Research Paper Outline

Understanding Text
Structures
What is a text structure?
A “structure” is a
building or framework
“Text structure” refers

to how a piece of text
is built
Builders can use

different kinds of
structures to build
different things
A skyscraper, for
example, is a different
kind of structure from
a house
Writers use different

structures to build their
ideas
Each text structure
communicates ideas in
a different way
Chronological order
Authors use
chronological order to
explain how things
happen in order
Chronological order is
also called sequence or
time order
Chronological order
You will know that

you are reading a text
in chronological order
because you will see
words like first, next,
later, then, and finally
Chronological order
You will often see chronological order in directions:

Have you ever made macaroni and cheese? It’s simple!
First, boil some water and make some macaroni. Then,
make your cheese sauce. After the cheese sauce is
ready, mix it with the macaroni. Bake the entire thing
in the oven. Finally, it’s time to eat!
Chronological order
You will often see chronological order in directions:

Have you ever made macaroni and cheese? It’s simple!
First, boil some water and make some macaroni. Then,
make your cheese sauce. After the cheese sauce is
ready, mix it with the macaroni. Bake the entire thing
in the oven. Finally, it’s time to eat!
Which paragraph is in chronological order?
Pennsylvania has many Through the ages,

historic sites. You can visit Pennsylvania has seen many
Revolutionary war sites, interesting events. The state was
like Valley Forge. You can founded in 1681 by William
also visit important Penn. Later, Pennsylvania was
locations from the Civil the site of important
Revolutionary War battles. After
War, like Gettysburg. that, Pennsylvania was home to
Finally, you can also see new factories during the
the site of the first oil well Industrial Revolution. Today,
in Titusville. Pennsylvania Pennsylvania continues to make
has many neat places to history.
visit!
Through the ages,

Pennsylvania has seen many
This is the interesting events. The state was
paragraph in founded in 1681 by William
chronological Penn. Later, Pennsylvania was the
site of important Revolutionary
order. Can you find War battles. After that,
the clue words that Pennsylvania was home to new
show this order? factories during the Industrial
Revolution. Today, Pennsylvania
continues to make history.
Through the ages,

This is the Pennsylvania has seen many
paragraph in interesting events. The state was
chronological founded in 1681 by William Penn.
order. Can you find Later, Pennsylvania was the site of
important Revolutionary War
the clue words that battles. After that, Pennsylvania
show this order? was home to new factories during
the Industrial Revolution. Today,
Pennsylvania continues to make
history.
Think about it!
What is a structure?
What does chronological order mean?
What are some clue words that show
chronological order?
Another text structure
But what if an author

doesn’t want to show
how something
happened in sequence?
The author would need
to use another text
structure!
Suppose an author wanted

to explain how these two
birds are similar and
different
Chronological order
wouldn’t work---there is no
order of events
The author would need to
use compare and contrast
The cardinal and the cedar waxwing

are two common birds. Both have crests
on their heads. Both are common at
birdfeeders. But the birds have some
differences. The male cardinal is a bright
red, while the waxwing is brown. The
cedar waxwing often migrates from place
to place. On the other hand, the cardinal
stays in one place year after year.
Compare and contrast clue words
When authors use the text

structure of compare and
contrast, they often use special
clue words to show this text
structure.
Can you find the clue words in

the paragraph?
Can you find the clue words?
The cardinal and the cedar waxwing are

two common birds. Both have crests on
their heads. Both are common at
red, while the waxwing is brown. The
cedar waxwing often migrates from place
to place. On the other hand, the cardinal
stays in one place year after year.
Here they are!
The cardinal and the cedar waxwing are

two common birds. Both have crests on
their heads. Both are common at
red, while the waxwing is brown. The cedar
waxwing often migrates from place to place.
On the other hand, the cardinal stays in
one place year after year.
Compare and contrast graphic organizer
To organize details

from a paragraph in
compare and
contrast, use a Venn
diagram
Review
Can you explain the difference between

chronological order and compare and contrast?
How can clue words help you as a reader?
Sometimes, a writer will want to explain

how one event leads to another
This kind of text structure is called cause
and effect
Cause and effect clue words
When authors write

paragraphs to show causes
and effects, they use
words like cause, effect,
as a result, consequently,
and so
The night’s snowstorm had many effects.

