Graduate Research Paper Outline
A graduate research paper is a paper in which students are required to gather the information that they have learned throughout their leaning program and apply it in their field experience. A graduate research paper is written and presented before students can graduate their course. When writing a graduate research paper, you are not only required to present existing ideas on your topic but also to form new theories for those ideas based on what you have learned your entire course through critical thinking.
Graduate Research Paper Outline
The following is a graduate research paper outline:
1. Title
Write a simple title that accurately represents your research question and aim.
2. Abstract
Your abstract should provide a summary of what your research paper is about. You should also include your major findings and keep it short.
3. Introduction
The introduction should describe the research problem or research question and lay out the reasoning behind it. This reasoning is sometimes called a theoretical argument. It justifies the study in terms of a need for the information it will provide, in order to develop a theory. This chapter also includes an explicit statement of significance specific to the topic studied. It should explain why it is important to conduct the study. It should also clearly state what theoretical/practical reasons exist for wanting to know the answers to the research questions. Ph.D. students must explain how their research makes an original contribution to the body of knowledge in their discipline. This section may not be very long but it should be very powerful.
4. Literature Review
This chapter reviews what has already been written in the field on the topic of the research. The literature cited should support the theoretical argument being made and demonstrate that the author has a grasp of the major ideas and findings that involve their topic. This chapter, however, should not merely string together what other researchers have found. Rather, you should discuss and analyze the body of knowledge with the ultimate goal of determining what is known and is not known about the topic.
5. Methodology
This chapter describes and justifies the data collection method used. The chapter also outlines how you analyzed your data. Begin by describing the method you chose and why this method was the most appropriate. In doing so, you should cite reference literature about the method. Explain in detail every step of the data collection and analysis process. This section varies depending on the method and analysis techniques chosen.
6. Findings
This chapter addresses the results of your data analysis only. It should not include any discussion about other research literature or the implications of your findings. You should begin by outlining any descriptive analyses that were conducted. You should address the results of the tests of hypotheses. Use tables and figures to illustrate and summarize all numeric information.
7. Discussion
The purpose of this chapter is to discuss what your findings mean in relation to the theoretical body of knowledge on the topic of your profession. Begin by discussing your findings in relation to the theoretical framework introduced in the literature review. This chapter should also outline the limitations of the study and propose the areas for future research. You should finish off with a brief conclusion that provides closure.
8. References
Provide a list of all publications used for evidence and proof in your paper as the last section of the paper. Each article or paper used must be listed alphabetically by the last name of the author and the list must be numbered sequentially