Your Name
Grey Matters Article Proposal
Sample Outline
TOPIC: How to write a Grey Matters Article
INTRODUCTION
 Bring readers in with first sentence—explain what Grey Matters is and what people can
gain from writing an article
 Transition to consider the challenges with writing an article—balancing a thorough
explanation of scientific concepts and making it accessible for a layperson
 Reference 1: Selby & Bosma-Moody, 2015. Research that shows that these aspects are
the most challenging pieces when writing a Grey Matters article.
 Conclude by noting the major solutions to these challenges—how to understand
research, properly include supporting evidence, writing clearly, and organizing the
article in a thoughtful manner.
FIRST SECTION: Collecting Research
 The first step to writing an article is identifying a topic/angle for the article
 Once you’ve identified a topic, you need to collect sufficient studies/evidence for the
argument you plan to make
 Reference 2: Jones, 2012. Explain study about authors who write first then find
citations—use to show that you should collect your research before beginning your
article
 Great places to check are PubMed, Google Scholar, PsycInfo, the UW Libraries general
search, and other scholarly searches
 STAY AWAY FROM non-peer reviewed sources if AT ALL possible
 Keep your resources well-organized—include all sources and how you plan to use them
in an outline (like this!). Think about summarizing studies in a paragraph or two at the
bottom of your outline so you can jog your memory about each study when citing.
 A final note: don’t stop collecting research after you start writing. You will inevitably
need to collect more research/evidence as you develop your paper—don’t be lazy!
 Reference 3, 4: Smith, 2009 and Doe, 2011. Both studies show that you should definitely
have quite a few resources at this point in your outline. Use Smith to show that you
need to sufficiently back up each argument you make, and Doe to show that sufficiently
explaining each piece of research you cite makes your article much stronger.
SECOND SECTION: Clarifying your Writing
 ETC: At this point you should get the idea of an outline. Clearly lay out exactly what you
plan to talk about and how you plan to use each resource you cite. Please number
citations at the bottom of your outline in full APA format.