Printable Research Paper Outline

This one-page research paper outline is for students, tutors, and writers planning a paper before drafting. It includes fields for Working title, Research question, and Working thesis. Below that is a table with columns for Section, Main points, and Sources, with rows for Introduction, Background / literature, and Methods.

Free printable · PDF

1 page
US Letter — choose “Fit to page” for A4
PDF, 62 KB

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Free for personal, family and classroom use.

Use it to organize your ideas section by section and keep sources in view while you plan. Fill in each row with the points you want to cover, then add source notes beside each section. Print it for class planning, homework, or a first draft roadmap.

Good for

Plan a research paper before writing
Organize sources by section
Map main points for each paper section

Tip: Print single-sided and use a pencil first so you can revise your thesis and section notes easily.

8 files · PDF, DOCX, XLSX

Get every sheet: Outline Template Pack

This sheet plus 7 more in one download, with the editable Word and Excel files. Printable and editable outline templates: five-paragraph and argumentative essays, compare-and-contrast, research paper, speech, story, presentation planner and blank alphanumeric and decimal outlines.

$5.00 USD, one-time 8 files · about $0.63 each