Create an outline for your research project

In addition, it can sometimes be useful to insert the quotations you may use and subsequent analysis into your micro outline. This tactic can help by ensuring that you have enough support for your ideas as well as reminding you to actually analyze and discuss quotations rather than simply inserting them and moving on. By using complete sentences, you are able to see exactly what you are writing about instead of relying on key words to spark ideas

Example Outline

The following outline is for a 5-7 page paper discussing the link between educational attainment and health. Review the other sections of this document for more detailed information including major and minor points supported by research in this outline!

I. Introduction

A. Current Problem: Educational attainment rates are decreasing in the United States while healthcare costs are increasing. B. Population/Area of Focus: Unskilled or low-skilled adult workers C. Key Terms:  healthy, well-educated   Thesis Statement: Because of their income deficit (cite sources) and general susceptibility to depression (cite sources), students who drop out of high school before graduation maintain a higher risk for physical and mental health problems later in life.

II. Background

A. Historical Employment Overview: Unskilled laborers in the past were frequently unionized and adequately compensated for their work (cite sources). B. Historical Healthcare Overview: Unskilled laborers in the past were often provided adequate healthcare and benefits (cite sources). C. Current Link between Education and Employment Type: Increasingly, uneducated workers work in unskilled or low-skilled jobs (cite sources). D. Gaps in the Research: Little information exists exploring the health implications of the current conditions in low-skilled jobs.

Major & Minor Points

Major points are the building blocks of your paper. Major points build on each other, moving the paper forward and toward its conclusion. Each major point should be a clear claim that relates to the central argument of your paper.

Sample Major Point: Employment and physical health may be a good first major point for this sample paper.  Here, a student might discuss how dropping out of high school often leads to fewer employment opportunities, and those employment opportunities that are available tend to be correlated with poor work environments and low pay.

Minor points are subtopics within your major points. Minor points develop the nuances of your major points but may not be significant enough to warrant extended attention on their own. These may come in the form of statistics, examples from your sources, or supporting ideas.

Sample Minor Point: A sample minor point of the previous major point (employment and physical health) might address worker injury or the frequent lack of health insurance benefits offered by low-paying employers.

The rest of the body of your paper will be made up of more major and minor points. Each major point should advance the paper's central argument, often building on the previous points, until you have provided enough evidence and analysis to justify your paper's conclusion.

More Major and Minor Points: In this paper, more major points might include mental health of high school dropouts, healthcare access for dropouts, and correlation between mental and physical health. Minor topics could include specific work environments, job satisfaction in various fields, and correlation between depression and chronic illness.

III. Major Point 1:  Conditions of employment affect workers' physical health. 

A. Minor Point 1: Unskilled work environments are correlated highly with worker injury (cite sources). B. Minor Point 2: Unskilled work environments rarely provide healthcare or adequate injury recovery time (cite sources).

IV. Major Point 2: Conditions of employment affect workers' mental health

A. Minor Point 1: Employment in a low-skilled position is highly correlated with dangerous levels of stress (cite sources). B. Minor Point 2: Stress is highly correlated with mental health issues (cite sources).

V. Major Point 3: Physical health and mental health correlate directly with one another.

A. Minor Point 1: Mental health problems and physical health problems are highly correlated (cite sources). B. Minor Point 2: Stress manifests itself in physical form (cite sources)

VI. Major Point 4: People with more financial worries have more stress and worse physical health.

A. Minor Point 1: Many high-school dropouts face financial problems (cite sources). B. Minor Point 2: Financial problems are often correlated with unhealthy lifestyle choices such unhealthy food choices, overconsumption/abuse of alcohol, chain smoking, abusive relationships, etc. (cite sources).

VII. Conclusion

A. Restatement of Thesis:  Students who drop out of high school are at a higher risk for both mental and physical health problems throughout their lives. B. Next Steps:  Society needs educational advocates; educators need to be aware of this situation and strive for student retention in order to promote healthy lifestyles and warn students of the risks associated with dropping out of school.

VIII. References

3. Outline to Paper

A. One of the best things about an outline is that you can start at any point and still know what you need to discuss before and after that section B. It may be that the act of writing these ideas out has spawned new ideas that simply need to be added to your outline

As you can see from this example, a micro outline tends to be much longer than the topic outline. By using complete sentences, however, you are able to see exactly what you are writing about instead of relying on key words to spark ideas Some people also find it easier to move from a micro outline to the paper since there is so much already written, and they can simply continue to expand on the ideas with further analysis rather than trying to remember the reason why some point was included in the first place.

Once you have a satisfactory outline, you are ready to start writing the paper. One of the best things about an outline is that you can start at any point and still know what you need to discuss before and after that section. Try to follow the flow of the outline as much as possible, since that is its purpose.

As you write, however, you may find yourself diverging from your outline. Don’t panic. It may be that the act of writing these ideas out has spawned new ideas that simply need to be added to your outline. Go ahead and add them, but make sure all the ideas still flow together well.

On the other hand, moving away from the outline can also mean that you have lost your focus. How can you tell if you need to revise the paper or the outline? One method is to try a retro-outline, which means creating an outline from the paper once it is written (partially or entirely). This method is quite useful before handing in any paper, regardless of whether or not you made an initial outline. If it is difficult to create a retro-outline that makes sense and is clearly organized, then your paper needs revision. Your new outline can help you by showing you where the organization has broken down.