Outline of a Research Paper

Tips on Creating an Outline

A well-written outline is a valuable tool in presenting a well-written research paper. The outline
is the first step in creating the structure for what will be said in the paper as well as how it will
be said.

Use parallelism - Parallelism refers to the structure between headings and sub-headings.
The structure needs to remain consistent throughout all the headings and sub-headings.
For example, this means if you start each heading with a verb, then all your headings and
subheadings should start with a verb.
Example: "Choose Desired Colleges" and "Prepare Application" "Choose" and
"Prepare" are both verbs. However, it is preferable in an outline to use the
present tense of the verb.
Example: "Visit and evaluate college campuses" and "Visit and evaluate college
websites"
Example: "1. Note important statistics" and "2. Look for interesting classes"
Use coordination - Coordination is important between headings. In other words, all the
headings should have the same amount of significance or importance. The rule applies to
sub-headings as well, but their information will be less significant than the headings.
Example:
I. Choose Desired Colleges
A. Visit and evaluate college campuses
B. Visit and evaluate college websites
1. look for interesting classes
2. note important statistics
(College campuses and college websites are equally important.)
Use subordination - Subordination is the relationship between the headings and the sub-
headings. Information in headings is general in nature, and the information contained in
the sub-headings should be more specific, and so on to the other levels.
Example:
A. Describe an influential person in your life
1. Favorite high school teacher
2. Grandparent
(The category of influential people in your life is general, and a favorite teacher
and grandparent are specific.)
Use division - Division should be accomplished in this manner. Each heading needs to have
at least two parts. It can have more, but if you have too many, then you may need to put in
another heading or sub-heading or combine some of the divisions.
Example:
A. Compile resume
1. List relevant coursework
2. List work experience
3. List volunteer experience
(The heading "Compile resume" is divided into 3 parts.)
An outline is usually required when writing a paper for a college course. Be sure and ask your
professor for the required format for your particular course.





Outline of a Research Paper
Outline: The following outline describes the components of a paper. Complete the
following components of this outline based on your topic.

I. Title: Genetic Aspects of Schizophrenia


II. Introduction:
Schizophrenia affects only around 1% of the population, but it is still the most common
serious mental illness. It is more common for people between puberty and age 40 to show
symptoms of schizophrenia. Some signs of schizophrenia are if the person thinks in a strange
way, but to them, it is normal. Health Professionals do not have a cure for schizophrenia, but
they do have treatments to control the symptoms of this mental disorder. Doctors have trouble
finding the exact gene that causes schizophrenia because the effects of single genes are too
small. Schizophrenia is a genetic disorder that has an interesting research topics and history.
ATTENTION-GETTER (first 1 -2 sentences of paper):
SPECIFIC POINTS (3-5 sentences):
THESIS (SO WHAT?) one sentence summarizing what your paper is about in 3
rd
POV:

I. TOPIC SENTENCE FOR FIRST POINT: Schizophrenia is a serious mental disorder that
causes schizophrenics to see, hear, and understand the world in a strange way.
a. Sub-point 1- Schizophrenia can affect minds in a negative way and can
make people act different, sometimes even violent.
b. Evidence 1-This is a disorder that affects the brain and causes people to act
a certain way. It can cause people to have difficulty interacting with others
and seem withdrawn. (Source 6)
c. Sub-point 2- Contrary to popular belief, schizophrenia is not a split
personality disorder. (Source 1)
d. Evidence 2- The root words in schizophrenia mean split mind. But this is
not intended to mean that schizophrenia is a split personality disorder.
(Source 1)

