Divorce

Individual Research Paper Guidelines

Before writing a research paper, students should consider writing a BASIC OUTLINE of the paper. Why? Because:

• Aids in the process of writing
• Helps you organize your ideas
• Presents your material in a logical form
• Shows the relationships among ideas in your writing
• Constructs an ordered overview of your writing

It is ADVISABLE for students to submit the outline to Ms. Ahmad for revision to ensure you are on the right track. In order to have it revised, students should submit it ONE WEEK before the assignment due date.

How do I create an outline?

• Determine the purpose of your paper.
• Develop the thesis of your paper.
• Brainstorm: List all the ideas that you want to include in your paper.
• Organize: Group related ideas together.
• Order: Arrange material in subsections from general to specific or from abstract to concrete.
• Label: Create main and sub headings.

Example of outline format:

1. Introductory Paragraph:
   1. General Introduction to Topic
   2. Overview of what will be covered in your body paragraphs:
      1. Body Paragraph 1:
      2. Body Paragraph 2:

• Body Paragraph 3:

1. (continue laying out all body paragraphs)

1. Thesis Statement/Legal Issue:

1. Body Paragraph 1:

Example: Historical Analysis From the Origination of the Problem to the Present

1. Topic Sentence:
2. Overview of Supporting Evidence
3. Concluding Sentence:

• Body Paragraph 2:

Example: The Rule of Law (Domestic Laws: Legislation Acts, Bills Statutes , International Law: Treaties, Conventions)

1. Topic Sentence:
2. Overview of Supporting Evidence
3. Concluding Sentence:

1. Body Paragraph 3:

Example: Case studies (particular cases or state examples)

1. Present Topic Sentence:
2. Overview of Supporting Evidence
3. Concluding Sentence:

1. Concluding Paragraph:
   1. Rephrase/Sum up thesis statement
   2. Summarize conclusions (for the Basic Outline, you can omit this part)
   3. Implications of conclusions (for the Basic Outline, you can omit this part)

1. Bibliography

Thesis statement

 

• Write a tentative thesis to establish your purpose for research. This is what you are trying to support. After some reading, you may need to refine your thesis statement.
• What type of paper are you writing?
  • An explanation: Are you explaining something to the audience
  • An analytical paper: breaks down an issue into its component parts
  • An argumentative paper: makes a claim about a topic and justifies the claim with specific evidence
• Your thesis statement should be specific—it should cover only what you will discuss in your paper and should be supported with specific evidence.
• The thesis statement usually appears at the end of the first paragraph of a paper.
• Your thesis statement is the central argument of your essay. It must be concise and well-written.
• Your thesis goes in the introductory paragraph. Don’t hide it; make it clearly asserted at the beginning of your paper.
• Thesis statements are NOT merely opinion statements.
  Statement of opinion:“The United Nations is a bad organization.” This statement does make a claim, but in this format it is too much of an opinion and not enough of an argument.
• A good thesis statement makes a claim or argument and sets up the framework for how that argument will be proven in the paper

The thesis statement “The United Nations was established to promote diplomacy between major powers, but in recent years it has fallen short of this goal due to ineffective leadership, disagreement over key policy issues, and a shifting system of alliances” has clear claim/argument and gives an overview of how supporting evidence will be used to prove the argument.

Now that you have an outline of the paper and a thesis statement, begin drafting the research paper. Once completed, let it rest and come back once again a day later to proofread the paper. Ensure you have provided citations for every idea/source of information that is not your own and a complete bibliography has been attached at the end of the paper.