Outlining
An outline is a map of your essay. It shows what information each section or paragraph will contain, and
in what order. Most outlines use numbers and/or bullet points to arrange information and convey
points.
Why create an outline?
Outlining is a tool we use in the writing process to help organize our ideas, visualize our paper’s
potential structure, and to further flesh out and develop points. It allows the writer to understand how
he or she will connect information to support the thesis statement and the claims of the paper. An
outline provides the writer with a space to consider ideas easily without needing to write complete
paragraphs or sentences.
Creating your outline:
Before beginning an outline, it is useful to have a clear thesis statement or clear purpose or argument,
as everything else in the outline is going to work to support the thesis. Note: the outline might help
inform the thesis, and therefore your thesis might change or develop within the outlining process.
Organize your outline in whatever format fits into the structure needed for the type of paper you are
writing. One common outline format uses Roman numerals, letters, and numbers. Other outlines can
use bullet points or other symbols. You can use whatever organizational patterns work best for you and
your paper, as long as you understand your own organizational tools. Outlines can be written using
complete sentences or fragments or a mix of the two.
Remember! After creating your outline, you may decide to reorganize your ideas by putting them in a
different order. Furthermore, as you are writing you might make some discoveries and can, of course,
always adjust or deviate from the outline as needed.
Sample Outlines:
As you can see in the outline below, the writer chose to separate the outline by topics, but could have
utilized a different structure, organizing the outline by separate paragraphs, indicating what each
paragraph will do or say.
Example 1:
Introduction
A. Background information
B. Thesis
Reason 1
A. Use quotes from x
B. Use evidence from y
Reason 2
A. Counterargument
1. They might say…
2. But…
Conclusion
A. Connect back to thesis
B. Answer the “so what” or “what now” question
C. End on a memorable note
Note: The sample outline above illustrates the structure of an outline, but it is quite vague. Your outline
should be as specific as possible.
Proposal Outline:
Summary/ Synopsis of proposed project
• Rationale
• Specific aims and objectives
• Experimental approaches to be used
• The potential significance
Specific Aims
•X
•Y
•Z
Background and Significance
• Background
• Significance to current project
• Significance to long-term research objectives
• Critical evaluations of existing knowledge
• Forward progress
Preliminary Data
• Description of prelim data to justify the rationale
• Demonstrate feasibility of the project
Experimental Design and Methods
• Details of design and procedures
• Protocols
• Means of data analysis and interpretation
• New methodology and its advantages
• Potential technical difficulties or limitations/ alternative approaches
References
• Citations
Note: Outlines can look quite different. You might use Roman numerals to indicate the main point or
function of that section, and then letters to indicate separate sub-points, and then even bullet points or
numbers to indicate specific information, like using certain quotes, sources, evidence, or examples.
Adapted From:
Los Angeles Valley College Writing Center, “How to Make an Outline” 2/2/15
Northwestern University Collaborative Learning and Integrated Mentoring in the Biosciences, “A Basic
Proposal Outline”
San Jose State University Writing Center, “Essay Planning: Outlining with a Purpose” Spring 2014
