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Step 1: Creating a rough outline

- It begins with your research question.

- It identifies the focus of the research question.

- It lists several categories of answers to your research question. Those categories of answers SHOULD come from your reading sources. Thus, when reading your sources, you should do A FOCUSED REDDING of your sources about your focus of research question. Here one very important tip is while reading, take your notes, as the notes will guide you to create your outline.

Example: Rough Outline Research Question: Why do people become addicted to alcohol? Focus of Research Question: Causes Thesis Statement: Three are three primary causes of alcohol addiction. Answers to Research Question: 1. Emotional distress 2. Social pressure 3. Genetic predisposition

Let’s Practice!

(a) Now take out your notebook. As a first step, go back to your working references list and read those sources with the goal of finding answers for your research question. It’s a great idea to take any notes while reading.

(b) Create a rough outline (like the box above) for your paper that includes your research question, focus of research question, thesis statement, and a list of potential supporting points (answers to your research question) from your sources and notes.

Step 2: Expanding your rough outline with evidence

When we use information from sources to explain the main points in body paragraphs, we call that information “evidence.” In other words, your source materials are the places where you will find evidences to answer your research question. However, it’s likely that only some of that information will work as evidence in your paper. You need to decide which information to use as evidence. Your paper will be more convincing if you use the following guidelines when choosing evidence.

Guideline 1: Choose information that you understand easily and can explain clearly.

Think about whether you understand each idea well enough to explain it in your own words. If you don’t understand the information, you won’t be able to write about it clearly, and it will better to omit it.

Guideline 2: Choose ideas that are DIRECTLY and SPECIFICALLY related to the point you are making.

Sometimes it’s tempting to include interesting details that are related to your topic in a general way but don’t help to explain your specific supporting points.

Guideline 3: Choose a variety of types of evidence

Writers can support their ideas with several kinds of information. The following are there common types of evidence that you may find as you look through your sources.

(a) Einstein Evidence

Einstein evidence shows that other scholars or thinkers on the topic have come to the same conclusions as you have. When using this kind of evidence, provide as much information as you can about the expert. For example, you might include where you found the information, the research the expert has done, or the university where he or she works.

It has been argued that the reason why some terminally ill patients wish to commit suicide is that they are depressed. Patients suffering from terminal illness might tend to feel negative and hopeless. Edward Marlough, an associate professor of clinical psychology at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center in New York, argues that in many cases, a dying patient is simply occupied by negative reactions to their critical condition (“When Patients Want to Die,” 1999).

(b) Example Evidence

Example evidence consists of specific examples that illustrate the point you are making.

The direct and independent connections through the Internet create new relationships among people, relationships that can change the new way we think and act. To illustrate this point of view, Brian Belsie, in this article “The Electronic Village” (n.d.) showed how a large number of people living in widely separated areas could form a community simply through electronic communication; in this case, the parents of children who suffered from a certain kind of psychological problem formed an online support group.

(c) Fact Evidence

Fact evidence includes statistics and other objective information. As you read your sources, you may find specific facts that you can use to demonstrate the point you are making.

First of all, many people become vegetarians to maintain good health. Vegetarianism can prevent people from getting diseases. Castleman (1995) writes that many studies prove that meat, especially beef, pork, and lamb, likely increase the percentages of heart disease and cancer. In this article, he points out that the rate of vegetarians who die from these diseases is definitely lower than the rate of meat eaters. For example, 28 percent fewer vegetarians than omnivores die from heart disease, and 39 percent fewer die from cancer. The National Cancer Research found that meat-eating women get breast cancer almost four times more often than women who do not eat meat or eat only a little. (“Why Be a Vegetarian?” 1999).

(d) Undocumented Evidence

Another kind of evidence, called undocumented evidence, comes not from written sources, but from your experiences and things that you know or that are commonly understood to be true. In academic writing, most evidence is from documented sources, but anecdotal or undocumented evidence can be an effective addition to your paper.

Let’s Practice!

Based on the rough outline, create a list of evidence for your answers to your research question.

· As you search for potential evidence in your sources, remember to choose information that you understand and can explain and that is directly related to the points you want to make.

· Try to choose a variety of types of information.

Step 3: Creating a detailed outline

- It begins with your thesis statement.

- It includes a phrase to explain each supporting point.

- It includes a notation of where you will use each piece of supporting evidence.

Example of a detailed outline

In this outline, the notations, such as Markoff, p. 1 and NPR, p. 14 refer to the sources the writer plans to use. The note “personal “ in parentheses reminds the writer she will use a personal anecdote, a kind of undocumented evidence. The note “summarizing article” means that the writer will use a brief summary of this whole article as evidence here, rather than just paraphrasing a sentence or two. Notes like these help make your outline more effective by reminding you in detail how you plan to use your notes.

I. Thesis Statement: Compared with other interventions, the Internet has changed our styles of communication and led to more freedom for individuals.

II. Comparison with other interventions

A. TV

My friends and I often discus TV (personal example)

B. Phone

My family used to use the phone to keep in touch (personal example)

III. Styles of communication

A. Less time than with old methods of communicating

1. Less time with people

a. Markoff, p. 1 (evidence from source)

b. My family uses phone less (personal example)

2. Less time with TV

a. Markoff, p. 2 (evidence from source)

B. New ways of communicating

1. Chat rooms

a. NPR, p. 14 (evidence from source)

b. My experience in chat rooms (personal example)

2. Helps with some jobs

a. NPR, p. 6 (evidence from source)

b. Economist, p. 2 (evidence from source)

IV. More freedom for individuals

A. Ordinal people have opportunities

1. Romero (summarize whole article)

B. More democracy

2. Economist, p. 1 (evidence from source)

Let’s Practice!

Create a more detailed plan for your paper. In this outline, include the following:

(a) Your thesis statement

(b) A phrase that explains each supporting point

(c) A plan for where you will use each piece of evidence