People were out shoveling snow from their
sidewalks. The power lines were draped with
ice. Snow plows drove down every street.
Children were the happiest of all. The
unexpected snow caused school to be cancelled!
The night’s snowstorm had many effects. People were out shoveling snow
from their sidewalks. The power lines were draped with ice. Snow plows
drove down every street. Children were the happiest of all. The unexpected
snow caused school to be cancelled!
More with cause and effect
Baby painted turtles spend all winter in their

nests. They have special chemicals in their blood
that can keep their blood from freezing. As a
result, baby painted turtles can survive freezing
temperatures!
Baby painted turtles spend all winter in their nests. They

have special chemicals in their blood that can keep their
blood from freezing. As a result, baby painted turtles can
survive freezing temperatures!
This is the
cause
Baby painted turtles spend all winter in their nests. They have special
chemicals in their blood that can keep their blood from freezing. As a
result, baby painted turtles can survive freezing temperatures!
This is the
effect
Review
Which text structure tells about how things are similar and
different?
 Compare and contrast
Which text structure explains how things happen in time order?
 Chronological order
Another kind of text structure
Sometimes, an author
will want to explain a
problem, and then show
one or more solutions
This kind of text
structure is called
problem and solution
An example of problem and solution
Park School had a terrible

problem. Every day at recess,
students would argue over the
slides. Teachers had to spend
time every day taking care of
the arguments. Finally, one
teacher came up with a great
solution. They bought another
set of slides that everyone
could enjoy.

problem. Every day at
recess, students would argue Can you find the
over the slides. Teachers had
to spend time every day problem and the
taking care of the arguments.
Finally, one teacher came up solution in this
with a great solution. They paragraph?
bought another set of slides
that everyone could enjoy.

problem. Every day at recess, Here is the
students would argue over the problem
slides. Teachers had to spend time
every day taking care of the
arguments. Finally, one teacher
came up with a great solution.
They bought another set of slides
that everyone could enjoy.

problem. Every day at
recess, students would
argue over the slides. Here is the
Teachers had to spend time problem
every day taking care of the
arguments. Finally, one
teacher came up with a great
solution. They bought
another set of slides that Here is the
everyone could enjoy. solution
Of course, problem and solution is not always so simple
Often, authors will

signal problem and
solution structure with
clue words like
problem and solution,
just like in the last
paragraph
Sometimes, authors
will use related words
Of course, problem and solution is not always so simple
Synonyms for problem

include difficulty,
struggle, uncertainty,
worry, threat, and
trouble
Synonyms for solution
include possibility,
hope, bright spot,
answer, and future
A more difficult problem and solution paragraph
The Chesapeake Bay faces an

uncertain future. Issues such as
pesticides, too many nutrients, and
habitat loss all threaten the Bay’s
water quality and animal life.
However, scientists are hopeful that
the future may be brighter. If
everyone in the Chesapeake Bay
watershed works together, solutions
may be found.
A more difficult problem and solution
paragraph
What is the pesticides, too many nutrients, and
habitat loss all threaten the Bay’s
problem? water quality and animal life.
However, scientists are hopeful that
What is the the future may be brighter. If
everyone in the Chesapeake Bay
solution? watershed works together, solutions
may be found.
A more difficult problem and solution
paragraph
pesticides, too many nutrients,
Problem and habitat loss all threaten the
Bay’s water quality and animal
life. However, scientists are
hopeful that the future may be
brighter. If everyone in the
Chesapeake Bay watershed
works together, solutions may
Solution be found.
Text structures we’ve learned so far
Chronological order
Compare and contrast
Cause and effect
Problem and solution
Match the clue words!
Can you figure out the text structure that these clue
words point to?
however, on the other

