Decimal research paper outlines are the most thorough but can get complicated. Your outline is not the first step in writing a research paper. Before that, you first need to choose a thesis and then gather primary and secondary sources to back it up. Your thesis is essentially what the research paper is about. Collect all the relevant sources and data early on so that you know what to write about. For help on how to cite your sources, use our free Citation Generator. Keep in mind that the outline is just one part of writing a research paper. If you want to read more advice, take a look at our full guide on how to write a research paper. Go through your research and note each topic, subtopic, and supporting point. Be sure to keep related information together.

Remember that everything you discuss in your paper should relate to your thesis, so omit anything that seems tangential. Simple papers only require simple outlines, but more advanced topics with lots of research can benefit from more detailed outlines. Likewise, consider the length and amount of topics. The decimal format can help organize long papers, but feel free to stick with alphanumeric if it makes you comfortable. Before actually writing the research paper outline, think long and hard about the order in which you present your topics. What is the most logical sequence? What structure would communicate most clearly to your readers, who may be unfamiliar with these topics? Keep in mind that some topics only make sense if they come after other topics.

Before presenting new findings or revelations, you may want to add background or contextual information first. All other factors being equal, a chronological sequence is often the most logical structure. Rather than writing your research paper outline entirely at once, start with just the framework. Try putting the main topics in order without yet including any subtopics or supporting points. Starting with the framework gives you a clear look at the backbone of your research paper. If you want to get meticulous, you can add a few notes about sentence structure. This is your last chance before you begin the first draft. Double-check that all your topics are presented in the optimal order for your reader. A research paper outline is a supporting document that defines the structure of a research paper.

The author creates the outline before the first draft to stay on track when writing. Research paper outlines are generally divided into sections, paragraphs, and individual sentences or points. Three popular formats for research paper outlines are alphanumeric , full sentence , and decimal. Support with evidence. Results i. Support with tables and figures ii. Mention appropriate descriptive statistics. Discussion i. Support the research with context ii. Support the research hypothesis iii. Compare the results with other investigations in field of research. Conclusion i. Support the discussion and research investigation ii. Support with literature studies. Acknowledgements i.

Identify and thank the contributors ii. Include the funding agency, if any. Download the Research Paper Outline Template! Have you tried writing a research paper outline? How did it work for you? Did it help you achieve your research paper writing goal? Do let us know about your experience in the comments below. Rate this article Cancel Reply. Role of an Abstract in Research Paper With Examples. How to Write a Research Paper in APA Format — A Complete Guide. Subscribe for free to get unrestricted access to all our resources on research writing and academic publishing including:. We hate spam too.

We promise to protect your privacy and never spam you. By Shrutika Sirisilla Aug 9, 5 mins read Listen. Rating: average: 5 out of 5. Table of Contents. Research Title 2. Abstract 3. Introduction A. Background i. Support with evidence ii. Support with existing literature studies B. Body A. Support with evidence B. Mention appropriate descriptive statistics C. Follow the formatting rules provided by your institution or publication to ensure that its formatting standards are followed as closely as possible. However, to logically structure your document, you need a proper APA paper outline format. You may ask: why is it necessary to create an outline for an APA research paper?

Detect plagiarism in your paper for free Check plagiarism in your text Check my paper. A path, direction, or an action plan! It may seem easy to write short essays without a layout, but not for 10, or more words. Yet, confusing a table of contents with an outline is a major issue. The table of contents is an orderly list of all front matter, primary, and back matter of the chapters. It includes sections and, often, figures in your work, labeled by page number. On the other hand, a research paper outline is a proper structure to follow. An outline is a formalized essay in which you give your own argument to support your point of view. And when you write your paper, you expand on what you already know about the topic.

Academic writing papers examine an area of expertise to get the latest and most accurate information to work on that topic. It serves various purposes, including:. This research paper outline example will guide you in formatting the layout for a clear direction to work on. It eliminates the inconsistency along with lacking proper substance in the paper. It would not be wrong to say that there is no standard format for writing an outline. The official publishing handbook does not give precise guidelines for preparing an outline.

But, it requires certain basic guidelines to follow when it comes to typeface, font size, structure, margins etc. Moreover, the final shape of your work relies on your instructor's specifications and your particular preferences for APA citation format. Though, it would be better to follow some standards for formatting your outline, for instance:. Times New Roman is a widely accessible standard typeface for an APA essay format in point font. However, serif and sans serif fonts like Arial and Georgia are acceptable in font size 11pt. The primary headlines use Roman and Arabic numerals to write an outline. While writing an APA essay, there are particular standards for utilizing headings in your outline:.

I - Main headings are numbered by Roman numerals like I, II, III, IV. A - Subheadings are numbered with Capital letters A, B, C, D. a - Below Arabic number subheadings, lower-case letters are used a, b, a. The structure to write an outline consists of three major sections:. Get help Reviews. An outline in APA has three common formats that vary in the numeric sequence of all. To make it easier for you, we have compiled all three templates. Using these examples, you can format your document for added coherence along with structure. The basic format usually has three main sections, including headings, subheadings, and further subheadings under them if necessary. They all have specific numeral representations.

If you are still not sure of how to write a research paper outline, here is an example of the basic format. Numbering the APA style format follows 5 levels of headings that use different alphabets and numbers. For instance,. I - Headings use roman numerals like I, II, and III. A - CAPITAL ALPHABETS", such as A, B, C, and so on. a - If there are further headings the fourth level , use lower-case alphabets. As the name specifies, the full-sentence style outline format requires every line to be a proper sentence. Full-sentence APA style outline is best recommended for essays and speeches. It gives your writing process an idea or a logical path to follow. If you are looking for how to write a research paper outline APA in Full Sentence Format, here is an example:.

