Research 8
  Developing an Outline

Follow these steps to develop an outline which shows how you plan to structure your paper:

• Decide what types of information you would like to include in your research paper.  Consider your current knowledge of the subject and browse through the sources you have found thus far for additional ideas.  Determine the sub-topics or main ideas that you wish to explore.  Remember that what you decide to include should ultimately support your thesis.

• Think about how you will structure your information so that it flows.  You may wish to create a mind map or use a graphic organizer for this part of the process.  Do your sub-topics or main ideas fall into any natural or logical groupings?   Think of a word or short phrase that best describes each group.  These will likely be the major section headings on your outline (II, III, IV, etc). 

• Next, think of several supporting ideas related to each  main idea.  These will make up the A, B, Cs that will be listed below each Roman Numeral on your outline.  Remember, that there must be at least two supporting ideas (A&B) for each section.   If you feel it is necessary, you may break supporting ideas into smaller sub-sections utilizing numbers 1, 2, 3, etc..  If doing so, however, make sure each breaks into at least two smaller sub-sections.

• Your first section must be an introduction and your final Roman Numeral must be a conclusion.

• Finally, type your outline according to MLA style.  Refer to example below and/or the sample outline provided in your MLA Guide.  Be sure your thesis statement is clearly indicated on the top of your outline.