How to write a term paper outline

To write a term paper outline, you need to understand your assignment, have a clear idea of your topic and research question, and a full complement of sources you plan to use. From there, term paper outlines come down to splitting your paper into standard sections, like introduction, methodology, results, discussion, and conclusions. If that already sounds like too much work, you can tap out and contact us with a write my paper for me request. EssayMarket experts will instantly take over. But if you want to overcome this challenge on your own, read on.

Term paper outline: definition

What is a term paper outline? It’s a structured plan for your term paper. It usually looks like a numbered list with several levels, including your chapter titles, subheadings, and major points for every section. Unless you have to submit an outline for grading as a part of your assignment, you can use any convenient format to help you navigate the term paper. 

Term paper outline structure

A term paper is basically a scientific article, so it stands to reason that they use the same standard layout. Here’s a common term paper outline outline you can adjust to fit any class, subject, and topic:

1. Working title. As the name suggests, it’s the first draft you can change later, as long as you preserve the overall topic and scope of the issue. Find the right balance between a concise and descriptive title, keeping it between 10 and 20 words long.
2. Introduction. This section should explain the relevance of your research, provide basic background information, and formulate your research question or thesis. Here, you can also outline the major tasks you’re going to complete throughout your research. 
3. Literature review. This chapter highlights your familiarity with the topic. Your goal is to present major trends and the current status quo, while emphasizing the knowledge gaps and discrepancies your research is going to resolve. Remember to cite your sources to avoid plagiarism accusations. 
4. Methodology. Whether your term paper includes empirical or theoretical research, you must outline your approach (qualitative or quantitative), experimental design, sample size, data collection and analysis methodology. This section should also describe any techniques, equipment, materials, or software you’re going to use. 
5. Results. Present your study findings. To make them easier to grasp, use tables, charts, and other visuals to present the data. Remember to include your analysis of the raw data and its implications. 
6. Discussion. This section can be combined with results to expand your analysis of the findings and how they relate to your research question or hypothesis. You should also explain your study’s limits and outline further research avenues. 
7. Conclusion. Summarize your results and analysis, linking them to your research question. Suggest implementation recommendations or other ways to adopt your findings to solve real-world problems. 
8. References. Follow the required formatting style to list all the sources you use and remember to include in-text citations to uphold academic integrity and pass plagiarism checks.

The final term paper will also need a title page and an abstract. If necessary, you may also include acknowledgements, pledges, or appendices. 

Step-by-step guide: how to write a term paper outline

Now that we’ve covered what the basic structure is, let’s go over the steps of how to write a term paper outline from the point you get your assignment to getting your professor’s feedback.

Analyze the assignment

Reread the task several times and make sure you have all the information you need to start working. Otherwise, you’ll have to wait for office hours to ask your questions about:

• Basic requirements: length, deadline, formatting style, number, and type of references.
• Topic and scope: you can get a specific topic to explore or have an option to choose from several options. 
• Additional requirements: extra chapters or sections you should add to your paper, a specific source you should use, etc.

Narrow your topic

If you’re lucky to get a free choice of the topic, ensure it fits the scope of your term paper. It should match the maximum word count. You can narrow the scope by adding “filters”, such as:

• Timeframe: a specific year, decade, or century.
• Location: one city, state, or country.
• Aspect: a single poem, book, chapter, or scene from a movie.
• Personality: one person, instead of a group.

You can also mix and match several filters if your topic is excessively broad.

Research the issue

Collect more sources than you think you’ll need and screen them to meet these criteria:

• Recent–published within the last 5 to 10 years, unless you’re working on a historical piece.
• Credible–written by respected authors and published in peer-reviewed journals.
• Objective–free from subjective or manipulative language, positions, or takes.

Take notes as you read the material to gain a basic understanding of the topic. Start batching your notes to help complete your literature review.

Formulate the research question

It’s not the same as your topic. It’s like a thesis statement for your term paper and can take on several forms:

• Research question. It’s better suited to theoretical research. Your whole term paper will be devoted to answering this one question.
• Hypothesis. It’s typical for empirical research. A hypothesis is your assumption or prediction of how your experiment will go. By the end of your term paper, you should either prove or disprove the initial hypothesis.

Map the main points

Once you have your sources and a research question, you can start mapping the term paper using the structure above or the template below. At this stage, you should have:

• A research question for your introduction
• Sources for your literature review
• Basic understanding of your methodology
• Expected results for your findings
• A list of references

Refine the outline by chapter

As you get deeper into the topic, you can refine and adjust your outline, adding several levels of headings and subheadings to every chapter. For example, your methodology can include the following subsections:

• Research design
• Sampling technique and sample size
• Ethical considerations
• Data collection techniques
• Data analysis methodology
• Acceptable deviations, etc.