hand, similarity, like,
unlike
Compare and
contrast
words point to?
as a result,
consequently, Cause and effect
therefore, so, cause,
effect
words point to?
problem, solution,
threat, difficulty, hope,
answer, possibility
Problem and
solution
Are there any other text structures?
Most paragraphs that we write in school can be called main

idea, description, or statement and support paragraphs
Main idea paragraphs
In this kind of

paragraph, the author
offers a main idea
statement, and then
supports that statement
with several details
The pond was a beautiful

place to visit. The falling
leaves, all different colors,
decorated the surface of the
water. At the edges of the
pond, small wildflowers
grew. The golden forest
glowed faintly in the distance.
Main idea

grew. The golden forest
glowed faintly in the distance.
Main idea

All of the other sentences grew. The golden forest
explain why the main glowed faintly in the distance.
idea is true
Clue words in these

paragraphs may
include:
One reason, another

reason, and for
example
Now it’s your turn!
On the next few slides, you

will read some paragraphs
about the Great Chicago
Fire
Your task is to decide on
the text structure for each
one
Understanding the text
structure will help you to
understand each paragraph
What’s the text structure?
Daniel Sullivan was the first to notice the

Chronological flames coming from the O’Leary barn at around
8:30 pm on October 8. A problem with the alarm
order box made it impossible for the people in the area
Compare and to call for the fire department. By 9:30 pm, the
entire block was blazing. In another 3 hours, there
contrast were fires all over Chicago. The heavy wind
Cause and coming from the lake only made the fire bigger. It
would be another day before the fire would be
effect completely out. By that time, 17,500 buildings
had been burned.
Problem and
solution
Main idea

Compare and to call for the fire department. By 9:30 pm, the
contrast were fires all over Chicago. The heavy wind
coming from the lake only made the fire bigger. It
Problem and completely out. By that time, 17,500 buildings
had been burned.
solution

to call for the fire department. By 9:30 pm, the
were fires all over Chicago. The heavy wind
completely out. By that time, 17,500 buildings
had been burned.

were fires all over Chicago. The heavy wind
completely out. By that time, 17,500 buildings
had been burned.

Notice how were fires all over Chicago. The heavy wind
the paragraph would be another day before the fire would be
shows how completely out. By that time, 17,500 buildings
events happen had been burned.
in time order

Understanding flames coming from the O’Leary barn at around
that this text is box made it impossible for the people in the area
written in to call for the fire department. By 9:30 pm, the
chronological entire block was blazing. In another 3 hours, there
order can help were fires all over Chicago. The heavy wind
you to would be another day before the fire would be
understand how completely out. By that time, 17,500 buildings
the Great Fire had been burned.
started
Try another!
Chronological Why was the Great Chicago Fire so

disastrous? After all, Chicago had fire
order departments and fire alarms. One
reason for the terrible fire is that the
Compare and alarm malfunctioned. The local fire
contrast company noticed the fire by accident
as it was returning from another fire.
Cause and As another problem, a watchman who
saw the flames directed other fire
effect companies to a location that was nearly
Problem and a mile away from the fire. Because of
these two problems, a fire that could
solution have been controlled rapidly spread
Main idea across the city.
Try another!
Why was the Great Chicago Fire so

Compare and departments and fire alarms. One
contrast alarm malfunctioned. The local fire
Cause and company noticed the fire by accident
as it was returning from another fire.
effect As another problem, a watchman who
Problem and companies to a location that was nearly
solution a mile away from the fire. Because of
have been controlled rapidly spread
across the city.
Try another!

departments and fire alarms. One
Cause and alarm malfunctioned. The local fire
company noticed the fire by accident
effect as it was returning from another fire.
As another problem, a watchman who
companies to a location that was nearly
a mile away from the fire. Because of
have been controlled rapidly spread
across the city.
Try another!

