MLA SAMPLE RESEARCH PAPER OUTLINE

MLA Sample Research Paper Outline
Contents
Introduction ……………………………………………………………………………………………………. 2
Background Information ……………………………………………………………………………….. 2
Thesis Statement …………………………………………………………………………………………. 2
Body Paragraph 1 ……………………………………………………………………………………………. 3
Topic Sentence 1 …………………………………………………………………………………………. 3
Supporting Evidence 1 ………………………………………………………………………………….. 3
Supporting Evidence 2 ………………………………………………………………………………….. 3
Supporting Evidence 3 ………………………………………………………………………………….. 3
Concluding Statement for Paragraph 1 …………………………………………………………….. 4
Body Paragraph 2 ……………………………………………………………………………………………. 4
Topic Sentence 2 …………………………………………………………………………………………. 4
Supporting Evidence 1 ………………………………………………………………………………….. 4
Supporting Evidence 2 ………………………………………………………………………………….. 4
Supporting Evidence 3 ………………………………………………………………………………….. 4
Supporting Evidence 4 ………………………………………………………………………………….. 5
Concluding Statement for Paragraph 2 …………………………………………………………….. 5
Body Paragraph 3 ……………………………………………………………………………………………. 5
Topic Sentence 3 …………………………………………………………………………………………. 5
Supporting Evidence 1 ………………………………………………………………………………….. 5
Supporting Evidence 2 ………………………………………………………………………………….. 5
Supporting Evidence 3 ………………………………………………………………………………….. 6
Concluding Statement for Paragraph 3 …………………………………………………………….. 6
Conclusion ……………………………………………………………………………………………………… 6
Restate Thesis …………………………………………………………………………………………….. 6
Summarize Paragraph 1 ………………………………………………………………………………… 6
Summarize Paragraph 2 ………………………………………………………………………………… 7
Summarize Paragraph 3 ………………………………………………………………………………… 7
Final Statement ……………………………………………………………………………………………. 7
Works Cited ……………………………………………………………………………………………………. 8

Introduction
The introduction should be between 5-7 sentences long. The first 1-2 sentences should provide background information on the topic to give context and introduce it to the reader. The last sentence of the intro should be the thesis statement, which presents the main argument of the paper.

Background Information
Music has evolved tremendously throughout history, with various genres and styles emerging and becoming popular over time. Today, hip hop music is one of the most popular and influential genres worldwide, especially among youth.

Thesis Statement
This paper will discuss the evolution of hip hop music over the past 40 years, from its emergence in the Bronx in the 1970s to its global popularity today, looking at key artists, styles, and cultural impacts along the way.

Body Paragraph 1
Topic Sentence 1
Hip hop music first emerged in the Bronx in the 1970s as DJs experimented with isolating and repeating drum breaks on vinyl records during parties and block parties.

Supporting Evidence 1
DJ Kool Herc is widely considered one of the pioneers of hip hop music, using two turntables to isolate and repeat the percussion “breaks” of funk and soul songs to get people dancing (Smith).

Supporting Evidence 2
Other early hip hop DJs like Afrika Bambaataa and Grandmaster Flash also helped develop hip hop techniques like beat juggling, scratching, and mixing (Mason).

Supporting Evidence 3
Emcees or MCs would provide energetic rap vocals over the beats to engage the crowd, with early pioneers including Kurtis Blow and The Furious Five (Mangena).

Concluding Statement for Paragraph 1
These early DJ experiments and emceeing at parties in the Bronx are considered the true origins of hip hop music in the 1970s.

Body Paragraph 2
Topic Sentence 2
In the 1980s, hip hop music evolved from an underground scene into the mainstream, propelled by iconic hip hop artists like Run-DMC and Public Enemy.

Supporting Evidence 1
Run-DMC released their hugely influential album “Raising Hell” in 1986, featuring the hit “Walk This Way” with Aerosmith, bringing hip hop into the mainstream (Fricke).

