Creating an OutlineBuilding Sub-Topics for Literature Review

Creating SubtopicsWeb Diagram to Identify Multiple Perspectives

Literature

Review:

Deductive

Reasoning

Attempting to

Prove

Statement, Theory,

or Hypothesis

Body of Knowledge

Information to back

hypothesis

Study is justified

due to BOK

Academic

Paper

Literature

Review:

Inductive

Reasoning

Attempting to

Answer

Open-Ended

Research Question

Body of Knowledge

lacking answer

Research Question

justified due to absence

Academic

Paper

What type of reasoning will you use?

Why?

Subtopics in your Literature Review

Subtopics in your Literature Review

Multiple perspectives that build to support your

own research question/statement

AND

Educate your audience prior to your own

research method

Deductive Example:Research Question: Which

color skittle has the most

flavor?

Research Statement:

13-18 year olds think that red

skittles have the most flavor.

Subtopics:

● Flavors of each Skittle

○ Skittle definition and exposure to skittles in popular culture

● Chemistry of Skittle Flavor Creation

○ Ingredients diversity based on color

● Physical Mechanics of Taste

○ How taste works in the human mouth

○ How smell influences taste

● Influence of age in tasting different flavors (sweet, salty, sour, bitter, etc.)

● Arrival at justification for research topic

Inductive Example:Research Question: What are the differences in emotional response of an

14-15 year old and 16-17 year old individual receiving a single package of

Skittles versus the share size package?

Subtopics:

● Definitions: Differences in Packaging

○ 14 oz single package

○ 41 oz share size package

● Influence of Quantity on Emotional Response

○ Include previous studies that study emotional response to quantity

● Age group Discussion (Educate Audience)

○ Behavior and External Influences of 14-15 year olds

○ Behavior and External Influences 16-17 year olds

● Arrival of Justification to tie all subtopics together to answer a research

question

Creating

a

Web

Diagram

Draw a circle in the middle of your paper.

(Large enough for two sentences...)

Write down your research question.

Do you have a research

statement/theory/hypothesis

that should follow that question?

Create the subtopics of your research question.

These should branch away from your main RQ.

Educate your audience from

all angles/perspectives of your topic.

Subtopics

will lead to

specific

pieces of

information

that need to

be shared

with your

audience.

RQSubDetail

Detail

Detail

Adding Details to SubtopicsBolstering Subtopics with Evidence from BOK

Subtopics

will lead to

specific

pieces of

information

that need to

be shared

with your

audience.

RQSubDetail

Detail

Detail

The details

that you add

to each

subtopic

should be

cited from

your BOK.

RQ

Sub

Sub

SubSub

Detail Detail

DetailDetail

Detail

Detail

Detail

Detail

Detail

DetailDetailDetail

Putting it all in order...Creating an Effective Outline

Where you

are... RQ

Sub

Sub

SubSub

Detail Detail

DetailDetail

Detail

Detail

Detail

Detail

Detail

DetailDetailDetail

Where you

need to be…

How should

you organize

your

information?

1. Main Topic

1. Subtopic

1. Detail with Evidence

2. Detail with Evidence

3. Detail with Evidence

2. Subtopic

1. Detail with Evidence

2. Detail with Evidence

3. Detail with Evidence

3. Subtopic

1. Detail with Evidence

2. Detail with Evidence

3. Detail with Evidence

4. Subtopic

1. Detail with Evidence

2. Detail with Evidence

3. Detail with Evidence

5. ...

Goal:

Educate and

then justify

Put your

subtopics in

order

Academic

Paper

Literature

Review

Introduction to Topic

Definitions or Details for

Audience Understanding

BOK Connection and

Multiple Perspectives

Preparing to Justify RQ/RS

Justification of RQ due to BOK