Steps to follow for research outline

By on August 16, 2012

The research outline is important. part of every research work. This is because the research outline forms the basis of the whole research idea. Outline guides the researcher about the content of the research. The outline should start by drafting the ‘research problem’. The research problem provides the answer to why this research is undertaken. This helps to frame the ‘objectives of the research’.

Clear your objectives

The objectives of the research must be clear in mind before proceeding further. Once the objectives are clear, the researcher should write down the ‘introduction’. Introduction paragraph basically provides a wide overview of the research area. It helps the readers to understand what the research is all about.

Writing the literature review

The next step while framing the outline is to write the ‘literature review’. For this, the researcher needs to note down the important points out of data that he/she has gathered from various sources. Since it is an outline, there is no need to frame proper sentences; rather bullets can be used to write down the important points. This helps not only in avoiding the duplication of data in research but also ensures that no piece of information is missed out.

Research methodology in a research

Next, the ‘research methodology’ should be written in brief. This can be easily done by writing only the headings and sub-headings of the methodology. The details can be provided in the main research paper. Finally, the ‘findings’ and ‘conclusions’ of the research are to be jotted down. This can also be done in points or by using bullets. The researcher should ensure none of the findings is missed out otherwise it may lead to wrong or partial conclusions. Though there is no hard and fast rule regarding preparing the outline, these steps may prove to be of help.

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