Eng 104 Composition II w/Computers
The Research Project
Overview
In the course of the research project, you will write three drafts of the Formal Sentence Outline. The first will be written before you write the first draft of your research paper. It will predict the structure of your essay before you write it, showing the paper's probable major divisions and subdivisions. Next, when you write the first draft of your research paper (the Medium Version), you will revise your outline so that it reflects the actual contents of your finished paper. Finally, when you write the final draft of your research paper (the Long Version), you will revise the outline a second time to reflect the changes and additions you have made in your final draft of your research paper.
The Assignment
Note: Do not write an outline whose entries are single words, short phrases, sentence fragments, or questions. Every entry must be a complete declarative sentence of the sort which might actually appear in your research paper.
Remember that revised and updated revisions of this outline should be included with each of the assigned drafts of your research paper.
Outline Format
Outline Rules
2. Different sections of the outline may have different levels of detail. Give each section the amount of detail it requires.
3. Indent each successive level of the outline three spaces, and maintain even internal margins throughout the outline.
4. Double-space between all headings in the outline (or doublespace the whole outline and triple-space between headings).
Example of Typical Outline Structure:
Formal Sentence Outline
The Formal Sentence Outline is one of the assignments which make up the major Research Project in ENG 104 Online. Using the specified standard outline format indicated below, you will show the major divisions and subdivisions of your research paper, making every entry a grammatically complete declarative sentence.
Following all of the formatting guidelines and rules below (and using the sample outline in the Macmillan Writer as a model), write a formal sentence outline which indicates the structure and development of your research paper, showing its divisions and subdivisions. Make every entry of the outline a grammatically complete sentence.
Place the essay's thesis statement at the top of the outline. Most outlines contain three or four levels of detail (although more levels may be used if the writer wishes). The format for this assignment uses Roman numerals for the main, or largest, divisions of the outline (level one). Capital letters indicate the sub-levels of the main divisions (level two). Arabic numerals indicate the sub-levels of the capital-letter sections (level three). Lower-case letters indicate the sub-levels of Arabic-numeral sections (level four).
1. The Rule of Pairs: If you have a I, you must have a II; if you have an A, then you must have a B; if you have a 1, then you must have a 2, and so on.
A.
1.
2.
B.
II.
A.
B.
C.
III.
A.
B.
IV.
A.
B.
1.
2.
3.
C.
1.
a.
b.
2.
and so on . . .
Example Outline (partial):
I. The polygraph measures physiological changes In response to questions.
II. Private business uses polygraph testing for at least two reasons.
A. Employees are tested to thwart thievery.
B. Potential employees are tested to discover
characteristics that would make them undesirable.
III. Well-supported arguments can be made against the use of polygraph tests.
A. They intrude into an individual's private life.
B. They are demeaning to a person being tested.
C. The results are often read inaccurately.
and so on . . .
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