FOUNDATIONS OF SENIOR ENGLISH
Mr. Whitehead
Research Paper: Outline
Use the following steps and examples to guide you in creating your outline.
Steps to take when making your formal outline. For each step, I’ve given an
example from the sample term paper about Catch-22 and Slaughterhous-Five posted
on my web site
1. Write your thesis statement out.
Ex.
Catch-22 and Slaughterhouse-Five present exaggerations in terms of characters,
setting, and circumstances that satirize war and the senselessness it breads.
2. Do a draft of your outline where you essentially list the topics you want to cover or the
points you want to make to argue your thesis.
Ex.
I.
II.
III.
IV.
Introduction
Character comparison—how characters show absurdity of war
A. Actions of characters show contradiction, senselessness
B. Appearance of characters reflect author’s message about war
Setting/structure in both novels also shows senselessness
A. Setting both novels
1. Slaughterhouse
2. Island of Catch-22
B. Usage of time in Slaughterhouse
C. Circumstances of soldiers in Catch-22
Conclusion
3. Final outline. Now that I have a rough sketch, I can work on both wording/revising my
thesis statement and providing further detail to my outline: