An outline is the plan of your paper before you write sentences. It shows the order of your argument, makes gaps visible (a section with no source under it) and keeps every part tied to the thesis. The Purdue OWL suggests settling the purpose, the audience and the thesis first, then brainstorming ideas, grouping related ones, ordering them from general to specific and labeling the headings.
What does a research paper outline look like?
Here is a template you can copy into your document and fill in. It fits most literature-based papers in the humanities and social sciences. Replace the bracketed text; add or remove body sections to match your page count (a 10-page paper usually has three to five).
Research paper outline template
- Title: [working title]
- Research question: [the one question the paper answers]
- I. Introduction
- A. Hook: [a fact, case or problem that shows why the topic matters]
- B. Context: [what readers need to know first; key terms]
- C. Thesis: [your one- or two-sentence answer to the question]
- D. Roadmap: [the order of the sections, in one sentence]
- II. Body section 1: [first supporting claim]
- A. Point: [what this section proves]
- B. Evidence: [source, page]
- C. Evidence: [source, page]
- D. Analysis: [how the evidence supports the thesis]
- III. Body section 2: [second supporting claim]
- A. Point
- B. Evidence: [source, page]
- C. Analysis
- IV. Body section 3: [third supporting claim]
- A. Point
- B. Evidence: [source, page]
- C. Analysis
- V. Counterargument
- A. The strongest objection: [source, page]
- B. Your response: [why the thesis still holds, or how it is limited]
- VI. Conclusion
- A. Answer to the research question, restated in new words
- B. What the evidence adds up to
- C. Implications or next questions
- References (in your citation style, for example APA 7)
If you don't have a thesis yet, write your best guess and mark it as working. See thesis statement examples for patterns.
What is an example of a research paper outline?
A complete example, for a 10-page undergraduate paper in public policy. It was written for this guide to show the structure: the claims are the kind a student would test against their sources, not findings we are reporting, and the evidence lines show where your own sources and page numbers would go.
Title: Free Bus Fares and Who Benefits
Research question: Do fare-free bus programs in mid-sized US cities mainly help riders with low incomes?
- I. Introduction
- A. Hook: some US cities have made their buses free to ride; the student opens with one city's announcement
- B. Context: what "fare-free" means; who rides buses in mid-sized cities
- C. Thesis: Fare-free buses in mid-sized cities help low-income riders most when the city also adds service, because free fares on a sparse network shift existing riders rather than reaching new ones.
- D. Roadmap: ridership effects, who the new riders are, the cost question, objections
- II. Ridership changes after fares are removed
- A. Point: ridership usually rises, but the size of the rise varies a lot
- B. Evidence: city transit agency ridership reports before and after (agency report, table page)
- C. Evidence: a peer-reviewed comparison of several cities (journal article, pages)
- D. Analysis: the larger rises came where service frequency also went up
- III. Who the new riders are
- A. Point: survey data show many new trips come from people who already rode, plus some who used to walk
- B. Evidence: rider surveys (agency survey, page)
- C. Analysis: benefit to low-income riders is real (money saved) but smaller in new access than headlines suggest
- IV. The cost of free fares
- A. Point: fares often cover a small share of operating costs in mid-sized systems
- B. Evidence: budget documents (city budget, page)
- C. Analysis: the lost revenue could alternatively fund more frequent service
- V. Counterargument: free fares also cut boarding times and fare enforcement
- A. Objection: operational savings and dignity effects (article, pages)
- B. Response: true, and it strengthens the case for pairing free fares with service, not against it
- VI. Conclusion
- A. Free fares help low-income riders, most clearly when combined with more service
- B. Evidence points to frequency as the bigger driver of new access
- C. Next question: what mix of fare relief and frequency gives the most access per dollar
- References
Notice that every body section starts with a claim, not a topic. "Ridership" is a topic; "ridership usually rises, but the size varies" is a claim the section can prove.
What are the rules for a good outline?
The Purdue OWL names four components of an effective outline (Purdue OWL):
| Rule | What it means | Quick check on your outline |
|---|---|---|
| Parallelism | Headings at the same level share the same grammatical form | If one heading starts with a verb, its siblings do too |
| Coordination | Headings at the same level are equally significant | No section is really a detail of another section |
| Subordination | Headings are general, subheadings are specific | Each A, B, C fits under its Roman numeral |
| Division | Each heading divides into two or more parts | No heading has a lonely "A" without a "B" |
Two checks of our own that catch most problems: every body heading should be a claim that supports the thesis, and every claim should have at least one source and page under it.
