Outline Template

Research Paper Outline Template

I. INTRODUCTION
A. Background Information
1. General background fact or attention getter
2. Thesis statement (this will be similar to the context of your topic—what was the focus of your research?)
3. Briefly outline your subtopics

II. BODY
A. Subtopic 1
1. Thesis statement
2. Supporting Ideas
a. Reason/Detail/Fact and transition (reference)
b. More information and transition (reference)
c. Maybe even more information (reference)
3. Transition sentence to subtopic 2

B. Subtopic 2
1. Thesis statement
2. Supporting Ideas
a. Reason/Detail/Fact and transition (reference)
b. More information and transition (reference)
c. Maybe even more information (reference)
3. Transition sentence to subtopic 3

C. Subtopic 3
1. Thesis statement
2. Supporting Ideas
a. Reason/Detail/Fact and transition (reference)
b. More information and transition (reference)
c. Maybe even more information (reference)
3. Transition Sentence to conclusion (or next subtopic)

III. CONCLUSION
A. Summarize/Review key points
B. Concluding thought