Timelines are often used in research papers and textbooks, primarily to show the exact order of a series of related events. In situations where a timeline is used, the focus of the paper or section of text is often to analyze cause and effect of surrounding events on a larger, significant event. The timeline may be referenced within the text, or the section of text relevant to each timeline point may be cited within the timeline.
Instructions
1. Make a list of the timeline points that you wish to include in the paper. Include a summary of the impact made by each event.
2. Insert the timeline into your paper, either from another word processing document or a spreadsheet document. Create a name for the timeline, and a figure number if the paper contains multiple pictures, charts or graphs.
3. Refer to the timeline figure number or cite the figure number in parenthesis at appropriate points throughout the paper.
4. Go back to the timeline and add a corresponding page and section citation next to each point. The page and section number will direct readers to the section of the paper that discusses the impact of each timeline point.
Tags: figure number, each timeline, each timeline point, page section, section text
