Composition II Research Paper Outline Example

  Not in anyway giving anyone permission to plagiarize or copy this and also not verifying the authenticity of any of the information. Also note that there are probably no sources listed and I am not one myself, so don't quote me. This is just some of my homework; thought it might be interesting to someone:

ENC 1102

10/31/2011

Research Paper Outline

1.       Thesis:  With the population of the world expected to exceed seven billion in 2011 and obesity becoming a larger problem in America every year, a vegetarian diet is the most healthy, efficient, and humane way for people to eat.

2.       Audience: Anyone who is concerned with healthy eating, animal welfare, environmentalism, or sustainability. I intend to reach this audience by using a combination of factual information and appeals to reason.

3.       Outline:

I.                    Introduction

a.       Discuss the current state of food system

b.      Introduce idea of vegetarianism

II.                  Health benefits of vegetarian diet

a.       Decreased chances of obesity (Sabate and Wien)

b.      Decreased chances of disease (USDA)

Transition: Better health and a longer life are not the only benefits of vegetarianism. There is also much evidence that our current system of producing food from animals has a surprisingly negative effect on the environment.

III.                Environmental benefits of vegetarianism

a.       Current system of producing meat creates waste pollution (USDA, EPA)

b.      Contributes majority of greenhouse gases (Scientific American)

Transition: Not only does producing meat using factory farms have a harmful effect on the environment, it also costs taxpayers hidden fees and takes food from the mouths of the hungry.

IV.                Inefficiency of current system

a.       Food and water ratio of input to output grossly inefficient (Gardella)

b.      Hidden costs to taxpayers and animal diversity

Transition: Even with a flawless system of agricultural production, modern consumers should consider the cruel living conditions that animals are subjected to so that they can eat according to their tastes.

V.                  Animal welfare: Living conditions

a.       Confined and cruel living areas of meat-producing animals (Foer, Times)

b.       Unhealthy conditions of animals in factory farms

Transition: Many may consider the sufferings of animals to be minor compared to the needs and desires of humans, but how fair and accurate is that assessment?

VI.                Animal welfare: Case for rights

a.       Intelligent and social animals killed for food (Singer, Foer)

b.      Humanize animals, point out ways in which they are more similar to us than different (Singer, Foer)

VII.              Conclusion: The conclusion is where the points made throughout the paper will culminate in the most logical choice of a vegetarian diet. Because most body paragraphs will not be advocating a vegetarian diet, but will be aimed at pointing out the inherent issues of a non-vegetarian diet, the conclusion will be where the reader can associate the issues most pertinent to them with the proposed solution of vegetarianism.