so that each point
connects back to your main point.
• Write possible transitions between paragraphs.

Why create an outline?
Outlining is a tool we use in the writing process to help
organize our ideas, visualize our paper's potential structure,
and to further flesh out and develop points. It allows the
writer to understand how he or she will connect information
to support the thesis statement and the claims of the paper.
An outline provides the writer with a space to consider ideas
easily without needing to write complete paragraphs or
sentences.
Creating your outline:
Before beginning an outline, it is useful to have a clear thesis
statement or clear purpose or argument, as everything else in the
outline is going to work to support the thesis. Note: the outline might
help inform the thesis, and therefore your thesis might change or

Organize your outline in whatever format fits into the structure
needed for the type of paper you are writing. One common
outline format uses Roman numerals, letters, and numbers.
Other outlines can use bullet points or other symbols. You can
use whatever organizational patterns work best for you and
your paper, as long as you understand your own organizational
tools. Outlines can be written using complete sentences or
fragments or a mix of the two.
Remember! After creating your outline, you may decide to
reorganize your ideas by putting them in a different order.
Furthermore, as you are writing you might make some
discoveries and can, of course, always adjust or deviate from

Sample Outlines:
As you can see in the outline below, the writer chose to separate the outline by
topics, but could have utilized a different structure, organizing the outline by
separate paragraphs, indicating what each paragraph will do or say.
Example 1:
1.Introduction
A. Background information
B. Thesis
2.Reason 1
A. Use quotes from x
B. Use evidence from y
3.Reason 2
A. Counterargument
    1. They might say…
    2. But…
4.Conclusion
A. Connect back to thesis
B. Answer the “so what” or “what now” question

Proposal Outline:
1.Summary/ Synopsis of proposed project
• Rationale
• Specific aims and objectives
• Experimental approaches to be used
• The potential significance
2.Specific Aims
•X
•Y
•Z
3.Background and Significance
• Background
• Significance to current project
• Significance to long-term research objectives

• Critical evaluations of existing knowledge
• Forward progress
4. Preliminary Data
• Description of prelim data to justify the rationale
• Demonstrate feasibility of the project
5. Experimental Design and Methods
• Details of design and procedures
• Protocols
• Means of data analysis and interpretation
• New methodology and its advantages
• Potential technical difficulties or limitations/ alternative
approaches
6. References

4 steps for writing an essay outline
 1/ Determine your objective

Think about your thesis statement. You might not have
the exact wording at this point, but you should have a
general idea of the point you'll make and defend in
your essay. Having a clear objective enables you to
work through your brainstorming notes and craft an
outline that hits all the necessary points you need to
support that objective. 
 

2/ Filter out the fluff
When you brainstormed, you explored every
possible avenue to go down in your writing and
every potential piece of information to include. 
Now it's time to go through your brainstorming
notes and pick out the points that will most
effectively achieve your goal for your essay. For
each piece of information you jotted down, ask
yourself “how does this prove my point?” If you
can answer that question with a clear, thoughtful
response, add it to your list of points to make in
your essay. 

3/ Identify the points you'll make in each
paragraph
Using the list of points you wrote down, identify
the key arguments you'll make in your essay.
These will be your body sections. For example, in
an argumentative essay about why your campus
needs to install more water fountains, you might
make points like: 
•Providing water fountains helps students save
money
•Fountains reduce plastic waste
•Readily available water can cut down heat

Jot down the facts, anecdotes, and statistics that
support each of these arguments. For example,
you might cite the number of disposable water
bottles recovered from campus grounds last year
in your section on how water fountains reduce
plastic waste. These supporting points are part of
your essay outline. 

4/ Write your outline using a standard
template
With your key topics and supporting points
clearly defined, it's time to actually write your
outline. Using a template for the type of essay
you're writing (more on that in the next section),
format your key points into a clear, organized
frame that you'll flesh out with content when you
write your first draft. 

7 steps to follow when outlining a research
paper

1/ Choose your thesis and gather sources
Your outline is not the first step in writing a research
paper. Before that, you first need to choose a thesis
and then gather primary and secondary sources to
back it up. 
Your thesis is essentially what the research paper is
about. Your thesis is given to you in some assignments,
but sometimes, as with independent research, you'll
have to develop one on your own. 

Once you've settled on a thesis, you'll need evidence to
support it. Collect all the relevant sources and data
early on so that you know what to write about.
Researching often reveals new aspects of your topic
that you hadn't known about before. It may dispel any
misinterpretations you have—better to find out you're
wrong sooner rather than later. For help on how to cite
your sources, use our free Citation Generator. 
Keep in mind that the outline is just one part of writing
a research paper. If you want to read more advice, take
a look at our full guide on how to write a term paper.  

2/ Make a list of all the topics, subtopics,
and points you want to cover
Go through your research and note each topic,
subtopic, and supporting point. Be sure to keep
related information together. Remember that
everything you discuss in your paper should
relate to your thesis, so omit anything that seems
tangential. 
If you've highlighted any specific passages or
quotes from your sources, feel free to include
them too. They aren't necessary for all research
paper outlines, but they save you time when

3/ Choose the best type of research paper
outline for the assignment
Choose the type of research paper outline that
best matches your topic, the assignment's length,
and the complexity of your paper. Simple papers
only require simple outlines, but more advanced
topics with lots of research can benefit from more
detailed outlines. 
Consider whether you're sharing your outline with
other team members or whether you're writing it
solo. Likewise, consider the length and amount of
topics. The decimal format can help organize long

4/ Consider the structure and sequence of
your topics
Before actually writing the research paper outline,
think long and hard about the order in which you
present your topics. What is the most logical
sequence? What structure would communicate
most clearly to your readers, who may be
unfamiliar with these topics? 
Keep in mind that some topics only make sense if
they come after other topics. Before presenting
new findings or revelations, you may want to add
background or contextual information first. All

5/ Create the framework for your outline
Rather than writing your research paper outline
entirely at once, start with just the framework. Try
putting the main topics in order without yet
including any subtopics or supporting points. 
Starting with the framework gives you a clear
look at the backbone of your research paper. Now
would be a good time to rearrange the order if
there's a problem or add a new topic if you find
something is missing. It's never too late to go
back and conduct more research to flesh out the
areas you feel are lacking. 

6/ Add in more details
After you're satisfied with the framework, go
ahead and add the details. Most research paper
outlines
benefit
from
including
the 
paragraph structure, so feel free to add lines
about your topic sentence, development/support
sentences, and conclusion for each paragraph. 
If you want to get meticulous, you can add a few
notes about sentence structure. Be careful of
getting too detailed, though—otherwise, you're
writing a first draft instead of an outline! 

7/ Revise to improve structure
Finally, check your completed outline to see if
there's room for improvement. This is your last
chance before you begin the first draft. 
Double-check that all your topics are presented in
the optimal order for your reader. Also, look over
your research notes again to see if you've
forgotten anything. Once your outline is the way
you want it, it's time to begin writing your
research paper. 

Good luck!