A lot of students may relate and understand this kind of situation. You have done your research and have done all that is being asked of you from your professor. However, you forgot that there is a format or an outline that had to be followed. In the end, you noticed the outline you made was different and had to do it again. This is a scary mistake. A lot of students would understand how a simple mistake could cost you your time and effort. This is why having a research outline to help you would not only make it easier for you to write your research paper down, but would also help you rearrange your thoughts and ideas as well as the information you have to use for your research topic. Many students can actually agree that making a research outline first before doing your research paper is helpful as well as necessary. If you wish to know why this is necessary and very useful, you should check out these 10+ research outline examples right now. Not only will you be very successful in writing that research paper, but you will also be glad to have found this in time for research papers to be passed or published.

10+ Research Outline Examples

1. Research Outline Template

2. Sample Research Paper Outline

3. Research Essay Outline

4. Research Project Outline

5. Outline of Research Protocol Template

6. Structural Outline of a Research Proposal

7. Action Research Outline

8. Scholars Research Institute Outline

9. Printable Research Outline

10. Planet Research Project Outline

11. Standard Research Outline Format

What Is a Research Outline?

To make this research outline definition more simple, imagine a spinal cord or a spinal column in a person’s body. Each piece of spinal column has its own use and has its own purpose to support standing. For a person to be able to stand up in a right way or for them to be able to lean straight. Without this, a person of course has no support for its body. The same goes for a research outline. This is basically what a research outline does. It gives the person support to be able to do their research paper properly. A research outline is a summary of what you plan to write about. It is used as a way to organize your thoughts and ideas for research. The purpose of this research outline is to help your research be able to stand on its own. To be able to help by rearranging and making it less chaotic when you are about to explain it. So when a research outline comes to your mind, think of the use and think of the purpose it has for your research.

How to Write a Research Outline?

Now that we know what a research outline is, and the purpose of a research outline, it is best to know how to write one as well. You mean that there is a way? Yes there is a way to write your very own research outline. Simply by following these simple steps to get there.

1. Place the Title of Your Research

Where do you think the title of your research should be placed? This is often the most asked question when making your research outline. Some outlines would make you write your title in the middle while others would make you write it in the left corner of your document. For a formal kind of research outline, it is always expected that the title of your research be found in the center or in the middle of the paper.

2. Add Your Statement After the Title

The next thing after the title of your research would be the statement. This is found below the title. This is merely a simple one to three sentences maximum. This statement is to explain what your research is simply about. So it does not have to be too long nor too short.

3. Add Numerals for Major Key Points

Rather than just placing the major key points of your research as is, it is always better, cleaner and clearer if you placed Roman Numerals before the major key points. Not only is this the norm, it is also to help you see that the reasons they are placed there is because they are important. If it is a minor key point, you may place them below in letters.

4. Minor Key Points Are Found Below

Just as mentioned above for major key points, when you want to write minor key points, you must place them below each major key point. Avoid writing them in the same place as you would write your major key points. Not only will it be confusing to you, it would also literally turn your outline into a huge chaotic outline. Which is not supposed to be that. Minor key points below the major key points. Minor key points are placed with letters and not numerals. Numerals are mostly used for the major key points.

5. Divide and Subdivide Your Major and Minor Key Points

For how long you plan to write your outline down, everything in the outline must follow the same format. This means that when you divide your major key points, you write them down in the same format as above. If you started with Roman Numerals say I, II, III, continue with it until you are certain that you’re done. The same goes for your minor key points. If your minor key points have their own sub key points or you simply want to add some notes for your sub key points, you may simply put the information below. However this would be alphanumeric before the notes.

FAQs

It goes without saying, when you plan to write a research paper, it could either get very chaotic or very taxing and tiring. The worst case that could happen is when you finally have all your ideas in order but you have nowhere to remember where you found them. This is why a research outline is a useful tool to have. By using this tool, you need not worry about having to highlight back all the information or to summarize things up. You can simply add the major key points in one place and the minor ones in another place.