An outline is a visual aid that, like a map, connects ideas within your paper to gauge the flow of your arguments and also to check for areas that require supplementary information. The outline thus makes your writing process easier, overcoming various stumbling blocks that may deter your efforts down the road. 

Read on to discover steps for developing a research paper outline and various parts of a paper. 

How to structure a research paper: parts of a research paper 

An outline is a crucial tool for your research phase. Some of the key steps for writing an outline include:

1. Select your research topic

Topic selection is always the initial step for essay writing. Your selected topic determines the extent of research required for your topic and also dictates the ease of writing your essay.

When selecting a topic, ensure that it piques your interest, to gain an internal drive to complete your paper. Also, ensure that there are enough secondary materials to support various claims within your paper, avoiding baseless claims. 

2. Conduct extensive research

After settling on a topic, interact with a vast range of materials relating to the ideas within your topic. A great starting point for your research could be Wikipedia and various referencing tools. After searching your main key phrase, these tools will guide you on relevant books and indicate more sources in the references section. 

Conversely, consult your librarian on the materials related to your topic, easing the task of research. 

3. Sort various related ideas

A good research paper should not only exhaust various claims but also address counterarguments on various claims. The paper should also be organized to achieve flow, transitioning from your claims and linking various arguments to lead to your conclusion.

For this, group related ideas and determine the transitions you could employ when shifting focus from one claim to the next. 

4. Group ideas into relevant sections

Next, sort out ideas into specific sections while determining the appropriate subheading if your paper will span multiple paragraphs. For the case of large research papers, we recommend that you outline each chapter separately to avoid confusion. 

5. Organize your research paper paragraphs

Finally, organize our ideas into paragraphs while including all the essential components of the paragraph. 

Research paper paragraph structure

The structure of your paragraphs is also essential in achieving the coherence of arguments within your paper. Unlike free writing, structured paragraphs keep you on track with your paper, ensuring that you don’t over-dwell on an idea.

The format of your paragraph contains a topic sentence, supporting evidence, a conclusion, and a transition to the next claim. 

Topic sentence – this sentence is akin to your introduction but for the idea contained within a paragraph. This sentence allows a reader to skim through your paper and get an overall gist of your arguments. 

The supporting evidence – this section of your paragraph tackles the evidence and analysis of the support of your claim. 

Conclusion – this sentence sums up the claims in your paragraph and links your paragraph to the next. 

Structure of a research paper

What are the parts of a research paper? The research paper outline may vary depending on the level of study and guidelines from your tutor. High school research papers are simpler in structure and comprise an introduction, a body, and a conclusion.

Conversely, college research papers have more sections with chapters such as the title page, the abstract, the literature review, the introduction, the methods, the results, the discussion, and a conclusion. 

Research paper outline template

When outlining a college paper, we recommend a piecemeal approach with an outline for every chapter. The high school outline may however be tackled as a unit to ensure the flow and coherence of claims within your paper. 

We recommend that you use the full-sentence outline to avoid confusion as you translate your outline into a paper. Your outline could thus appear as:

Title: The impact of homework on students’ performance

1. Introduction

1.1. Background information: Secondary students are reported to have an average of 23 hours of homework weekly (infomania, 2022).

1.2. Thesis: Too much homework is detrimental to performance. 

1. Body

2.1. Paragraph 1

2.1.1. Topic sentence: Homework takes up time for relaxation and may cause mental exhaustion. Mental exhaustion limits the capacity to focus in subsequent study sessions. 

2.1.2. Support: students in Kirwa’s (1987) research performed poorly when denied breaks. 

2.1.3. Conclusion: limited time off books may result in a lack of concentration, thus resulting in low comprehension and recall. 

2.2. Paragraph 2

2.2.1. Topic sentence: Students may compromise their sleep cycle in a bid to meet deadlines and avoid consequences. 

2.2.2. Support: Sleep deficit results in a compromised capacity to study (sleepy guy, 2019).

2.2.3. Conclusion: compromised sleep patterns may inspire stress and also result in lower focus and concentration. 

2.3. Paragraph 3

2.3.1. Topic sentence: This may result in stress, motivating students to cheat to complete the assignment. 

2.3.2. Support: if they cheat, they gain nothing from the assignment.

2.3.3. Conclusion: students may resolve to other means to avoid harsh consequences. 

• Conclusion

3.1. Restatement of thesis: Too much homework is detrimental to student performance.

3.2. Highlight key argument: triggers behaviors that cause stress and compromised focus and concentration. Results in unproductive study sessions and overall poor performance. 

3.3. Recommendation: limit homework to sensible hours, allowing students ample time to relax.

If you opt to write your paper without narrowing your topic you risk tackling irrelevant information or missing crucial arguments within your paper. It is thus crucial that your paper caters to all relevant arguments within your prescribed length.

Unfortunately, many students face an issue when it comes to selecting and defining their essay topics. Here, we’ll offer some tips on how to narrow a topic, helping you ensure proper topic selection. 

