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Research Skills: Step-By-Step: Develop an Outline

This guide will help you to develop your research skills and better understand the research process.

Why Outline?

Outlines provide a means of organising your information in an hierarchical or logical order.

Think of it as the blueprint for writing your assignment. It helps organise your ideas or arguments ready for writing.

Image Source: OpenClipart-Vectors. (2013, October 18). File cabinet [image]. Pixabay.

Creating an Outline

  • Place your assignment statement at the beginning.
  • List the major points that support your statement.
  • List supporting ideas or arguments for each major point.
  • If applicable, continue to sub-divide each supporting idea until your outline is fully developed. 

How to Structure an Outline

Source: ExpertVillage Leaf Group. (2008, February 4). How to write a college paper: How to structure an outline for a college paper [video]. YouTube.

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