Writing A Research Outline/Synopsis

(Defining the terms and Setting of

the problem)

PUTRI AULIA
4E
ACADEMIC WRITING
Defining the terms ?

printed
give definite
document for
definitions of the
referencing
“ key term”
Ex : “spoken language”

Longman Dictionary of
Language Teaching A Dictionary of
and Applied Linguistic, Linguistics and
Written by Jack Phonetics, written by
C.Richards et al David Crystal (1985)”
(1992)”
Setting of the problem

represent the current

or restate theories
Examples:
1.The problem:
in all five of the city’s high schools, an increasing number of
students have come to school under the influence of illicit drugs or
alcohol.
The questions:
• what is the incidence of drug and alcohol use among city’s high-
school students?
• how many students come to school under the influence of drugs
or alcohol?
• what steps can the school attempt to reduce such drugs and
alcohol use?
2.The problem:
Many of Lincoln Junior High School’s students – and
particularly boys – say they hate poetry, or else they display their
disdain for poetry by their obvious lack of enthusiasm when assigned to
read or listen poems.
The questions:
• why do some students dislike poetry?
• what methods could be used to change the student’s dislikes?
four general conceptualizations of a research problem
in the social sciences:
• Casuist Research Problem
• Difference Research Problem
• Descriptive Research Problem
• Relational Research Problem
 conclusion
As a college student, you have to know about synopsis.
Synopsis is like the first step when you are going to write your research
paper. It must be good and clear because the synopsis consist of general
view of your research later on. When you write your synopsis or other
academic writing, titling of the research outline, background, defining
the terms and setting the problems are the important things that you
have to do. You must make the interesting title for your synopsis. Then,
find the current issues to be used as your synopsis background. After that,
you must define every terms that you use in your research paper. It does
not mean you have to define all of the terms, just for the terms that you
feel important. And the last you have to set your problem to be your
focus in your research paper. There are some conceptualizations of a
research problem in the social sciences. You must understand about it
and you will be easy to set your problem.