Alphanumeric, decimal or full-sentence: which outline format should you use?
The Purdue OWL describes three common formats (Purdue OWL). The alphanumeric outline is the most common: Roman numerals, then capital letters, then Arabic numerals, then lowercase letters. A full-sentence outline uses the same structure with full sentences at every level. A decimal outline uses numbers like 1.1 and 1.1.1, which show how each level relates to the whole.
| Format | Looks like | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Alphanumeric | I. → A. → 1. → a. | Most class papers; the default if your instructor doesn't specify |
| Full-sentence | Same as alphanumeric, every line a sentence | Outlines you hand in, and turning the outline into a draft fast |
| Decimal | 1. → 1.1 → 1.1.1 | Long or technical papers, theses, papers with numbered headings |
The same section in each format:
- Alphanumeric: II. Ridership changes / A. Ridership usually rises / 1. Agency reports
- Decimal: 2. Ridership changes / 2.1 Ridership usually rises / 2.1.1 Agency reports
- Full-sentence: II. Ridership changes after fares are removed. / A. Ridership usually rises, but by very different amounts.
How do you turn an outline into a draft?
Each line of the outline maps to a part of a paragraph. Write the body first, section by section, and the introduction last.
| Outline line | Becomes | Example from the outline above |
|---|---|---|
| Roman-numeral heading (claim) | A section, often with a heading | II. Ridership changes after fares are removed |
| A. Point | The topic sentence of the first paragraph | "Removing fares usually raises ridership, but by very different amounts." |
| B./C. Evidence with source and page | Two to four sentences of quoted or paraphrased evidence with in-text citations | Agency report figures, cited with page |
| D. Analysis | One to three sentences explaining what the evidence shows for the thesis | "The cities with the largest gains also ran buses more often." |
| Counterargument | A section or long paragraph near the end of the body | Objection, then your response |
Rough sizing: in a double-spaced paper, one outline point with its evidence and analysis is often one paragraph, and a page holds about two to three paragraphs. Our words to pages converter shows the measured words per page by font.
How long should an outline be?
There's no fixed length. For a 10-page paper, a working outline of about one page is common: enough to show every claim and its sources, short enough to rearrange. If your instructor wants the outline handed in, ask whether they expect topic phrases or full sentences, and whether sources should appear in it.
Outline checklist
- The thesis appears in the introduction and every body section supports it.
- Body headings are claims, not topics.
- Every claim has at least one source with a page number.
- Headings at the same level are parallel and equally important.
- There's a counterargument and a response.
- The order builds: each section uses something the previous one established.
For the full writing process around the outline, see how to write a research paper. For a literature review, the outline is organized by themes or methods instead of claims; see how to write a literature review.
Frequently asked questions
What are the main parts of a research paper outline?
An introduction with the thesis, body sections that each make one claim with evidence and analysis, a counterargument with your response, a conclusion, and the reference list.
Should a research paper outline include sources?
Yes, it helps to note the source and page under each claim. It shows which claims still lack evidence and makes citing easier when you draft.
What is the difference between an alphanumeric and a decimal outline?
An alphanumeric outline uses Roman numerals, capital letters, numbers and lowercase letters (I, A, 1, a). A decimal outline uses numbers such as 1.1 and 1.1.1, which show how every level relates to the whole.
Do I need a thesis before I outline?
You need a working thesis, even a rough one. The outline is organized around it, and you can sharpen the wording after drafting.
Can an outline heading have only one subpoint?
Under the division rule, no: each heading should divide into two or more parts. If you only have one, merge it into the heading or find a second point.
Sources
- Purdue Online Writing Lab. How to Outline. owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/the_writing_process/developing_an_outline/how_to_outline.html
- Purdue Online Writing Lab. Four Main Components for Effective Outlines. owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/the_writing_process/developing_an_outline/index.html
- Purdue Online Writing Lab. Types of Outlines and Samples. owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/the_writing_process/developing_an_outline/types_of_outlines.html
Written and checked by the Paperspring Editorial Team against the sources above. Found a mistake? Tell us.