Research Preliminary and Outline
Outline and Preliminary Thesis Statement
Type it up and submit it to PAWS
Preliminary Title:____________________________________________________________________________________
Subject:
Direction or Focus:
I. INTRODUCTORY PARAGRAPH:
General Statement or Hook:
Transition:
Preliminary Thesis Sentence:
Major Divisions of Essay:
A:
B:
C:
II. BODY PARAGRAPH 1: Topic A
Transition:
Topic Sentence:
Supporting Details:
Detail 1:
Detail 2:
Detail 3:
Source 1: _____________________________________________________________________________
Source 2: _____________________________________________________________________________
Conclusion/Transition:
III. BODY PARAGRAPH 2: Topic B
Transition:
Topic Sentence:
Supporting Details:
Detail 1:
Detail 2:
Detail 3:
Source 1: _____________________________________________________________________________
Source 2: _____________________________________________________________________________
Conclusion/Transition:
IV. BODY PARAGRAPH 3: Topic C
Transition:
Topic Sentence:
Supporting Details:
Detail 1:
Detail 2:
Detail 3:
Source 1: _____________________________________________________________________________
Source 2: _____________________________________________________________________________
Conclusion/Transition:
V. BODY PARAGRAPH 3: Topic D
Transition:
Topic Sentence:
Supporting Details:
Detail 1:
Detail 2:
Detail 3:
Source 1: _____________________________________________________________________________
Source 2: _____________________________________________________________________________
Conclusion/Transition:
VI. BODY PARAGRAPH 3: Topic E
Transition:
Topic Sentence:
Supporting Details:
Detail 1:
Detail 2:
Detail 3:
Source 1: _____________________________________________________________________________
Source 2: _____________________________________________________________________________
Conclusion/Transition:
VII. CONCLUDING PARAGRAPH
Restatement/Reinforcement of Thesis
Closing Device
Research Paper Organization
One sign of a paper that is not sufficiently developed is that it is organized by source rather than by the author's main ideas:
Introduction
First Source
Second Source
Third Source
Fourth Source
A well-developed research paper is organized point by point.
It is focused on your thesis.
It uses parts of the sources to support parts of the thesis.
It uses multiple sources in a single section, because it is drawing ideas and information from various places to support an original idea.
The same sources will be cited repeatedly in different sections
A good rule of thumb: Most paragraphs in the research paper should cite more than one source. If your paper typically cites only one source per paragraph, that’s a sign that the paper should be re-organized.
I. Introduction
The introduction should have some of the following elements, depending on the type of paper:
