Organizing your evidence

The body of your paper will consist of evidence in support of your thesis. Sometimes an rough sketch is all you need to begin to organize your evidence. Ned Bishop, the student who wrote about Fort Pillow, used a simple list of questions as the blueprint for his paper. In the paper itself, these became headings that help readers follow Bishop’s line of argument.

Some writers prefer to start with a formal outline, perhaps using complete sentences. Other writers sketch an informal plan that organizes ideas in bold strokes.

Exercise: Thesis statements in Chicago (CMS) papers 1

Exercise: Thesis statements in Chicago (CMS) papers 2

Related topics:

Informal plans and outlines

Formal outlines