departments and fire alarms. One
Cause and alarm malfunctioned. The local fire
company noticed the fire by accident
effect as it was returning from another fire.
Notice how As another problem, a watchman who
the causes (in companies to a location that was nearly
blue) lead to a mile away from the fire. Because of
the effect (in have been controlled rapidly spread
yellow) across the city.
What text structure is here?
After the fire, thousands of people were

Chronological left homeless. Many escaped the fire with
nothing except the clothes on their backs.
order Providing all of these people with food, clean
water, and shelter was a huge task. Luckily,
Compare and the city quickly formed a Relief and Aid
contrast Society. This group started giving out the
food donations that were pouring in from
Cause and effect other cities. The society built places for
Problem and people to live, gathered the tools that people
needed to rebuild their houses, and even
solution vaccinated 64,000 people against smallpox.
Main idea

Chronological left homeless. Many escaped the fire with
order Providing all of these people with food, clean
the city quickly formed a Relief and Aid
Cause and effect Society. This group started giving out the
Problem and other cities. The society built places for
solution people to live, gathered the tools that people
vaccinated 64,000 people against smallpox.

left homeless. Many escaped the fire with
Problem and Providing all of these people with food, clean
solution the city quickly formed a Relief and Aid
Society. This group started giving out the
other cities. The society built places for
people to live, gathered the tools that people

Here is the other cities. The society built places for
problem people to live, gathered the tools that people

Here is the other cities. The society built places for
solution people to live, gathered the tools that people
Can you find the text structure?
Chicago changed in many ways after the
fire. Before the fire, most of the buildings
Chronological were less than five stories high. The
order buildings that were constructed after the
fire, however, were some of the first
Compare and skyscrapers in the country. Before the fire,
contrast most of the houses were made of wood.
After the fire, people chose to build their
Cause and houses out of stone or brick. There were
changes in where people lived, as well. The
effect poor people in the city lived close to the
Problem and center of the city before the fire. After
the fire, they moved into neighborhoods
solution that were farther away from the downtown
Main idea area.
Compare and were less than five stories high. The
contrast buildings that were constructed after the
Cause and skyscrapers in the country. Before the fire,
effect most of the houses were made of wood.
Main idea houses out of stone or brick. There were
poor people in the city lived close to the
center of the city before the fire. After
that were farther away from the downtown
area.
skyscrapers in the country. Before the fire,
most of the houses were made of wood.
houses out of stone or brick. There were
poor people in the city lived close to the
center of the city before the fire. After
that were farther away from the downtown
area.
Notice how most of the houses were made of wood.
this paragraph is After the fire, people chose to build their
comparing changes in where people lived, as well. The
Chicago poor people in the city lived close to the
BEFORE the fire center of the city before the fire. After
to Chicago that were farther away from the downtown
AFTER the fire area.
Notice how most of the houses were made of wood.
this paragraph is After the fire, people chose to build their
comparing changes in where people lived, as well. The
Chicago poor people in the city lived close to the
BEFORE the fire center of the city before the fire. After
to Chicago that were farther away from the downtown
AFTER the fire area.
One more paragraph!
By Monday night, the town of Chronological order

Chicago was burning. People Compare and
described it as terrible, but
amazing. The flames were brighter contrast
than anything people had ever Cause and effect
seen. The harsh winds swept the Problem and
fire across the city with terrible
speed. For many who watched, it solution
was a sight to remember for the Main idea
rest of their lives.
One more paragraph!
By Monday night, the town of Compare and

Chicago was burning. People contrast
amazing. The flames were brighter Cause and effect
than anything people had ever
seen. The harsh winds swept the Main idea
speed. For many who watched, it
was a sight to remember for the
One more paragraph!
By Monday night, the town of

Chicago was burning. People Main idea
amazing. The flames were brighter
than anything people had ever
seen. The harsh winds swept the
One more paragraph!

than anything people had ever Notice the
fire across the city with terrible main idea
One more paragraph!

than anything people had ever Notice the
fire across the city with terrible main idea
was a sight to remember for the The rest of the
rest of their lives. sentences
explain the
main idea
What have you learned about text structures?
 Share your ideas with a partner

