Writing the Outline of the Research Paper

Writing the Outline of the Research Paper

1. What is an outline?

An outline is a working and orderly plan that classifies the segments of the research and

the ideas of the researcher into very clear and logical categories, and a vitally important step

to the discovery of what needs to be expressed in the paper.

A Working Outline and a Final Outline

A

working

outline

might

be

only

an

informal

list

of

topics

and

subtopic

which

you

are

thinking of covering in your paper.

A final outline should enhance the organization and coherence of your research paper.

2. Types of Outline Symbols

1) The standard outline symbols

2) The decimal outline symbols

3. Types of Outlines

Topic Outline, Sentence Outline and Paragraph Outline

A standard sentence outline sample

Hawthorne’s Conflicting Views on the Wor

ld in

the Scarlet Letter

Thesis

Statement:

Hawthorne’s

The

Scarlet

Letter

reflects

his

conflicting

views

on

the

world and demonstrates that he is both a critic and an heir of Puritanism.

Audience:

Current college and university students

Outline:

I.

The Scarlet Letter

tells a story about sin and pain.

A.

The Scarlet Letter

is not a story of adultery, but of sin and its effects.

1.

The main characters in the story are all sinners.

2.

Hawt

horne calls the story “a hell

-

fired story”.

B.

The three sinners all suffer greatly and fail to escape their doomed fate.

1.

Hes

ter’s miserable life is the penalty for her sin.

2.

Demmesdale’s living death is the punishment for his sin.

3.

Chillingworth changes into a devil.

II. Hawthorne holds different attitudes towards the three sinners.

A.

Hester, presented as a heroine,

wins Hawthorne’s sympathy and admiration.

1.

Hester is presented as a beautiful, brave and loyal woman

2.

Hester is presented as a kind, able and sympathetic woman.

3.

Hester wins a new sense of life and freedom.

4.

Hester is linked to the human race by her daughter Pearl.

B.

Dimmesdale is presented as a coward and a hypocrite as well as a victim.

1.

Dimmesdale is a coward and a hypocrite.

2.

Dimmesdale is a victim.

3.

Dimmesdale is greatly different from Hester.

C.

Chillingworth is presented as a devil and the worst sinner.

1.

Chillingworth is rich in knowledge but poor in sympathy.

2.

Chillingworth “v

iolates in

cold blood the sanctity of a human heart.”

III. Hawthorne is both an heir and a critic of Puritanism.

A.

The blackness thrown into the story shows Howthorne’s Puritan

belief.

1.

The seventeenth century Puritan society is the background of the society.

2.

Hawthorne makes everyone in the story a sinner and leaves them no way of

escape.

3.

The only right way of self-

discovery lies in the realization of one’s sinfulness

and being true.

B.

Hawthorne’s

views

on

the

three

sinners

demonstrates

that

he

is

a

critic

of

Puritanism.

1.

The Puritan society is cruel and cold in excommunicating Hester.

2.

The Puritan society is corrupted and inharmonious.

3.

Hawthorne challenged the Puritan society through Hester’s new sense of life.

4. Stylistic Theory of Outlining

An outline has a balanced structure based on the following stylistic theories:

1) Parallelism

Whenever possible, in writing an outline, coordinate heads should be expressed in

parallel form.

2) Coordination

In outlining, those items which are of equal significance have comparable numeral

or letter designation: an “A.”

is equal to a “B.”, a “1.”to “2.”, a “a.” to a “b.”

Coordinate

should

be

seen

as

having

the

same

value.

Coordination

is

a

principle

that enables a writer to maintain a coherent document.

3) Subordination

The uses of major and minor headings

4) Division

To divide you always need at least two parts; therefore, there can never be an “A.”

without a “B.”, a “1.” without “2.”, a “a.” without a “b.

,

etc.

Exercise: The following outlines have some faults and defects in them. Try to find out and

correct all of them.

1

Title:

Confucius’Main Teaching Methods and Their Applicability to China’s Education Today

Thesis:

Confucius’

elicitation method of teaching and that of teaching students in accordance with

their attitude are still applicable to China

’s education today.

Outline:

I. A brief introduction

A.

Confucius as a great philosopher and statesman

B.

A great educator

II

. Confucius’ two teaching methods

A.

The elicitation method

(1)

Fostering the student’s ability to learn by th

emselves.

(2)

In his normal day teaching, he put great emphasis on the teacher’s role in giving the

student guidance.

B.

The method of “teaching student in accordance with their aptitude”.

III

. Causes of the discontinuance of Confucious’ teaching

methods in modern China

A.

The May Fourth era