Research Outline

Outline for Independent Research Paper

Title Page

The title should be brief and to the point. The title should reflect exactly what is in your paper. Center the title. Put your name, school, grade and teacher's name at the bottom right corner of the page.

Abstract

An abstract is a summary of your research. It is the last part of the paper to be written and should be written in third person past tense. State the topic or objective so that it will be understood by a person who is not an expert in the field. State your procedure only in broad terms (not in detail) and report it as a process (not a series of specific events). Include materials used as a summary, in needed for clarity. Summarize your results and state a conclusion. Do not report the work of others in this section (contrast in results are allowed if necessary to clarify the research). Do not include acknowledgements or descriptions of work or procedures done by a mentor. Limit your abstract to 250 words, one page, in length (maximum).

Introduction

This section presents the purpose and objectives of your research as well as background and your hypothesis. The purpose states the objective or reason for doing the research. This may also be stated as the problem being investigated. The background information is a report on work done by other people as it related to your project. It acts as a foundation for your research. You should include information from library research and interviews in this section. Be sure to give credit to the authors of any information you quote or paraphrase using parenthetical citations. Follow APA format. Your hypothesis should clearly state what you think the outcome of your research will be. You should state your hypothesis before you begin any experimentation. It is based upon your literature search and observations. A null hypothesis may be used.

Procedure (materials and methods)

This section tells exactly what you did and how you did it. This is done in paragraph form or step-by-step fashion. This section should be clear enough so that another person could reproduce exactly what you have done.

Data and Observations

This section contains your results. Summarize data collected; do not include raw data. Use tables, graphs, and charts.

Discussion

In this section you will discuss and explain your results. Include interpretations and opinions of your data and observations. Tell what parts of your research were especially valid or invalid and why. Discuss any sources of error. Include any unusual circumstances, problems or difficulties that were encountered. If necessary, additional literature references may be included, using parenthetical notation and APA format.

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