Content

• Steps
• Part 1 of 4: Plan Type and Structure
• Part 2 of 4: Plan levels
• Part 3 of 4: Building an Effective Plan
• Part 4 of 4: Planning
• Tips

Drawing up a plan of research work and further publication of its results can take a lot of time, but this is the most important stage of research activity. A well-planned plan will help you effectively structure your research and publish the results. In this article, you will find a number of tips on how to properly plan a scientific work and / or publication.

Steps

Part 1 of 4: Plan Type and Structure

1. 1 Choose whether your plan will consist of only topic titles or whole sentences. If from topics, then the names of individual sections and subsections of the plan will be single words or short phrases. If the plan consists of sentences, its points are complete sentences.
   • Outlines from topics are usually used in cases where many different aspects (problems) are studied, which can be combined in different ways.
   • A plan of proposals is usually drawn up when researching a complex object.
   • Some are convinced that these two types of plan should never be combined with each other. Others, however, consider it acceptable combinations where the main points are expressed in short phrases, and the sub-points are in the form of more detailed sentences.
2. 2 Most plans use an alphanumeric numbering system. In this system, sections of the plan are numbered with numbers and letters.
   • Sections of the first (main) level are designated by Roman numerals (I, II, II, IV, etc.), the second level - in capital letters (A, B, C, D, etc.), the third - in Arabic numerals (1 , 2, 3, 4, etc.), the fourth - in lowercase letters (a, b, c, d, etc.).
3. 3 Pay attention to the use of capital letters. In plans from proposals, the names of sections and subsections always begin with a capital letter, like new proposals. In the plans of the topics, this is not always fulfilled.
   • Some people believe that the main points of the plan should be typed in full in capital letters, while the subheadings should use the standard rules for writing individual sentences.
   • Others believe that in the main points of the plan, it is necessary to capitalize only the initial letter of each word, and not all letters without exception. As for non-main points, they also recommend using the standard rules for writing sentences.
4. 4 Consider volume. Your outline shouldn't be more than one-fourth to one-fifth of your total publication volume.
   • For a four- or five-page scientific article, the outline will take no more than one page.
   • For a publication of 15-20 pages, the outline usually takes no more than four pages.

Part 2 of 4: Plan levels

1. 1 Start with a flat plan. Such a plan consists only of the main points, not including sub-points.
   • These items are numbered in Roman numerals.
   • Such a plan, as a rule, is not used in scientific publications, since it is too simple and not specified. However, it can sometimes be useful to use it as an initial sketch, which can then be developed and supplemented with the necessary details as you work.
2. 2 Go to a two-tier plan. Compared to the previous one, this type of plan is more common in research papers. It contains main sections, broken down into subsections.
   • Simply put, both Latin numbers and capital letters are present in this plan.
   • Each second level item should deal with some aspect of the main item to which this sub-item relates.
3. 3 Three-tier plan. Such a plan is even more complex, but when correctly drawn up, it will help you to more fully structure your scientific work.
   • This plan uses Roman numerals, capital letters, and Arabic numerals.
   • Each third level subsection should be part of the question raised in the corresponding top level section.
4. 4 Use a four-tiered plan if necessary. This number of levels should be enough for almost any complex structured research project. In this case, the numbering consists of Roman numerals, capital letters, Arabic numerals and, finally, lowercase letters.
   • The fourth level subclauses should relate to any statements, questions or ideas present in the corresponding third level subclause.

