RESEARCH PAPER OUTLINE Try not. Do or do not, there is no try.-- Yoda

Introduction in Three Parts1. Introduction (introduces topic in

interesting way; introduces key ideas to help explain your argument) 2-3 Sentences

Quote Statistic Startling Fact

Introduction in Three Parts2. Background Information:

(information to help reader understand the broad context of your topic) 2-3 Sentences

3. Thesis Statement: (your argument & road map) 1 Sentence

Body Paragraphs

Supporting Argument #1/#2 TOPIC SENTENCE

EVIDENCE (A) *Insert 1-2 quotes found in sourcesEVIDENCE (B) *Insert 1-2 quotes found in sourcesEVIDENCE (C) *Insert 1-2 quotes found in sources

How does this PROVE your thesis?You should be able to write the answer to

this question at the end of EACH section for your supporting arguments!

Body Paragraphs

Opposing Argument: This is where you explain the arguments AGAINST your thesis, and REFUTE the argument of your thesis and supporting statements.

Oppose thesis *Insert 1-2 quotes found in sources

Oppose supporting idea #1 *Insert 1-2 quotes found in sources

Oppose supporting idea #2 *Insert 1-2 quotes found in sources

Conclusion

Conclusion: (restate thesis, summarize main points, offer insight to the larger significance of your topic and thesis)

Note: Follow the instructions, closely! DO NOT write this outline according to your personal preferences; that course of action will result in a FAILING grade!

Sample Outline

Sample Outline Introduction

1. Introduction: Introduce your argument and end with your thesis statement.

a. Set the scene b. Include background information that

helps the reader understand your positionc. Thesis Statement: 1. provable, 2.

arguable, 3. how you will prove your argument (Road map)

Example: Thesis Statement

TOPIC: “How did Great Depression affect the unity of the United States?”

Despite the unifying messages of

hope from President Franklin Roosevelt, the Great Depression pulled the country apart as discrimination increased, families were separated, and the division between social classes grew.

Help! What Should I Put in the Background Paragraph?

Background Paragraph: Additional background information on your subject, event, person, etc. that helps the reader understand what you are writing about.

a. What caused the Great Depression?b. The effort the government made to fix

it – New Dealc. How GD was different than previous

decade

Topic Sentence – S.A. #1

Topic Sentence: Controlling sentence that tells you what the section/paragraph is going to be about. It is kind of like a “mini-thesis” in that it is an argument and you say how you will prove it.

Example: Economic hardships of the times increased the nature and extent of discrimination.

TOPIC: Economic hardships of the times increased the nature and extent of discrimination. (S.A. #1)

a. Job competition1. Mexican Americans—deportations2. African Americans—increased racism,

Jim Crow laws expand3. Married Women—feared they would

take away men’s jobsb. Increased racial violence—(list

specific examples)c. Oakies faced discrimination in

California (list examples)

Clincher Sentence – S.A. #1

Clincher Sentence: This sentence ties what you discussed in this section to your thesis statement.

Example: The discrimination during the 1930s widened already existing divisions between race, class and gender causing further fractures in the country.

TOPIC: Another way in which the country suffered divisions was in the breakdown of the family structure. (S.A. #2)

a. Hobos – men left their families to look for work

b. Kids left to raise themselves1. Juvenile delinquents2. Fewer children went to schoolc. Women went to work—lower pay, even

when they’re sole breadwinnersd. Statistics reveal family trends: Divorce

rates increased, marriage and birth rates decreased

Clincher Sentence – S.A. #2

The family was a microcosm of the country; as traditional families disintegrated, so did the foundation of the country.

Thesis

Despite the unifying messages of hope from President Franklin Roosevelt, the Great Depression pulled the country apart as discrimination increased, families were separated, and the division between social classes grew.

Opposing Arguments

Explain the arguments against your thesis and refute them.

a. FDR’s role as a unifying force and inspirational speaker

• Refute: many felt loyal to FDR, but that didn’t change their relationship with others

b. New Deal provides range of jobs • Refute: jobs are mainly limited to younger

white men; causes animosityc. Pop-culture (radio, film) expands to unite

country with common language, experiences

Conclusion

Lastly, include a concluding paragraph (or paragraphs) that summarizes your main points, restates your thesis, and offers a connection to the larger historical significance of your argument or issue.

Comparisons

Introductory Paragraph

This paper will seek to analyze the privatization effort of Ukraine and come to a conclusion about the factors contributing to the lack of success of the attempt to reform and revive the troubled economy of the country.

In the early 1990s a newly independent Ukraine, seeking to revive and reform its troubled economy, embarked on a major privatization effort. The effort largely failed. This paper analyzes Ukraine's privatization effort and the reasons for its large-scale failure.

A B

Thesis Statement

A key issue in America today is wealth and poverty. Over the last twenty years, rich Americans have gotten richer and the poor have gotten poorer. At the same time, the poor have been increasingly blamed and abandoned by the rest of society. Once we tried to help poor Americans up; today, though we are richer than ever before, we blame the poor for their poverty and enact policies that will keep them poor.

A key issue in America today is wealth and poverty. Despite the immense differences between how the wealthiest and poorest Americans live, American culture is not marked by rigid, long-standing class divisions. Through hard work, millions of Americans who were born poor have been able to achieve prosperity for themselves and their families. America today is the most economically mobile country in the world.

A B