What is a narrowed topic 

A narrowed topic is a topic that defines various variables of analysis, ensuring that a paper can be exhausted within a specified length. Unlike a broad topic, the outline for a narrowed essay topic contains ideas that are relevant to a study and covers all questions within the thesis statement.

Also, narrowed topics yield a specific document upon research. This is contrary to broad topic ideas which may yield multiple documents addressing a diverse range of ideas related to your key phrase. 

How to narrow a research topic 

Having tackled the narrow topic meaning, let’s discuss how you can narrow a broad topic for an easier essay writing experience. 

1. Define the 5 W’s and single H

This is perhaps the simplest approach for narrowing your research topic. As you brainstorm your topic, clarify the what, where, why, when, who and how of your topic sentence. 

i.e.,

what? Tech integration

When? 21st century

Why? To improve teaching-learning and student performance

Where? Elementary schools in Rudolf

Who? Students

How? Through using audio-visual aids and virtual reality

From this, we can establish the topic: The impacts of audio-visual aids and virtual reality in teaching-learning and student performance in elementary schools in Rudolf.

This approach caters to all details you should consider in your topic, avoiding any ambiguity that could lead to an incomplete research paper.

2. Highlight your research perspective 

Often, you will be informed that a topic defined in two keywords e.g., drug abuse and poor performance is broad and unideal for a research paper. As such, you should work to narrow your focus from a general topic to a more specific idea.

For instance, instead of discussing drug use in college, come up with questions to establish the exact issue you intend to analyse within college drug abuse. These questions will guide your research efforts and enable you to focus your attention on more specific and relevant issues. 

3. Define the place

Defining the geographic unit of your analysis reduces the focus group, helping you specify various driving forces behind a phenomenon under study. As such, be keen to define the area to which your study is confined, therefore, overcoming any loopholes in your arguments. 

4. Analyse various components of your research paper

Can your variables of analysis be broken down into smaller components for precise analysis? For instance, the topic: of drug abuse in college can be narrowed to the triggers of drug abuse in college or the impact of drug use on students’ academic performance. 

5. Conduct research and develop an outline

After selecting a topic, conduct extensive research and prepare an outline of your arguments. This will give you a perspective of your arguments and serve as a basis for approximating your word count. 

The outline also helps you to gauge the completeness of your research and to sift irrelevant claims. During the research, we suggest that you pay close attention to the ideas you have encountered during class time and also consult emerging issues within a topic for inspiration for your thesis. 

Steps for narrowing down a topic

1. Select a general idea

e.g., student performance

2. Describe your focus

e.g., student performance in elementary school

3. Highlight the key aspects of your paper

e.g., the impact of tech integration on performance at an elementary level

4. Define the specific issues

e.g., tech integration in elementary-level teaching-learning approaches is beneficial for elementary students

5. Define the time and geographic region of your analysis

e.g., Tech integration in teaching-learning will help improve the performance of elementary students in Rudolph. 

Broad topics examples 

• Why is the word “religion” currently the most misunderstood? 
• How will life be altered by COVID-19 
• Regarding mental health, while withdrawn 
• prevention of childhood obesity 
• relationships over a distance 
• consequences of cheating in schools 
• Does our system of education fit our culture? 
• Is the death penalty moral?
• Should animal testing be permitted?
• Workplace sexual harassment

Narrow topic examples

• Is diversity beneficial to a team, and if so, why?
• Why are some sports more well-liked than others?
• Can theme parks serve a function other than entertainment, such as education?
• Are male friendships different from female ones, and if so, why?
• Does a person’s level of success in life depend on how attractive they are in general?
• How do we handle a massive influx of immigrants?
• What are the advantages of coffee and energy drinks?
• Why is communism the finest form of government in the world?
• The use of messengers harms communication culture.
• Do actors who portray murders and psychopaths put their mental health at risk?

Unfortunately, there are tons of consequences associated wither with exceeding or coming short of the research paper length. Sometimes, your tutor may fail to specify the word count of a paper, prompting the question: How many words should a research paper be?

Read on for an analysis of the typical word count and a guideline on the length of various sections within a research paper. 

How long is a research paper

The length of a research paper is influenced by factors including the level of study and the approach taken to investigate your topic. At lower levels, research papers are based on theoretical research and thus span fewer words compared to higher-level papers which require extensive research. 

Research papers may span between ten pages to hundreds of pages. However, ensure to consult your tutor or essay guidelines to establish the range to which you should limit your essay. In case the word count for a paper has not been specified, we recommend that you consult previous papers in your field to determine the preferred length of your essay.

Alternatively, develop a meticulous plan, limiting your outline to the relevant arguments for your topic. This allows you to exhaust your argument, ensuring that you capture all essential details of your essay argument. 

How long is a research paper in high school?

High school papers require little in the way of experiments and are thus shorter as they do not require sections for the analysis and interpretation of research data. High school papers comprise an introduction, a body section, and a conclusion.

The introduction of a high school research paper makes up 15% of the total word count. this section should tackle the background of your topic to justify your study and also introduce your thesis. 

The methods section shows your research approach and the justification behind various sources on which you based your claims. This section makes up 30% of your total paper word count. The results of a high school research paper present your findings, setting a base for your claims. As such, this part should be properly articulated and makes up about 26% of your paper’s word count.