Supporting Evidence 2
Public Enemy emerged on Def Jam with a confrontational style, addressing issues like racism and inequality, especially on their album “It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back” (Mangena).

Supporting Evidence 3
Other notable artists included LL Cool J, Beastie Boys, Eric B. & Rakim, and KRS-One, expanding the lyrical and musical range of hip hop (Thorburn).

Supporting Evidence 4
Hip hop also started appearing regularly in pop songs and movies, being exposed to wider audiences (Mangena).

Concluding Statement for Paragraph 2
These key artists helped propel hip hop from underground parties to a mainstream commercial force with wider social and political influence in the 1980s.

Body Paragraph 3
Topic Sentence 3
In the 1990s and 2000s, hip hop diversified into many regional and commercial styles, becoming a truly global phenomenon.

Supporting Evidence 1
The 1990s saw the rise of regional styles like West Coast G-funk with Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg, Miami bass, and hip hop in the South with artists like OutKast, Goodie Mob, and UGK (Forman).

Supporting Evidence 2
Hip hop styles diversified commercially with pop-rap crossovers by Will Smith, Puff Daddy, and Ja Rule, and gangsta rap by Tupac, The Notorious B.I.G. and DMX (Thorburn).

Supporting Evidence 3
By the 2000s, hip hop had become the dominant genre worldwide, spawning global hip hop scenes and artists like Kanye West, Eminem, Drake, Kendrick Lamar, and Nicki Minaj (Mangena).

Concluding Statement for Paragraph 3
Over the past few decades, hip hop has fractured into countless regional and stylistic offshoots while achieving unprecedented mainstream commercial success on a global scale.

Conclusion
Restate Thesis
This paper has discussed the evolution of hip hop music over the past 40 years, from its origins in the Bronx to its diversification and global popularity today.

Summarize Paragraph 1
Hip hop music first emerged in the Bronx in the 1970s through DJs like Kool Herc experimenting with percussion breaks and MCs providing vocal accompaniment at block parties.

Summarize Paragraph 2
In the 1980s, artists like Run-DMC and Public Enemy brought hip hop into the mainstream with hugely influential albums, expanding its social and political influence.

Summarize Paragraph 3
The 1990s and 2000s saw hip hop fragment into diverse regional styles while achieving dominance globally, with icons like Dr. Dre, Kanye West, and Drake emerging on the world stage.

Final Statement
Throughout its evolution over the past few decades, hip hop music has grown to become one of the most popular, influential, and commercially successful genres in the world today while still reflecting diverse regional and stylistic iterations.

Works Cited
Forman, Murray. “`Represent’: Race, Space and Place in Rap Music.” Popular Music, vol. 19, no. 1, 2000, pp. 65–90. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/853712. Accessed 23 Apr. 2021.
Fricke, David. “Run DMC Look Back on 25 Years of ‘Raising Hell’.” Rolling Stone, 23 Feb. 2011, www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/run-dmc-look-back-on-25-years-of-raising-hell-170415/. Accessed 23 Apr. 2021.
Mangena, Thulisile. “The Evolution and Impact of Hip Hop Music.” Open Journal of Social Sciences, vol. 04, no. 04, 2016, pp. 160-165. Crossref, https://doi.org/10.4236/jss.2016.44018.
Mason, Patrick L. “Hiphop in History.” Origins of Hiphop, 2012, www.origins.volkenaire.net/history.html. Accessed 23 Apr. 2021.
Smith, Caleb. “A Brief History of Hip Hop.” LiveAbout, 16 Mar. 2021, www.liveabout.com/a-brief-history-of-hip-hop-2842402. Accessed 23 Apr. 2021.
Thorburn, David. “Contemporary Hip Hop Is Made by Six Mega-Publishers: Economist.” The Nation, 20 May 2020, www.thenation.com/article/society/hip-hop-consolidation/. Accessed 23 Apr. 2021.