Part 3 of 4: Building an Effective Plan

1. 1 Use concurrency. Each heading and subheading should have a structure similar to that of the rest of their level.
   • This primarily refers to the observance of the same style (themes or proposals, see the paragraph "Type and structure of the plan" above).
   • Parallelism also applies to parts of speech and time. So, if one heading opens with a verb, the rest of the headings of the same level must also begin with a verb. Moreover, these verbs must appear in the same tense (usually the present).
2. 2 Agree on information. The information presented in the first main heading should correspond in importance to the information given in the second heading of the main level. The same rule must be adhered to for headings of other levels.
   • Your main points should indicate the main tasks or ideas.
   • In the subheadings, it is necessary to develop the questions indicated in the corresponding main headings.
3. 3 Observe the correct chain of command. The main headings should contain general information, while the subheadings should be more specific.
   • For example, when describing childhood memories, the main section might be titled Childhood Memorable Events, and the related subsections might be 8-Year-Old Holidays, Best Birthday, and Family Walk in the Park.
4. 4 Use separation. Each main point must be broken down into two or more sub-points. In other words, each heading must be followed by at least two subheadings.
   • The number of subsections is not limited, but if you have about a dozen subsections for each section, your plan will look cumbersome and confusing.

Part 4 of 4: Planning

1. 1 Identify the problem under investigation. As you prepare to write your plan, you must clearly define the problem you are going to study. This will set the general direction of your research and publication.
   • Based on the problem, formulate a thesis. A thesis is one sentence that summarizes the overall purpose or main content of your article.
   • The thesis, as a rule, is presented before the plan or is contained in the very first, introductory paragraph of the plan.
   • A well-defined problem will help you choose a job title.
2. 2 Set the main categories. You need to determine the range of main issues that you are going to cover in your work. All these issues will need to be listed in the introductory part of the work and included in the main headings of those parts of the plan in which the results of the work will be stated.
   • The main issues covered in your work and included in the main points of the plan should be rather general in nature, without excessive concretization.
3. 3 Think about the order. Take another look at the topic of your work and determine the best way to present information and results. Chronological or spatial presentation is possible, but, as a rule, when presenting, they move from general ideas to more particular ones.
   • Chronologically ordered presentation is used almost exclusively in cases where the topic of the work is closely related to history. For example, if you are studying the history of modern medicine, it makes sense to use this order of presentation.
   • If you are not dealing with history, you can use spatial order of presentation.For example, when describing the effect of video games on the brains of adolescents, you will probably use not chronological order, but describe the opinions and theories of various modern researchers on this issue, i.e. outline a spatial map of the distribution of ideas in front of the reader.
4. 4 Decide on the main points of the plan. The first and last item should be "Introduction" and "Conclusions" respectively. The rest of the headings will reflect the main categories (research questions) of your work.
   • Some experts oppose the use of the terms "Introduction" and "Conclusions". In this case, you can omit these sections, but then it is necessary to separately place your thesis before the rest of the points of the plan.
5. 5 Think about what to include in your introduction. At a minimum, the "Introduction" should contain a thesis. You can also briefly dwell on your own vision of the issue under study and its controversial points.
   • Please note that all of these elements will act as subsections of the main section entitled "Introduction".
6. 6 Think over the content of your plan. Each main heading of the plan should contain a phrase or sentence that refers to the main topic of your work.
   • As in the case of the publication itself, the main content of the work will be fully reflected in the main points of the plan.
   • The main headings should correspond to the main categories, which are briefly listed in the sub-paragraphs of the “Introduction” section.
   • You can include only the main ideas and the main elements of these ideas in the plan (two-level plan, see the section “Plan levels” above), or you can place more information and details in the plan (three- and four-level plans, respectively).
7. 7 Check out the Conclusions section. This section should not contain much information, but it should include at least two subsections.
   • Repeat the original thesis in other words.
   • If, in addition to this thesis, your research allowed you to draw additional conclusions, list them. Remember that all the information in this section should not be completely "new", that is, it should have been presented in the previous sections of your work when describing the results and discussing them.
   • If your work contains a “call to action” - for example, indicates the prospects for further research in one direction or another - please report it in this section as well. This is usually done at the very end of the plan.

Tips

• Realizing the importance of good plans will help you improve in making them.
  • A good outline helps you break your story down into blocks of meaning and tells you where to write about what.
  • The plan facilitates the logical and reasoned presentation of thoughts.
  • With the help of the plan, you can check at any time if you have deviated too far from the research topic.
  • Having a plan will spur you to work more actively on the publication, as you will see how much is left before the completion of the work.
  • The plan allows you to form different ideas around the same topic and to gain a deeper understanding of how these ideas relate to each other.