Outline Types for Research Papers

Outline Types for Research Papers Outline Types for Research Papers Your first step when writing a research paper is the outline. It helps you arrange your thoughts and keeps ideas coherent. Whether the paper is meant to be a lengthy discussion or a short presentation, an outline is a useful guide for the writer. There is no single, correct way to write an outline. The best outline is one you’re comfortable creating and is appropriate for the assignment. Here are some types of outlines for research papers: Informal Outline Starting with an informal outline will help you concentrate and list your thoughts. You’ll discover which points you’d like to emphasize, the details you lack, and how you’d like the paper to look. The informal outline consists mainly of words or phrases, with only bullets or numbers as a format. This kind of outline is especially handy when you’re pressed for time and need to draft something quickly. Formal Outline When writing a more formal or longer paper, or when you have more time to prepare the work, constructing a formal outline is a good idea. You can begin with an informal outline and transform it later With a formal outline, a specific format must be followed. Roman numerals, letters and numbers are used to organize the ideas. The phrase or sentence structure of the main points and supporting points must be the same. Both formal and informal outlines can be further expanded to form topic or sentence outlines: Topic Outline In a topic outline, your ideas and explanations are sorted and distributed into different parts. Each part focuses on a certain topic (written in phrase form), and enumerates the details below. The usual format for topic outlines is Roman numerals for the main points, capital letters for the topics under each main point, and numbers for those under the sub-topics. Sentence Outline The sentence outline presents (in sentence form) the proofs supporting your thesis statement. The summary of the entire research paper is embodied in the sentences of this outline. The main points are labelled with Roman numerals, the supporting points for each labelled with capital letters, and details for each supporting point labelled with numbers. Reverse Outline While formal and informal outlines are created before the actual writing of the paper, the reverse outline is developed when you’re done with an initial draft. It can be used to check: If the draft accomplishes its purpose If all key elements are present If the order of ideas makes sense To create a reverse outline, determine the main idea of each of your paragraphs. When combined, they should form the summary of your thesis statement. Following an outline helps you keep ideas clear and that you don’t neglect any important information. There can be instances when you need to make changes or add to your outline, but your main points should remain the same. If you need assistance drafting any research papers, in Ontario and Canada is available for your academic needs. Our team is committed to helping you compose, proofread, and edit your essays.

Careful Writers Make Good Bedfellows (or at Least Good Housemates)

Careful Writers Make Good Bedfellows (or at Least Good Housemates) Careful Writers Make Good Bedfellows (or at Least Good Housemates) Careful Writers Make Good Bedfellows (or at Least Good Housemates) By Mark Nichol I was interested to read about a recent University of Michigan study that concluded that people who are highly judgmental about writing errors tend to be more introverted and have less pleasant personalities than those who are more forgiving about people’s flawed writing skills. The tools of the study were a questionnaire that, when answered by research subjects, enabled researchers to identify the people as introverted or extroverted and to rate them as having easygoing or difficult personalities, along with a set of fake responses to housemate ads. The study concluded that introverts and difficult people were less likely to respond to people who had sent error-ridden replies than extroverts and people with more appealing personalities. Overall, both introverts and difficult people were more likely than extroverts and people who rated higher on healthy personality qualities to be judgmental about errors. However, the study made a distinction between two types of writing errors: typos, or typographical errors (such as typing mkae instead of make), and grammos, or grammatical errors (such as confusing your and you’re). The study did not pertain to more substantial errors of grammar and syntax such as dangling or misplaced modifiers (or to usage or style errors), but it found that typos were more likely to irk those whose questionnaire responses identified them as introverts, while people determined to have negative personality traits tended to be bothered more by grammos. Would you be less likely to respond to an email by a prospective housemate whose message was full of errors? I certainly would, which apparently identifies me as an introverted jerk- or as an editor, which is perhaps the same thing. Why? Because typographical errors indicate carelessness (I make them, too, but I generally identify and correct them before I publish), and I don’t want a careless housemate. I am more forgiving of grammatical errors, because I know that writing skill does not necessarily correlate with intelligence, though I would be concerned about a lack of compatibility with someone who does not know the difference between your and you’re. Careful writing is important in business communication, and a response to a housemate ad is, in one respect, a business communication, because it involves financial transactions (sharing the costs of rent, utilities, and at least some household supplies). A potential housemate who does not bother to run spell-check before sending me an email is failing to demonstrate diligence. And though I strive not to let grammatical errors annoy me (otherwise, I would have to forgo reading for leisure), I can’t help judging those who do not exercise care in writing. If you bother to write a job application carefully or to proofread an email before you send it to a colleague, you are likely careful about your correspondence when you seek to be chosen as a housemate (which is, in a sense, like being hired). Whether you choose to be diligent when sending a text message or an email to a friend or posting to social media is up to you (though I assume subscribers to these posts are more likely than the general population to do so). My role as an editor is to help a writer communicate. Communication is, of course, also the writer’s key objective, whether one is writing a book or an email message. The same degree of diligence is not required for one as for another, but demonstrating some level of effort to clearly convey one’s message, regardless of the message, is one’s primary duty as a writer. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the General category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:60 Synonyms for â€Å"Walk†7 Patterns of Sentence Structure