 Be sure to explain how you can find the text structure of a paragraph
by Emily Kissner
Research Paper:
The Outline
Making an Outline
 Writing an outline in addition to the paper may seem like a lot of extra
work, especially if your teacher doesn't require one. If you take the
time to think about what you want to say and to put your ideas into an
outline, writing the actual paper will be easier. An outline is a listing of
brief ideas that will be in the paper.
Four Main Components for Effective
Outlines
 Parallelism
 Coordination
 Subordination
 Division
Parallelism
How do I accomplish this?
 Each heading and subheading should preserve parallel structure. If
the first heading is a noun, the second heading should be a noun.
Example:
1. Choose Desired Colleges
2. Prepare Application
 ("Choose" and "Prepare" are both verbs.)
Coordination
All the information contained in Heading 1 should have the

same significance as the information contained in Heading
2. The same goes for the subheadings (which should be
less significant than the headings). Example:
1. Visit and evaluate college campuses
2. Visit and evaluate college websites
1. Note important statistics
2. Look for interesting classes
(Campus and websites visits are equally significant, as are
statistics and classes found on college websites.)
Subordination
The information in the headings should be more

general, while the information in the subheadings
should be more specific. Example:
1. Describe an influential person in your life
1. Favorite high school teacher
2. Grandparent
(A favorite teacher and grandparent are specific
examples of influential people.)
Division
Each heading should be divided into 2 or more
parts. Example:
1. Compile resume
1. List relevant coursework
2. List work experience
3. List volunteer experience
(The heading "Compile resume" is divided into 3
parts.)
 Copyright ©1995-2008 by The Writing Lab & The OWL at Purdue and Purdue University.
 http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/544/01/
Why create an outline?
Aids in the process of writing

Helps you organize your ideas
Presents your material in a logical form
Shows the relationships among ideas in your
writing
Constructs an ordered overview of your writing
Defines boundaries and groups
How do I create an outline?
 Determine the purpose of your paper.

 Determine the audience you are writing for.
 Develop the thesis of your paper.
Then:
 Brainstorm: List all the ideas that you want to include in your paper.
 Organize: Group related ideas together.
 Order: Arrange material in subsections from general to specific or
from abstract to concrete.
 Label: Create main and sub headings.
Remember: creating an outline before writing your
paper will make organizing your thoughts a lot
easier.
 Copyright ©1995-2008 by The Writing Lab & The OWL at Purdue and Purdue University
 http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/544/02/
Alphanumeric outlines
 An alphanumeric outline uses Roman numerals, capitalized letters,

Arabic numerals, and lowercase letters, in that order. Each numeral or
letter is followed by a period, and each item is capitalized:
Sample alphanumeric outline
Thesis statement: E-mail and internet monitoring; is it really an

invasion of the employees' rights in the workplace?
I. Why do over 80% of today's companies monitor their employees?
A. To prevent fraudulent activities, theft, and other workplace related
violations.
B. To more efficiently monitor employee productivity.
C. To prevent any legal liabilities due to harassing or offensive
communications.
II. What are the employees privacy right’s when it comes to EM/S
(Electronic Monitoring and Surveillance) in the workplace?
A. American employees have basically no legal protection from
mean and snooping bosses.
1. There are no federal or State laws protecting employees
2. Employees may assert privacy protection for their own
personal effects.
 Note that each category above has at least two subcategories.
 "Outline." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 21 Oct 2008, 21:24 UTC. 22 Oct 2008 <
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Outline&oldid=246808930>.
BASIC OUTLINE FORM
I. MAIN IDEA
A. Subsidiary idea or supporting idea to I
B. Subsidiary idea or supporting idea to I
1. Subsidiary idea to B
2. Subsidiary idea to B
a) Subsidiary idea to 2
b) Subsidiary idea to 2
II. MAIN IDEA
A. Subsidiary or supporting idea to II
B. Subsidiary idea to II
C. Subsidiary idea to II
III. MAIN IDEA
IMPORTANT!!!
 It is up to the writer to decide on how many main ideas and
supporting ideas adequately describe the subject.
 However, if there is a I in the outline, there has to be a II; if there

