Basic Research Paper Outline

Basic Research Paper OutlineA great deal of time, research and effort is invested in the preparation of a research paper, and many a student's reputation rests on the writing of a perfect outline. In fact, a good outline will help you focus on areas of your paper that will add the required depth and detail to a project.Once you have decided upon a topic, it is important to begin with a brief description of that topic. The problem for students is that they will often start their outline with a subject matter that is too broad and do not have enough information about it to cover all the points that need to be made.Instead, start by defining the problem or question that needs to be answered before starting the main body of the paper. A good starting point for an introduction is to explain why the problem is important to you. Use this explanation as the basis for the rest of the paper.For each of the important points that you will be discussing, list the points and briefly explain the is sue to be addressed. Another good idea is to establish some possible solutions to the problem. Be sure to list the solutions in sequence as they are presented in the paper.Next, come up with a brief discussion of each of the solutions. Here you should include a summary of the pros and cons of each. Do not include too much detail or too little; just let your topic take its course in a very natural way.In your discussion of each solution, you should tell readers how each is different from the others, and why it is the best one for solving the specific problem. It is important to be succinct, and not to go into too much detail in your essay.After listing your points and problems in the outline, you will want to review it and rewrite the material as necessary. Be sure to add details and take away things, but do not make any major changes. Your final draft will still need to adhere to the outline you started with.Once you have gotten the main purpose of your paper out of the way, you can begin to plan what to write and how to structure your paper. You should spend as much time as possible thinking about the main points of your project, the methods you will use to solve the problems, and the points that you will address in your conclusion. While this will be another part of your outline, it will also need to be included in your final draft.