2. Sub-point 3- Schizophrenia causes brain to look at the world in a way that society
would find abnormal.
a. Evidence 1- A well-known symptom of schizophrenia is hallucinations and
delusions. (Source 1)
b. Evidence 2- A common symptom is that they think they are being
persecuted, or they see and hear things that no one else can. (Source 1)
c. Evidence 3- They begin to think that events in the real world have a
significant meaning to his own life. They firmly believe this is true and most
likely wont listen when told otherwise. (Source 1)
d. Evidence 4- Another is symptom that schizophrenics show is that they think
of crazy and strange thoughts, but believe that they are to be true. Their
thoughts and beliefs are similar to those of a normal persons dreams.
(Source 1)
II. TOPIC SENTENCE FOR SECOND POINT: Schizophrenia has an interesting history and
a bright and promising future ahead.
1. Sub-point 1- Schizophrenia has been around for thousands of years, but it was only
classified into a category of mental disorders in 1887 by a German doctor.
a. Evidence 1- Schizophrenia was known to be a distinct mental disorder by a
German Doctor named Emile Kraepelin. He called what we now know as
schizophrenia, dementia praecox. (Source 5)
b. Evidence 2- Schizophrenia got it name in 1911 from a Swiss psychiatrist by
the name of Eugen Bleuler. (Source 5)
c. Evidence 3- Long ago, people used to think mental disorders like these
were caused by evil spirits. Their solution was to exorcise these demon in
various ways. (Source 5)
d. Evidence 4- Before WW2, people with schizophrenia had to spend their
whole life in a psychiatric hospital. They were subjected to extreme
treatments such as surgically cutting the part of the brain and infusing
enough insulin to put patients into a coma. (Source 2)
Sub-point 2- Scientists are working hard to discover more about schizophrenia and
hope to uncover more of the mystery in the future.
e. Evidence 1- A couple of year ago, two research groups found new genetic
variants that point to a possible different understanding of schizophrenia.
The problem is that thee variants are rare and only apply to a small number
of cases. (Source 3)
f. Evidence 2- Scientists have discovered that natural selection can sometimes
work against schizophrenia. For example, schizophrenics usually have a
hard time producing children. (Source 3)
g. Evidence 4- In the future, scientists hope to find the exact gene that causes
a mental disorder like schizophrenia. They also hope to find new and better
ways to treat this illness.

III. TOPIC SENTENCE FOR THIRD POINT: Occurrence
1. Sub-point 1- Schizophrenia affects every 1 in every 100 Americans from various
ages.
a. Evidence 1- Schizophrenics occupy most of the rooms in hospital, more than
any other mental illness. (Source 1)
b. Evidence 2- 55% of the people in psychiatric hospitals are there because they
have schizophrenia. This is because most patients are on the younger side and
stay a relatively long time. (Source 1)
2. Sub-point 2- Schizophrenia does not usually occur in very young children or older
adults.
c. Evidence 1- Schizophrenia can occur from when the patient goes through
puberty, to when they are the age of 40. (Source 1)
d. Evidence 2- At the age of 45, the chances of having schizophrenia decreases. So
it is unlikely for people over 45 to show signs of schizophrenia. (Source 1)
e. Evidence 3-The majority of mental health professional think that child
schizophrenia and adult schizophrenia are two different categories. (Source 1)
f. Evidence 4- It is more likely for people with a family history of schizophrenia,
to have schizophrenia. (Source 1)
g. Evidence 5- Older fathers are more likely to pass the risk genes along than
younger father are.
IV. TOPIC SENTENCE FOR FORTH POINT:
1. Sub-point 1- Psychiatrist have multiple theories to attempt to explain the cause of
schizophrenia.
a. Evidence 1- One theory is that schizophrenia is caused by psychological factors
such as poor parent-child relationships. (Source 1)
b. Evidence 2- Researchers also think that it may be caused by an error in the
chemical in the brain. (Source 1)
c. Evidence 2- Heredity also may contribute to schizophrenia. Statistically,
schizophrenia is more likely to occur in a patient who had a family history of
schizophrenia. (Source 1)
2. Sub-point 2- It is highly possible that gene cause schizophrenia, but scientist are
having trouble isolating the gene.
d. Evidence 1- The gene that may cause schizophrenia is difficult to find because
the effects of a single gene are too small to identify. (Source 3)
e. Evidence 2- Scientists are always working on finding new risk genes.
f. Evidence 3- Scientists have a hard time trying to find common variants for
schizophrenia. (Source 3)
V. TOPIC SENTENCE FOR FIFTH POINT: Medical Professionals have multiple methods
to treating schizophrenia, but the most common is physical methods.
1. Sub-point 1- Schizophrenics can be treated with drugs, but in some special cases,
they can be treated with other options.
a. Evidence 1-The majority of schizophrenic patients are treated with drugs or
large doses of tranquilizers. The most common is Thorazine. (Source 1)
b. Evidence 2- Most of the time, symptoms disappear. Only people with severe
schizophrenia have lingering symptoms. (Source 1)
2. Evidence 2- Some special methods of treatment are electric shock therapy, insulin
treatment, surgery and sometimes psychotherapy. Another is taking puff of
Oxytin, which makes it easier for schizophrenics to socialize. (Source 6)



IV. Conclusion: Schizophrenia is a common mental illness that makes schizophrenics lives a
lot harder. This is an important topic that researchers and doctors should focus on.
Schizophrenia can cause people to act out and cause them to become violent. If scientist find
the gene that causes schizophrenia, they can find better ways to treat them. Uncovering the
mysteries of schizophrenia can change the world.