One of the important steps in crafting a term paper is outlining. With a strong research paper outline, it’ll be significantly easier for you to compose the text of your academic work. The step of outlining involves dividing your paper into several chapters and indicating what you’re going to include in them. The majority of academic term papers should have a similar structure. If you learn the basics about the chapters that you should have, you’ll be able to make a lot of good outlines. 

Components of a Research or Term Paper Outline

• The introduction.

The first chapter should present your topic and make the readers understand why you’ve chosen to study it. Also, it should clearly indicate the exact questions that your study should provide the answers to and interpret the main keywords that will be used in your paper. 

• The literature survey.

In this chapter, you should familiarize the reader with the theories and previous studies that have influenced your own work the most. Divide the sources into several groups depending on schools of thought that they follow. 

• The methods description.

Here, you should explain to your readers what strategy you’ve selected for your study and indicate its advantages over other methodologies. Then, it’s important to thoroughly describe each activity that has been performed to answer the main questions of your study.

• The results presentation.

Now, you can demonstrate the outcomes of your work. Based on the presented findings, you should answer the questions raised in the introduction. Then, you should discuss the significance of the data you’ve found. 

• The conclusion.

In the last chapter, you should provide a summary of the points presented in the paper. Also, you should offer a few suggestions for the readers and other students in which they can continue the study of your topic. 

Getting Assistance with Crafting a Paper Outline

If you aren’t sure whether you’ve created a decent outline, you may demonstrate it to your advisor. Having examined it, they’ll indicate whether it has any weak spots. If it does, your advisor will show you how to make them better and avoid similar errors when creating outlines for other papers. 

Now that you have a clear idea about the main components that the body of your research paper should consist of, it’ll be easier for you to make a good outline for it. Make sure to carry out your study before you start the process of outlining, however. Otherwise, you might have to change your outline several times.