Format for a Research Paper

Regardless of the nature of your research, if you are writing a paper an outline will help you
to not only organize your thoughts, but also serve as the template for your entire paper. An
outline for a research paper is a visual reminder to include all of the pertinent details of your
research into your essay or paper. It is essentially a skeletal version of the true paper, and will
guide you through the entire process.

How do you create an outline for your paper?

Initially, dividing your essay, research or other paper into various components (Introduction,
Body, Conclusion, etc.) will help you to stay better organized and reduce the risk of
important information being forgotten or unintentionally omitted. Furthermore, breaking the
essay down into these parts will allow you to address specific parts individually and lessen
the chances of feeling overwhelmed.

How to Write an Outline for a Research Paper

The structure of your outline will be similar regardless of whether you are writing a scientific
paper or something more general. Interestingly, the structure of a research outline is nearly
identical to that of a research paper template. In order to better acquaint yourself with the
structure of an outline, check out sample research papers online. The USC Guide to Making
an Outline will also help you.

The chief components to an outline are:

1. The Introduction
2. The Body
3. The Conclusion

Relatively straightforward, right? However, the part to remember is that each part serves a
specific purpose and how you arrange information in your outline will drive how your paper
reads upon completion.

The Introduction is one of the most important elements of any great research paper, and
interestingly enough, often written LAST. This is because the purpose of the introduction is
to grab the attention of the reader, this is done by presenting the reader with the topic, and
using the thesis statement as an opportunity to ‘hook’ the attention of the reader.

The Body is the heartiest part of the essay, it includes many fact-rich paragraphs or
subsections and will allow you to build upon your thesis statement by providing facts to
support your argument. This section should not only elaborate on your opening statement, but
also provide insight into the methods used to conduct your research and include investigative
points or answers to questions pondered.
You will also want to consider using a literature overview. This is achieved by documenting
the literary sources used to support your theories and hypothesis. The topic of your paper and
the selected literature should be adjacent.

If you used any sort of data validation, this will typically follow the methodology and
literature sections. This is where you will highlight your results and mention other variables
that you’ve uncovered in your research. You might choose to use graphs or tables, but
remember to explain these to your readers.

Lastly, you will write your Conclusion. The conclusion typically does not offer new
information, but rather summarizes the main points addressed in the paper. It is mandatory to
also reiterate the thesis statement and mention any future research.