Your outline is a skeleton that you will use to do your final research paper writing. Therefore, it should contain all the key highlights of your paper. This is useful information that you can use to write a clear outline for your paper:

• Choose your topic 

You need a topic for your research paper outline. This skeleton is based on a research topic that should be well crafted. Ensure that you have done sufficient research to help you write your outline with ease. This is where it all begins. Make sure that your topic is well-thought-out and specific. 

• Highlight your argument 

An outline is not a mere listing of broad topics and subtopics. It should also include points under each of these items that will help you in writing your final paper. One of the most important points is the main argument of your research paper. It should guide you in writing other points of your outline.

• Identify your audience

State your audience clearly. This will help you start to connect with them as early as this stage. A complete outline should communicate with your audience even without much information.

• Refine your research 

Take the time to do research and read widely to draw enough points for all other sections of your paper. Make sure you have sufficient information to capture in your outline. Start from a wide scope of research and narrow down to your topic as your progress with the outline.

• Get Started with the three broad sections

Each written assignment has three main areas: the introduction, body and conclusion. Items captured in your introduction should include background information, the significance of the research, purpose of the research, aim and objectives of the research.

On the other hand, the body section should capture a review of literature, the methodology of research, results and discussions of your findings. Finally, you will have a conclusion that restates and/or highlights your main argument.

Each of these items should have details of what it should contain and particularly more specific to your topic. Don’t just list the items but also, make sure that there are enough points to help you do the final writing. 

Final Remarks

Understand the reasons why you should write an outline for your research paper. With this information in mind, you will stand a good chance of developing a high-quality paper. There is a lot of help that you can use to get your outline right. Look at these basic items to guide you in writing a research paper outline to help you complete your writing!

An introduction to your research paper is very essential. It gives the impression of everything else. Therefore, you must get it right. Here is what you need to do:

1. Take a Wide approach but Narrow down towards the end. Look at broad research at the beginning and then take a narrower approach as you come to the end of your introduction. Take the reader on a journey before arriving at your destination.
2. Highlight the significance and aim of the research. Your introduction should tell the reader why you are writing the research paper. These details should be well-captured to cultivate interest among readers. The aim of the research should be clear from the start.
3. Provide enough citations. Don’t leave your introduction without citations. Provide a meaningful reference to your topic as part of the reasons why you are writing the paper. It will help you enhance the credibility of your topic and research.
4. Don’t Give many citations for a single point. Even though citations are a good idea, too many of them will congest your writing. Therefore, stick to just a few in your references to past research and studies.
5. Provide clear research questions and hypotheses. Research questions and/or hypotheses help to guide your writing. Therefore, make sure they are clear in the introduction. They will help develop your paper.
6. Provide a general overview. Even though the introduction is just a part of the full paper, give the reader an idea of what the paper will capture. A general overview will help readers have a picture in their mind about your topic.
7. Be Brief and Succinct. Your introduction should be as short as possible. Don’t bombard the reader with a lot of information. Just be clear with what you need to do but make sure there is enough information to make your readers understand.
8. Show your research efforts. Don’t Narrate. Help readers connect with what you are saying. Don’t talk about your topic. Readers should see the essence of writing your research paper from the introduction.  
9. Avoid too many details. A lot of information can demoralize and bury your readers. Therefore, keep it simple and share details sparingly.
10. Confirm Journal requirements. There are specific requirements for different journals. Your work will become a lot easier if you can easily identify with these requirements and follow them. There is enough information to help you get started from the stipulated guidelines.

Final Advice 

Writing an effective introduction for an original research paper should be done carefully. You should endeavor to win the attention of your audience by capturing important aspects of everything about the paper. These important aspects will help you succeed in writing a high-quality introduction for your paper.

There is a lot that comes with research paper writing. Everything should be done procedurally and the first thing to do is, of course, deciding on the topic. The final choice of the topic depends on the knowledge you have gathered during reading. Most importantly, it should be in your area of interest. Pursuing research in any field of study requires that you gather enough information in that area.

Understanding what has been covered in past research will help you lay a good foundation for your current study. Therefore, don’t hesitate to work on this important aspect if you want to come up with a good research topic. This approach helps you identify critical gaps that exist in past research and use them to develop your research. Be guided as follows when picking your research paper topic:

1. The specificity of the topic. Make sure that your topic is unique and specific to a certain matter that you are addressing. Avoid generalization of issues that may prevent you from realizing meaningful findings and contribution in your area of study.
   Don’t settle for a broad subject like COVID-19. Ensure that you relate it with specific aspects: Covid-19 impact on the world economy, Impact of Covid-19 on Africa Development agenda and so on.  The latter are specific compared to studying the effects of COVID-19.
2. Understand it’s Significance. What is the importance of studying your current topic? This is an important question that you must answer as you prepare to write down your research paper topic. Remember that your topic should make a valuable addition to your area of study. For that reason, it will be prudent for you to understand the significance of your topic to your field of interest.
3. Highlight the Aim and objectives. As you pick a topic to study about, make sure that you have an idea of the aim and objectives that will be met through it. Remember that you are not just picking a good topic. It should be one that will guide you throughout the writing of the different parts and sections. Therefore, you should be thinking of every research paper section as you refine your topic.

Sample Research Paper Topics

To write your research paper topic, you should familiarize yourself with several things and that includes looking at sample research papers. Here are some sample topics to study:

1. Obesity in the American Society 
2. Juvenile delinquency among African Americans 
3. Dealing with stereotypes. A case study of terrorism connected with the Muslim community 
4. Healthcare in rural Asia 
5. Politics and Governance 
6. Religion in society
7. Democracy in autocratic states 
8. Industrialization in China
9. Social Media and its Impact on Politics
10. Online marketing in our world today

Final Thoughts 

Look out for a unique and specific topic idea to write about. Ensure that it has everything you need to write your paper from the beginning to the end. Having this picture in mind will help you pick an idea or topic that won’t be a problem when developing your paper.