What It Takes To Write An Excellent Paper Outline

The most organized research papers are written using an outline. Students sometimes skip over this if it is not required, because they believe it takes time and is not necessary to create a wonderful writing assignment. When you use an outline, however, you spend less time looking through notes as you complete your first draft and more time getting it done. Additionally, it helps organize the paper, so you do not have to go back and move facts around for the writing to make sense. Here are some easy guidelines to follow as you write the outline for your paper.

Start with a Strong Thesis

To begin your outline, you are going to create what is called a ‘working thesis’. This simply means that while the ideas behind your thesis statement are going to stay the same, you may change the wording later to better fit the major points of your writing assignment. If you need ideas about how to write a strong thesis, check out samples on a custom research paper writing website. Remember that it does not have to be perfect- it just needs to be thorough enough that you have a strong leading sentence to guide your outline.

Know the Required Formatting

If you are composing the outline because it is required by your teacher, know what type of formatting they expect. Outlines are written in levels, with the first level being the major point, the second level being the details of that point, and the third level (when needed) being smaller bits of information to be included.

Start at the top of your page for your research paper for college and use Roman Numerals (unless your teacher recommends something else) to label paragraphs for the introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion. You do not have to actually write the introduction and conclusion, but you will include these words to represent them. Under the ‘Introduction’ heading, indent once and add a big letter (A.), before writing the thesis.

Relate Each Major Point to the Thesis

Under the body paragraphs, you should have at least three major points. You will identify each with a Roman Numeral, as you did to label the introduction and conclusion. You can write out entire sentences (if you know what the opening sentence for the paragraph is) or you can just use shorthand. It depends on your teacher’s (or your own) preferences. If you are having troubles, look on a site where you can purchase custom research paper for examples.

Add at Least Three Supporting Details

Remember that each major point should also be supported. Add at least three supporting details, which will make up the text in each paragraph. These should be placed under each of the main sentences, by indenting and using a capital letter (A.) for labeling. Like the topic sentence of the paragraph, this can be written as a short note or a complete sentence.

Include as Much Detail as You Can

The easiest and best research paper to write is going to have a detailed outline. If you add details, you spend a lot less time trying to translate the outline into a winning paper. By including details, you make it more likely that you will finish faster. You will also have a clear idea of how to compose your draft.

There are numerous benefits that you can reap by writing an outline before you get started on your paper. If you don’t quite feel up to the task, remember that you can use custom research paper writing services to get an outline completed for your work. This is sure to cut back on the time you need to research and help you excel.