P & O

http://www.meaning.ca/archives/archive/art_how_to_write_P_Wong.htm

Research: What it is.

“A research paper is the culmination and final product of an involved process of research, critical thinking, source evaluation, organization, and composition. It is, perhaps, helpful to think of the research paper as a living thing, which grows and changes as the student explores, interprets, and evaluates sources related to a specific topic. Primary and secondary sources are the heart of a research paper, and provide its nourishment; without the support of and interaction with these sources, the research paper would morph into a different genre of writing (e.g., an encyclopedic article). The research paper serves not only to further the field in which it is written, but also to provide the student with an exceptional opportunity to increase her knowledge in that field. It is also possible to identify a research paper by what it is not.”

This site was helpful in writing my research proposal.

The site gave me a list or outline of the easist way to write a proposal: title, abstract, introduction, literature review, methods, results and discussion. The explanations under each bullet explained research proposal writing perfectly. I understand that a research proposal is intended to state or propose the main idea to the audience with enough support and detail to follow up with the reasoning of the topic. It is intended to convince others that the topic is strong enough to support a thesis and is research worthy. It is very important that the entire proposal has enough detail and is convincing enough for the audience.

http://www.aresearchguide.com/1steps.html

STEP 1. CHOOSE A TOPIC
STEP 2. FIND INFORMATION
STEP 3. STATE YOUR THESIS
STEP 4. MAKE A TENTATIVE OUTLINE
STEP 5. ORGANIZE YOUR NOTES
STEP 6. WRITE YOUR FIRST DRAFT
STEP 7. REVISE YOUR OUTLINE AND DRAFT
STEP 8. TYPE FINAL PAPER

The first explanation that I found on writing a research outline was a simple checklist that made it clear for me to understand the meaning of an outline. In each bullet, the advisor for the site explained, in full detail, each step to a complete, clear, and comprehensible outline. At this point, I had no problems writing an outline and using this as my guide.