Extra tips for outlining term papers

Now that you know the basics of how to outline a term paper, here are a few extra tips from EssayMarket experts:

• Start with broad issues and zoom in. To beat writer’s block, start with the standard chapter names and slowly add new layers and details under each section. When you feel like you know what each paragraph should cover, you’re ready to start writing. By the way, you can also use our term paper writing guide to help with this next step. 
• Keep your outline flexible. An outline is a map, but there’s more than one way to get where you need to be. So don’t be afraid to adjust your structure if you notice it no longer fits your narrative.
• Add more details than you’ll use. It’s easier to delete or cut extra points than add them to the finished piece. Even if it seems like a waste of time, think of these steps as your insurance policy for meeting the word count requirement.

It’s also important when it’s time to stop. Since outlining is important, it’s easy to convince yourself you’re being productive when you’re in fact procrastinating. Instead of endlessly fiddling with your outline’s formatting, at some point, you’ll have to start writing. It’s important not to miss this crucial moment, or you might end up missing the submission deadline, and all your hard work on the outline will go to waste. 

Common outlining mistakes

It’s impossible to master term paper outline writing on your first try. But we can help boost your chances by pointing out the biggest mistakes you can make. So, whatever you do, do not:

• Skip outlining. It’s not a waste of time, but a crucial step to help your writing. When you have a clear path to follow, you’ll have an easier time beating procrastination and writer’s block.
• Ignore your outline. Why prepare an outline for a term paper only to throw it out the window at the first chance? Even if you have to adjust it, this plan is vital to stay on track and keep your paper from turning into a mess.
• Miss an opportunity to get feedback. Show your outline to the TA or professor before you start writing. It’s your insurance policy against plagiarism suspicions. But it will also help catch and correct any mistakes early on.

Still, even if you aren’t sure you’re outlining right, don’t let it stop you. A bad outline is better than no outline at all. As you practice and use the techniques and templates we share, your outlining skills will improve. 

Example of a term paper outline

Theory is all well and good, but what does a term paper outline look like? Here’s a sample term paper for Econ 460 from Simon Fraser University titled “A Review of Franchise Theory”.

1. Introduction
2. Structure Of The Franchise Contract
3. Explanations Of Franchising
4. Franchising As A Method Of Capital Accumulation
5. Franchising To Ensure Agent Compliance
6. Spatial Issues Of Franchise Contracts
7. Conclusion
8. Bibliography

As you can see, although the chapter titles do not directly reference methodology or study results, the structure follows the standard outline we’ve shared above.

Another example is an outline of a research article, “State of the art and practice in AI in education”. Since term papers generally follow the same structure, you can use it as a template:

1. Introduction
2. A brief history of the future of AI in education
3. What is AI?
   1. Data-driven AI
   2. Knowledge-based AI
4. A Taxonomy of AIED
   1. Student-focused AIED
      1. Intelligent tutoring systems (ITS)
      2. AI-assisted apps
      3. AI-assisted simulations
      4. AI to support learners with disabilities
      5. Automatic essay writing
      6. Chatbots
      7. Automatic formative assessment
      8. Learning network orchestrators
      9. Dialogue-based tutoring systems
      10. Exploratory learning environments
      11. AI-assisted lifelong learning assistants
   2. Teacher-focused AIED
      1. Plagiarism detection
      2. Smart curation of learning materials
      3. Classroom monitoring
      4. Automatic summative assessment
      5. AI teaching and assessment assistant
      6. Classroom orchestration
   3. Institution-focused AIED
      1. Admissions
      2. E-proctoring
5. Roadblocks on the AI highway
   1. Ethics
   2. Personalization
   3. Efficacy and impact
   4. Techno-solutionism
   5. AIED colonialism
   6. Commercialization of education
6. Concluding vision
7. References

In this sample, you’ll see several chapters, as well as subchapters and more granular sections, but you don’t have to use that many in your term paper. 

Conclusion

Mastering a term paper outline format takes time, patience, and practice. While it’s not that challenging, it’s still a step above a basic essay structure. Hopefully, our instructions, tips, and samples will help you understand and conquer this vital writing step.
Even if it’s too late for you to make a term paper outline because your paper is due in a couple of days, don’t give up hope. Get EssayMarket experts to write a custom term paper for you. They’ll deliver your finished piece right on time for the submission deadline, and you can use all our tips on your next assignment.