Formal outlines for research papers

Your headings should be divided into two or more subsections. There is no limit to how many subsections you can include under each heading, but keep in mind that the information will be structured into a paragraph during the writing stage, so you should not go overboard with the number of sub-points.

Creating research paper outlines before beginning school, scholarship, or contest essays can greatly simplify the writing process. Regardless of length or complexity, research paper outlines help organize your thinking. Taking the time to develop this skill will pay dividends throughout schooling and into some careers.

There are three different kinds of research paper outline: alphanumeric, full-sentence and decimal outlines. The differences relate to formatting and style of writing. An alphanumeric outline is most commonly used. It uses Roman numerals, capitalized letters, arabic numerals, lowercase letters to organize the flow of information.

Writers use outlines to visualize the elements of their essay and see how they fit together. While many high school and college research papers are five paragraphs in length, longer papers are often variations on this format.