Research: Your Outline

Mrs. Cumberland

Why create an outline?

Helpful when you want to show the hierarchical relationship

Show logical ordering of informationKeep track of large amounts of

information

Primary reasons

Aids in the process of writing Helps you organize your ideas Presents your material in a logical form Shows the relationship among ideas in your

writing Constructs an ordered overview of your writing Defines boundaries and groups

How do I create an outline?

Determine the purpose of your paper

Determine the audience you are writing for

Develop the thesis of your paper

Then

Brainstorm: List the ideas that you want to include in your paper

Organize Group related ideas together

Order Arrange material in subsections from general to

specific or from abstract to concrete Label

Create main and sub headings

Remember

Creating an outline before writing your paper will make organizing your thoughts a lot easier

Main Components for Effective Outlines

Parallelism- How do I accomplish this? Each heading and subheading should preserve parallel

structure. If the first heading is a verb, the second heading should be a verb

Example:

I. Choose Desired CollegesII. Prepare Application(choose and prepare are both verbs- present

tense is usually preferred for an outline)

Coordination All the information contained in Heading I should have

the same significance as the information contained in Heading 2

Example: I. Visit and evaluate college campuses II. Visit and evaluate college websites

A. Note important statisticsLook for interesting classes

SubordinationThe information in the headings should be

more general, while the information in the subheadings should be more specific.

Example:I. Describe an influential person in your life

A. Favorite high school teacher B. Grandparent

DivisionEach heading should be divided into 2

or more partsExample:

I. Compile resumeA. List relevant courseworkList work experienceList volunteer experience

Example of the way one student formulated a thesis statement and

determined the major topics of support

First, Jon wrote a tentative thesis statement about the dangers of professional football.

Then, based on his knowledge of the sport and on some preliminary reading, he decided to try these supporting topics:A. Head injuriesB. Shoulder and spinal cord injuriesC. Knee injuries, leg fractures

Finally, he write down his thesis statement and entered his major topics on the outline opposite A,B, and C. Later, after he does his research, he will fill in a brief list of examples, facts, quotations, and he like that he will use in his paper. He will enter them under each major topic, using the number provided. He may also find another major topic, for example, injuries resulting from artificial turf.

Of course, Jon may find so much information about head injuries that he will decide to limit his essay just to concussions suffered by quarterbacks. In that case, he’ll change his thesis statement and reverse his topics. Since writing a paper is an exploration, it’s not surprising that the writer often ends up in an unexpected place.

Preliminary Outline

Thesis Statement:Despite efforts to improve safety

through rules and equipment changes, professional football is a violent game that causes many serious injuries

A. Head injuries (Major topic)1. Statistical or numerical evidence- the incidence of

head injuries in the National Football League

2. Quotation from Dr. Robert Cantu, medical director of the National Center for Catastrophic Sports Injury Research in Chapel Hill, NC.

3. Example: Drew Bledsoe, Buffalo Bills quarterback, who has suffered multiple concussions.

B. Shoulder and Spinal cord injuries1.2.3.

C. Knee injuries1.2.3.

Points to Remember

1. Look for supporting facts, statistics, details, examples, nd quotations, under your major topics, in this case:

A. Head injuriesB. Shoulder and spinal cord injuriesC. Knee injuries

2. The number of major topics is not fixed

There are often more than three

The number of subtopics is also not fixed, but would never have fewer than two under a given topic

Strive for logic, consistence, and completeness in your outline

The major topics are the chief supporters for the thesis statement

Subtopics provide further support in the form of facts, quotations, statistics, and examples

Topic outline, rather than a full-sentence outline, is usually sufficient for most research essays

Summary

Topic OutlinesMake clear the structure of your paperShow how supporting topics and subtopics

connect to your thesis statementRemind you tat the topic headings on your

note cards should match the major topics in your outline

Change during the research process

SampleThesis Statement

A. First Major Supporting Topic1. Specific

examples, details2. Specific

examples, details3. Specific

examples, details

B. Second Major Supporting Topic1. Specific

examples, details2. Specific

examples, details3. Specific

examples, details