For subheadings, you use capital alphabets A, B, C.

You are staring at the blank document, meaning to start writing your research paper. After months of experiments and procuring results, your PI asked you to write the paper to publish it in a reputed journal. Writing a research paper is a very common issue among researchers and is often looked upon as a time consuming hurdle. Researchers usually look up to this task as an impending threat, avoiding and procrastinating until they cannot delay it anymore. Seeking advice from internet and seniors they manage to write a paper which goes in for quite a few revisions. Making researchers lose their sense of understanding with respect to their research work and findings.

In this article, we would like to discuss how to create a structured research paper outline which will assist a researcher in writing their research paper effectively! Publication is an important component of research studies in a university for academic promotion and in obtaining funding to support research. However, the primary reason is to provide the data and hypotheses to scientific community to advance the understanding in a specific domain. A scientific paper is a formal record of a research process. It documents research protocols, methods, results, conclusion, and discussion from a research hypothesis.

A research paper outline is a basic format for writing an academic research paper. It follows the IMRAD format Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion. However, this format varies depending on the type of research manuscript. A research paper outline consists of following sections to simplify the paper for readers. These sections help researchers build an effective paper outline. The title page provides important information which helps the editors, reviewers, and readers identify the manuscript and the authors at a glance. It also provides an overview of the field of research the research paper belongs to.

The title should strike a balance between precise and detailed. are added to the title page. Abstract is the most important section of the manuscript and will help the researcher create a detailed research paper outline. Writing an abstract is a challenging task. Researchers can write an exemplary abstract by selecting the content carefully and being concise. An introduction is a background statement that provides the context and approach of the research. It describes the problem statement with the assistance of the literature study and elaborates the requirement to update the knowledge gap. It sets the research hypothesis and informs the readers about the big research question. This purpose provides complete information on methods used for the research.

Researchers should mention clear description of materials and their use in the research work. If the methods used in research are already published, give a brief account and refer to the original publication. However, if the method used is modified from the original method, then researcher should mention the modifications done to the original protocol and validate its accuracy, precision, and repeatability. It is best to report results as tables and figures wherever possible. Also, avoid duplication of text and ensure that the text summarizes the findings.

Report the results with appropriate descriptive statistics. Furthermore, report any unexpected events that could affect the research results, and mention complete account of observations and explanations for missing data if any. The discussion should set the research in context, strengthen its importance and support the research hypothesis. Summarize the main results of the study in one or two paragraphs and show how they logically fit in an overall scheme of studies. Compare the results with other investigations in the field of research and explain the differences. Acknowledgements identify and thank the contributors to the study, who are not under the criteria of co-authors.

It also includes the recognition of funding agency and universities that award scholarships or fellowships to researchers. Finally, declaring the competing interests is essential to abide by ethical norms of unique research publishing. Competing interests arise when the author has more than one role that may lead to a situation where there is a conflict of interest. As discussed, the research paper subheadings create an outline of what different aspects of research needs elaboration. This provides subtopics on which the researchers brainstorm and reach a conclusion to write. It not only helps the researcher to understand the flow of information but also provides relation between the ideas. A research paper outline helps researcher achieve a smooth transition between topics and ensures that no research point is forgotten.

Furthermore, it allows the reader to easily navigate through the research paper and provides a better understanding of the research. The paper outline allows the readers to find relevant information and quotes from different part of the paper. A research paper outline template can help you understand the concept of creating a well planned research paper before beginning to write and walk through your journey of research publishing. Thesis Statement i. Link literature with hypothesis ii. Support with evidence iii. Explain the knowledge gap and how this research will help build the gap 4. Methods i. Mention materials and protocols used in research ii.

Support with evidence. Results i. Support with tables and figures ii. Mention appropriate descriptive statistics. Discussion i. Support the research with context ii. Support the research hypothesis iii. Compare the results with other investigations in field of research. Conclusion i. Support the discussion and research investigation ii. Support with literature studies. Acknowledgements i. Identify and thank the contributors ii. Include the funding agency, if any. Download the Research Paper Outline Template! Have you tried writing a research paper outline? How did it work for you? Did it help you achieve your research paper writing goal? Do let us know about your experience in the comments below. Rate this article Cancel Reply.

Role of an Abstract in Research Paper With Examples. How to Write a Research Paper in APA Format — A Complete Guide. Subscribe for free to get unrestricted access to all our resources on research writing and academic publishing including:. We hate spam too. We promise to protect your privacy and never spam you. By Shrutika Sirisilla Aug 9, 5 mins read Listen. Rating: average: 5 out of 5. Table of Contents. Research Title 2. Abstract 3. Introduction A. Background i. Support with evidence ii. Support with existing literature studies B. Body A. Support with evidence B.

Mention appropriate descriptive statistics C. Compare the results with other investigations in field of research D. Support with literature studies E. Include the funding agency, if any F. Declaration of Competing Interests 5. Anonymous says 5 months ago. Rate this article. Enago Academy's Most Popular. Effect — Which One to Use When?

This is your last chance before you begin the first draft. A research paper outline template can help you understand the concept of creating a well planned research paper before beginning to write and walk through your journey of research publishing. If you are looking for how to write a research paper outline APA in Full Sentence Format, here is an example:. It uses capitalized letters, Roman numerals, Arabic numerals, and lowercase letters to organize the flow of ideas. Discussion section of a research paper.

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