is an A, there has to be a B; if there is a 1, there has to be a 2,
and so forth.
 http://www.lib.jjay.cuny.edu/research/outlining.html
Outlines provide a summary
showing the logical flow of a paper.
 They are useful because:
 help the writer organize their thoughts before getting
bogged down in word choice and sentence structure;
 show which ideas need illustration or elaboration; and
 help the writer decide on an organizational technique
for the report, whether it be logical, chronological, or
categorical in nature.
Preparing and Using Outlines
Using an outline can help you organize your

material and can also help you discover
connections between pieces of information that
you weren't aware of when you first conceived the
plan of your paper.
It can also make you aware of material that is not

really relevant to the purposes of your paper or
material that you have covered before and should
therefore be removed.
The Working Outline
A Working Outline might be only an informal list of
topics and subtopics which you are thinking of covering in
your paper.
The working outline can be revised as you discover new

material and get new ideas that ought to go into your
paper.
Most word processing programs have outlining features

with automatic formatting that make it easy to create and
revise outlines.
It is a good idea to keep copies of old outlines in a

computer folder in case new versions of the outline lead
you in false directions that you will later have to abandon.
The Final Outline
A Final Outline should enhance the organization

and coherence of your research paper.
Material that is not relevant to the purpose of your

paper as revealed in your outline should be
excised from the paper; if portions of your outline
seem weak in comparison to others, more
research may be required to create a sense of
balance in your argument and presentation.
Try to bring related material together under
general headings and arrange sections so they
relate logically to each other.
An effective introduction will map out the journey

your reader is about to take, and a satisfactory
conclusion will wrap up the sequence of ideas in a
nice package.
Topic Outlines vs. Sentence
Outlines
 A final outline can be written as a topic outline, in which you use only
short phrases to suggest ideas, or as a sentence outline, in which
you use full sentences (even very brief paragraphs) to show the
development of ideas more fully.

Research Paper Outline

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Research Paper Outline

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Understanding Text

“Text structure” refers

Builders can use

Writers use different

You will know that

You will often see chronological order in directions:

You will often see chronological order in directions:

Pennsylvania has many Through the ages,

Through the ages,

Through the ages,

But what if an author

Suppose an author wanted

The cardinal and the cedar waxwing

When authors use the text

Can you find the clue words in

The cardinal and the cedar waxwing are

The cardinal and the cedar waxwing are

To organize details

Can you explain the difference between

Sometimes, a writer will want to explain

When authors write

The night’s snowstorm had many effects.

Baby painted turtles spend all winter in their

Baby painted turtles spend all winter in their nests. They

Park School had a terrible

Park School had a terrible

Park School had a terrible

Park School had a terrible

Often, authors will

Synonyms for problem

The Chesapeake Bay faces an

however, on the other

Most paragraphs that we write in school can be called main

In this kind of

The pond was a beautiful

The pond was a beautiful

The pond was a beautiful

Clue words in these

One reason, another

On the next few slides, you

Daniel Sullivan was the first to notice the

Daniel Sullivan was the first to notice the

Daniel Sullivan was the first to notice the

Daniel Sullivan was the first to notice the

Daniel Sullivan was the first to notice the

Daniel Sullivan was the first to notice the

Chronological Why was the Great Chicago Fire so

Why was the Great Chicago Fire so

Why was the Great Chicago Fire so

Why was the Great Chicago Fire so

After the fire, thousands of people were

After the fire, thousands of people were

After the fire, thousands of people were

After the fire, thousands of people were

After the fire, thousands of people were

By Monday night, the town of Chronological order

By Monday night, the town of Compare and

By Monday night, the town of

By Monday night, the town of

By Monday night, the town of

 Share your ideas with a partner

All the information contained in Heading 1 should have the