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 World 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. Hawthorne calls the story “a hell-fired story”.

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

1. Hester’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 “violates 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. escape.

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

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. life.

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

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 themselves.

(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

B. The Cultural Revolution period is another period when confucious’ teaching principles ceased to work.

IV. The applicability of Confucious’ teaching method to China’s education today

A. Analyze problems in education

1. Feeding students with knowledge

2. Teaching students in the same way without discrimination

3. The root of problems

B. The applicability of Confucious’ teaching methods

1. Teachers at present should learn to help students cultivate the habit of learning in an active way.

2. Giving students opportunities to practice what they have learned

3. It is always important to improve the ways of teaching so as to arouse students’ interest.

4. Increasing elective courses to meet students’ different interests

5. More technical and vocational schools need to be set up for students so that the students can have different capacities.

V. Conclusion

2

Title: The Differences of Taboos between English and Chinese Cultures

Thesis:

Audience:

Outline:

I. A brief introduction to taboos

A. The origin of taboos

B. The different cultural background concerning taboos between Chinese and English

II. Two aspects of taboos affecting the cross-cultural communication

A. Custom taboos

1. Taboos on social contact

2. Taboos on food and drink

3. Taboos on privacy

B. Verbal taboos

1. Taboos on figures

2. Taboos on diseases and death

3. Taboos on addressing

4. Taboos on profanities and vulgarities

III. Ways to avoid the cultural conflicts in taboo’s respect

A. Figuring out the problems of the different taboos

B. Using euphemism

C. Having a good knowledge of taboo culture

Conclusion

A. The importance of taboos in our cross-cultural communication

B. The needed attention of the understanding of taboos of different cultures

5. A Topic Outline Sample

Jan Eyre: A Woman in Defiance of Brute Forces

Thesis statement:

Jane Eyre overcomes many obstacles and shows that it is possible for a woman in the nineteenth century to achieve independence and success on her own, no matter what odds are against her.

I. The first obstacle: her family background

A. A poor individual within a wealthy environment

1. At Gateshead

2. At Lowood School

3. At Thornfield

B. Two means to overcome her family background

1. Distance

2. Chance

II. The most prominent obstacle: male power

A. A subtle way in bridging over the gender gap

B. Jane’s biggest triumph over male power

III. The constant obstacle: oppression

A. The stereotype upon Jane

B. Jane’s struggle against the oppression

IV. The obstacle that perfects Jane: death

A. A series of death in Jane’s life

B. A world of death and love

6. A Sentence Outline Sample

Thesis Statement

1.The first obstacle that Jane comes across is her family background.

1.1 Jane is constantly a poor individual within a wealthy environment.

1.1.1 At Gateshead she is despised by her aunt Reed and her cousins John, Eliza, and Georgiana

1.1.2 At Lowood School she is further made aware of all that she lacks.

1.1.3 At Thornfield, her poverty creates numerous problems for her.

1.2 Jane is able to overcome her family background by two means.

1.2.1 She leaves Gateshead for Lowood and returns with victory.

1.2.2 She triumphs over her poverty by chance.

2. The most prominent obstacle Jane faces is male power.

2.1 Jane bridges over the gender gap in a subtle way.

2.2 Jane’s triumph over male power is her biggest one of all.

3. A constant obstacle that remains throughout Jane’s life is oppression.

3.1 The stereotype imposes oppression upon Jane.

3.2 Jane struggles against the oppression.

4. Death is an important obstacle that perfects Jane.

4.1 A series of death makes Jane become independent and successful.

4.2 Jane faces a world of death and love.

7. Typical errors in students’ outline writing

1. Wrong outline symbols

一. 二. 三. ….

2. Unbalanced entries

(coordination, subordination)

3. A mixture of outline symbols or forms

4. Entries beginning by verbs

5. Wrong division

e.g. I. ……

II. ……

A. ……

1. ……

B. ……

6. Capitalized letters

7. The thesis statement: not a single sentence

.