Academics · Study Skills

A question, a thesis
and a plan for every word.

Most research papers go wrong before the first sentence: a topic instead of a question, a body with no sources or an introduction that eats a third of the length. Write the question and thesis, then plan each section with its main point, its sources and its share of the words. The builder checks the plan against the target and sets three dates to finish by.

Outline a paperWhat you get
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Included with the Caveat Academy pass and Whole-school licenses. Or get it in the Study skills kit, $29 for 30 items.

Papers

The worked example is made up: a history paper on the 1918 influenza, a biology paper still missing sources and an economics paper planned too long. Saved on this device only.

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What you get

Academics · Study Skills$5

What you finish with
A record per paper: working title, course, due date, target length, research question, working thesis and each section with its main point, sources and planned words, plus five checks before drafting. Totals the plan against the target; flags missing sources, an oversized introduction and conclusion, a question that is not a question and sets research, draft and final dates.
Who it is for
High school and college students writing a research paper, and adult learners returning to academic writing.
Format
Browser builder with a saved record per paper. Prints the outline, every paper in a table or a blank outline form; downloads a spreadsheet (.csv); exports and imports a file.
Access
$5 one-time, yours on every device you sign in on; the tool opens once you are signed in with it. Included with the Caveat Academy pass and Whole-school licenses. Also in the Study skills kit ($29) and the Academics Suite pass ($149), and 1 more bundle. Everything you type stays in this browser; nothing is sent to Caveat.
Where it lives
The Study Skills space in Caveat Academics.
Support
Questions about access, an order or a correction: team@caveatacademic.com.

How to use it

  1. Write the question.
  2. Answer it in a working thesis.
  3. Plan each section and its sources.
  4. Fit the words to the target.
  5. Keep to the three dates.

Outline a paper

How an outline grows

From a topic to an outlineTopicThe 1918 influenzaToo wide to argue aboutA place to start readingQuestionWhy did death ratesdiffer between cities?Something the sourcescan answerThesisCities that closed earlyand stayed closed hadlower peaksAn answer someone coulddisputeFrom a topic to an outlineTopicThe 1918 influenzaToo wide to argue aboutA place to start readingQuestionWhy did death rates differ between cities?Something the sources can answerThesisCities that closed early and stayed closedhad lower peaksAn answer someone could dispute
The outline follows from the thesis: each body section is one reason or one piece of evidence for it.

Words per page

A double-spaced page in a standard 12-point font holds roughly 250 to 300 words, so a 10-page paper is about 2,500 to 3,000 words. Planning words per section, not pages, keeps any one part from swallowing the paper. A common rule of thumb gives the introduction and conclusion about a tenth of the length each.

Why a counterargument section

Taking on the strongest objection to your thesis is what separates an argument from a report. Writing guides from university writing centers recommend naming the objection fairly, then showing why your evidence still holds, or narrowing the thesis if it does not.

Sources

  1. Purdue Online Writing Lab. Developing an outline; thesis statements; research questions (owl.purdue.edu).
  2. The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Thesis statements; counterarguments (writingcenter.unc.edu).
  3. Booth, W. C., Colomb, G. G., Williams, J. M., Bizup, J., and FitzGerald, W. T. (2016). The Craft of Research, 4th edition. University of Chicago Press.
  4. Hatchett, R. J., Mecher, C. E., and Lipsitch, M. (2007). Public health interventions and epidemic intensity during the 1918 influenza pandemic. PNAS, 104(18), 7582 to 7587 (the worked example’s main source).

The worked example is made up, though its history sources are real. Your teacher’s assignment sheet sets the length, sources and citation style that count. Nothing you type is sent to Caveat. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.