The discussion and conclusion section outlines your claims with the relevant support from your sources. 

How long is a short research paper

Short research papers range between five to ten pages. These essays rarely require complex research methods, and thus need little in the way of data analysis and interpretation. 

Often, these essays are assigned as high school assignments or for short assignments in college. These papers help build critical analysis in a student, developing writing skills that come in handy in the latter years of their academics and research careers. 

How long is a typical research paper in college?

Research papers for bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees are more demanding than their high school counterparts. These papers may span hundreds of pages depending on the experiments and arguments on which your paper is based. 

Unlike the high school paper format, the college research paper comprises sections like:

• The abstract – 300 words
• The introduction – 10%
• Literature review – 20%
• Methods – 20%
• Results – 10%
• Discussion – 25%
• Conclusion – 5%

The methods, literature review, and discussion make up the bulk of your college research papers. these sections help you to bring focus to the research questions and to support your claims regarding a thesis statement. 

Final take

We hope that this article has sufficiently answered the question: How long is a research paper? If you are still confused with various aspects of your essay, reach out to our expert team for custom assistance.

However, a North Korean research paper may present a challenge in topic selection. Ranging from North Korea’s climate to its culture, education systems, and healthcare, you cannot run out of topics for a North Korea essay.

Unfortunately, this variety presents a challenge in selecting what to write about North Korea. Here, we’ve tackled various North Korea essay paper ideas to inspire your topic selection.

Debate topics about North Korea

1. North Korea’s foreign policy
2. The Impact of North Korea’s Human Rights Issues and UN Response to Violations of Human Rights
3. Is the North Korean Supreme Leadership’s reign coming to an end?
4. Power Transitions in North Korea
5. nuclear weapons impact from North Korea
6. What are the best ways to stop North Korea’s well-publicized nuclear projects from being terminated? 
7. North Korea’s Nuclear Program and America’s Response Commercials on the North Korean Language Censorship in North Korea? 
8. The summit between King-Jun Un and President Donald Trump: its effects and implications for denuclearization 
9. Discuss with examples why King-Jun Un is regarded as a tyrannical leader
10. North Korea is the location of the media
11. Since the divide, has South Korea experienced more advanced development than the North? 

Good research topics about North Korea

12. Relationships between the US and North Korea 
13. An examination of North Korean culture 
14. What is causing the conflict between North and South Korea? 
15. Speech-related Suppression in North Korea Executions in North Korea 
16. Korea, North Foreign Relations 
17. North Korea and the United States have diplomatic relations
18. The Korean War’s Place in History 
19. The North Korean Way of Life in Reality 
20. In North Korea, there is no freedom and human rights are violated

Most interesting topics on North Korea

21. North Korea’s invasion of South Korea 
22. North Korea’s Political Culture 
23. Difference Between North and South Korea’s Political Systems: North Korea 
24. the North Korean future 
25. Politics trump economic policy in the economy 
26. North Korea’s nuclear capability 
27. Relationships between North Korea and its neighbours 
28. North Korea’s handling of prisoners 
29. The economy of North Korea 

North Korea migration topics

30. Why is it so fearful of South Korea absorbing North Korea? 
31. What are the causes of the famine in North Korea? 
32. People Moving from North Korea into China 
33. North Korea from 1945 to the Present: Current Problems 
34. worldwide politics: Current issues in the North Korea Political Sphere
35. An examination of the North Korean population’s standard of living 
36. What Led North Korea to Develop into a Totalitarian State? 
37. North Korea’s foreign policy and terrorism 
38. the causes of the growing North Korean migration 

Topics to write about in North Korea

39. The Benefits and Drawbacks of Living in North Korea 
40. Essay on the Political System in North Korea 
41. media outlets in North Korea 
42. North Korea Is Going Crazy 
43. The North Korean test of missile defence 
44. a description of North Korea’s geography 
45. Why North Korea Needs to Stop 
46. Program for nuclear weapons 
47. North Korea and South Korea’s Policy 
48. North Korea’s official government website is accessible online. 
49. Dictatorship in Orwell’s view and North Korean society 
50. sanctions against North Korea, national security, and terrorism 
51. What We Learned from the Korean War Implications of the Korean War North Korea’s Dystopian Society 

Trending topics North Korea

52. Political and social shame in North Korea 
53. What Threat Does North Korea Pose to the US? Economic Sanctions Against North Korea 
54. Military Planning for the Korean War 
55. North Korea’s political and economic development 
56. Expatriate commerce in North Korea 
57. Why Did North Korea Get Nuclear Arms?
58. Theories of International Relations in the Context of North Korean Human Rights Issues 
59. North Korea Dissent by George Orwell 
60. In North Korea Authoritarianism

Final take

Selecting a great topic is a great starting point in ensuring a smooth essay writing experience. These essay ideas should guide your brainstorming efforts, helping you identify a topic that’s of interest to you. We also recommend that you ensure that there are adequate sources for your topics to ensure smooth research and a quality paper.