Free Research Paper Outline Templates

Q: What Is a Research Paper Outline?

A Research Paper Outline refers to a guide that lays out the foundation for the academic writing you are planning to carry out through locating and analyzing information. This tool helps students and scientists to map out their papers or presentations, organize and structure the data they want to include in their work, and define the message they want to deliver to the target audience of their essay or project. The significance of this document cannot be understated - it is crucial to present a coherent argument as well as understand your priorities during the process of conducting research. You can find a full list of Research Paper Outline templates by checking out our library below .

What Is a Research Paper Outline?

A Research Paper Outline refers to a guide that lays out the foundation for the academic writing you are planning to carry out through locating and analyzing information. This tool helps students and scientists to map out their papers or presentations, organize and structure the data they want to include in their work, and define the message they want to deliver to the target audience of their essay or project.

The significance of this document cannot be understated - it is crucial to present a coherent argument as well as understand your priorities during the process of conducting research.

You can find a full list of Research Paper Outline templates by checking out our library below.

How to Write a Research Paper Outline?

Follow these guidelines when writing an Outline for a Research Paper:

Select the appropriate format for the upcoming analysis - a basic Research Paper Outline should be divided into several sections whether you are going for an alphanumeric format or separating the parts of your outline with the help of numbers. Since an outline does not exceed a page or two, there is no need to put your entire thesis in it - this instrument should include short impersonal sentences that explain to the reader what they will learn by reading your work.
Build the framework of the Outline for a Research Paper - usually, it contains an abstract that shares the overview of the paper, an introduction that specifies the topic and the objectives of the author, the main body that explores the topic from different angles and perspectives, including the opinion of the author, and the conclusion based on concrete evidence, often discovered by the person that spent time on the research personally.
Think about the purpose of your project - you may develop a certain thesis and investigate various sources to present the topic to your professors, peers, or colleagues or evaluate the subject to progress your scientific work. Whether the goal is to share the material using comprehensible language or convince others your point of view is correct, you have to adapt the outline to the level of understanding of your audience - make sure the complexity of your research is taken into account and you are not biting off more than you can chew trying to tackle everything at once.
Do not neglect supporting topics and details - while you are prioritizing several sources and works of a few fellow scientists and scholars, it would benefit your work if you flesh it out more by providing additional examples and showing how the argument you are trying to make impacts other areas and fields of study.
Even after you have submitted an outline for review and you are assessing and interpreting a topic while writing your paper, remain open-minded and be ready to update the Research Paper Outline template if you find certain arguments cannot be backed by evidence or you need to elaborate on a particular point to arrive to a conclusion you are looking for.