This document provides instructions for drafting a research paper outline. It explains that students should revise their initial outline based on research collected, refining the thesis and organization of topics. Facts and sources should be added with parenthetical citations. Extra information that does not fit the topic should be removed. The visual used must be integrated into the outline. The purpose of the revised outline is to provide a clear argument supported by research and to allow easy drafting of the paper. It will also serve as a template for the introduction.

1. Step 2: Drafting
AP Language Research Paper
K. Shimabukuro

2. Let’s review where we’ve been…
 STEP 1: PREWRITING
 Decide on a topic to write about.
 Write a thesis for your argument.
 Create a rough outline of your topic.
 Do your research.
 Notes/Sources (10 of them)
 Inclusion of a graph, chart, political cartoon, visual

3. Here’s where we are…
 You will revise your outline based on your research
 Look at your thesis- based on the information you found, do
you have to revise it?
 Refine/revise what major topics you’ll cover. Organization is key
in a research paper, so make sure you’re organizing your
information into mini-topics.
 Add specific facts and information based on your research.
 I suggest that you include parenthetical citations next to your
information so that it’s easier to write the rough draft later. This also
prevents inadvertently forgetting to cite sources later.
 Remember, your notes were organized by source, here you want to
organize by topic.
 Is there information you will not use because it does not fit into
your general topic?
 Where will you integrate your visual?

4. Sample Outline- click on the image to
go to the webpage source

5. Another sample- click on image
to go to the webpage source

6. The Revised Outline
 The purpose of this revised outline is to give me a clear idea
of your argument, and the facts that support it.
 These are the things I’ll be looking for:
 The quality of your notes as well as the strength of the
argument.
 The organization of your argument, to make sure that your sub-
topics support your thesis and are clearly connected.
 How you integrate your visual
 Your response to counter arguments
 Your conclusion/final thoughts on the topic
 Remember, this revised outline should allow you to easily
write your rough draft later in the week.
 This revised outline will also serve as a template for your
introduction later in the week.