Outline for Research Paper

I.

Introduction paragraph (7-9 sentences)

a. Background about author
b. Information on his or her writing style
c. Summary of short story
d. End the paragraph with the thesis statement: write your new thesis.
II.
Body Paragraph One (15-19 sentences)
a. Topic sentence
b. At least 2 or 3 examples (quotes) from primary source
c. At least 2 or 3 examples (quotes, paraphrases, or summaries) from secondary
source
d. Concluding sentence
III.
Body Paragraph Two (15-19 sentences)
a. Topic sentence
b. At least 2 or 3 examples (quotes) from primary source
c. At least 2 or 3 examples (quotes, paraphrases, or summaries) from secondary
source
d. Concluding sentence
IV.
Body Paragraph Three (15-19 sentences)
a. Topic sentence
b. At least 2 or 3 examples (quotes) from primary source
c. At least 2 or 3 examples (quotes, paraphrases, or summaries) from secondary
source
d. Concluding sentence
*Remember to include transition words inside AND between body paragraphs.
V.
Conclusion Paragraph (5-7 sentences)
a. Restate the thesis
b. Why was your author a successful writer? What makes your story profound?
c. Conclude with a broad statement that connects the message in your story to
society today?
Directions: Make an outline that looks similar to what I have here, except you will actually write
down the quotes/summaries/paraphrases, both primary and critical, that you will use for each
paragraph. I am looking for evidence that you know how you are going to organize the paper,
and I am looking to see that you have enough examples for each body paragraph. For the
introduction, write down some bullet points of what to address in that paragraph, and write your
final thesis. For the conclusion, do the same thing. You are permitted to quote a critic in the intro
or conclusion, but that will be in addition to the 6-9 citations that you have throughout the body
paragraph.

Popular Questions
Q. How many times should I quote my short story?

A. You need to use between 6-9 examples from your short story. These
examples should be direct quotes.
Q. How many critical quotes, paraphrases, or summaries do I need to
use?
A. You should try to back up EACH primary example with a critical one.
However, there may be some examples from your short story that do
not relate to anything the critics are saying. Use between 6-9 critical
examples in your paper. Each body paragraph needs to have critical
and primary examples. See the sample body paragraph for a strong
example.
Q. Do I need to internally cite my critical examples, even if they are
paraphrases or summaries?
A. YES. If you do not, its plagiarism, and you will fail the assignment.
Q. How many different secondary sources do I need to use in my
paper?
A. Four.
Q. Why did I take 50 notes when I am only using between 12-18
citations in my paper?
A. This is a research process; you need to thoroughly read whats out
there before you can determine which examples best serve the
argument in your thesis. The paper reflects a breadth of knowledge
that you now have on the subject, using only the strongest examples
for the final paper.
Q. Do I still need to fix my working bibliography?
A. YES. You will change the title of it to Works Cited and you will only
cite the sources that can be found in your paper. The citations within
the paper should match what you have cited on the Works Cited page.
This will be the last page of the paper. If you do not have a Works Cited
page, your paper is considered plagiarism and will receive a failing
grade.