Making an Outline

A Plan That Builds an Essay

© 2001 by Ruth Luman

References
 Creating an outline before writing your paper
will make organizing your thoughts a lot
easier. Whether you follow the suggested
guidelines is up to you, but making any kind
of outline (even just some jotting down some
main ideas) will be beneficial to your writing
process.
 Aids in the process of writing
 Helps you organize your ideas
 Presents your material in a logical form
 Shows the relationships among ideas in your
writing
 Constructs an ordered overview of your
writing
 Defines boundaries and groups
 To show the hierarchical relationship or
logical ordering of information.
 For research papers, an outline may help you
keep track of large amounts of information.
 For creative writing, an outline may help
organize the various plot threads and help
keep track of character traits.
 Many people find that organizing an oral
report or presentation in outline form helps
them speak more effectively in front of a
crowd.
 Determine the purpose of your paper.
 Determine the audience you are writing for.
 Develop the thesis of your paper.
 Brainstorm: List all the ideas that you want to
include in your paper.
 Organize: Group related ideas together.
 Order: Arrange material in subsections from
general to specific or from abstract to
concrete.
 Label: Create main and sub headings.
 Parallelism - How do I accomplish this?
 Each heading and subheading should
preserve parallel structure. If the first heading
is a verb, the second heading should be a
verb.
 Division - How do I accomplish this?
 Each heading should be divided into 2 or
more parts.
 Coordination - How do I accomplish this?
 All the information contained in Heading 1
should have the same significance as the
information contained in Heading 2. The
same goes for the subheadings (which should
be less significant than the headings).
 Subordination - How do I accomplish this?
 The information in the headings should be
more general, while the information in the
subheadings should be more specific.
 What is an outline ?
Before you begin writing the first
draft of your essay, it is best to make
an outline. An outline is a general
plan of what you are going to write.
You can compare making an outline
to drawing plans to build a house.
Before one begins to build a house, it
is best to draw up plans to make sure
that a house is built in the way you
want. The same is true with writing
an essay and making an outline.
 The Benefits of an Outline
An outline of an essay can be very helpful for two
reasons:
 An outline will help make your essay more
organized. A careful plan will help your body
paragraphs stay focused on the ideas in your
thesis statement.

 An outline saves time for writers. Preparing an

outline can take time, but when you are finished,
you will be able to write the rough draft of your
essay more quickly than if you didn’t have an
outline.
 Example
Outline
Here is an example of how a blank outline might look:
Essay Outline

I. Introduction Thesis: _____________________

II. Body Paragraph #1- Topic Sentence: _____________

A. supporting idea
B. supporting idea
III. Body Paragraph #2- Topic Sentence: ____________
A. supporting idea
B. supporting idea
IV. Body Paragraph #3- Topic Sentence: ____________
A. supporting idea
B. supporting idea
V. Conclusion
 The Process
Making an Outline
In a formal outline, Essay Outline

Roman numerals can I. Introduction Thesis: ____________________

be used to represent
II. Body Paragraph #1- Topic Sentence: _________
paragraphs. Capital A. supporting idea
letters can be used to B. supporting idea
III. Body Paragraph #2- Topic Sentence: _________
represent supporting
A. supporting idea
details for the B. supporting idea
paragraphs. IV. Body Paragraph #3- Topic Sentence: _________
A. supporting idea
B. supporting idea

V. Conclusion
 The Process
Thesis Statement
To begin an outline, you need to start with your thesis
statement. The thesis statement will be your guide
throughout the process of writing your essay. From the
thesis statement, you can begin writing the topic sentences
for the body paragraphs in the outline.
ESSAY OUTLINE

Thesis Statement

Topic Sentence #1

Topic Sentence #2

Topic Sentence #3
 The Process
Topic Sentences

The topic sentence for each body paragraph

should support the thesis statement. The topic
sentences need to agree with the main idea or
subpoints in the thesis statement; otherwise,
the essay could be confusing.
 The Process
Topic Sentences
Topic Sentence Paragraph #1:

Thesis Statement The way you dress can have a big

impact on an interview panel’s first
A job interview can often impressions of you.
make or break your chances
of getting your dream job. Topic Sentence- Paragraph #2:
There are several things that An interview is an opportunity for
you can do in an interview potential employers to get to know you
to increase the possibility of better, so it is important that you
your success such as answer each question as completely as
dressing possible.
properly, answering
interview questions Topic Sentence- Paragraph #3:
thoroughly, and asking good By preparing some thoughtful
questions at the end of the questions for the end of the
interview. interview, you can show the panel that
you have prepared for the interview
and want the job.
 The Process
Supporting Details

Under the topic sentence for each paragraph,

list some of the supporting details, examples,
or ideas you want to include in each paragraph.
 The Process
Supporting Details
II. Body Paragraph #1:
Topic Sentence: The way you dress can have a big impact on
an interview panel’s first impressions of you.
A. Men and women should consider wearing
dark suits.
B. Conservative dress will show the interview
panel you are serious about what you do.
C. Don’t carry too many things into the
interview. A notebook, pens, and/or
supporting details, laptop computer should be carried in a
briefcase.
examples, and ideas
D. Hair and nails should be clean and neat.
 for potential employers to get to know you
better, so it is important that you answer each
question as completely as possible.
I. Introduction- Thesis Statement: A job
A. Ask interviewers to repeat questions
interview can often make or break your
you don’t understand.
chances of getting your dream job. There
are several things that you can do in an B. Take some time to think about the
interview to increase the possibility of your questions before you answer.
success such as, dressing
C. A notebook to write down key words
properly, answering interview questions
in interview questions is sometimes
thoroughly, and asking good questions at the
helpful.
end of the interview.
IV. Body Paragraph #3:
II. Body Paragraph #1:
Topic Sentence: By preparing some thoughtful
Topic Sentence: The way you dress can have a
questions for the end of the interview, you can
big impact on an interview panel’s first
show the panel that you have prepared for the
impressions of you.
interview and want the job.
A. Men and women should consider
wearing dark suits. A. Research the job and/or company
before you go to the interview.
B. Conservative dress will show the
interview panel you are serious B. The interview is your opportunity to
about what you do. get to know your potential employer.
Ask questions about company goals,
C. Don’t carry too many things into the
mission, expectations of employees,
interview. A notebook, pens, and/or
etc.
laptop computer should be carried in
a briefcase. C. Don’t ask questions about benefits or
salary during the interview. You
D. Hair and nails should be clean and
should try to get this information
neat.
before you apply for the job.
III. Body Paragraph #2:
IV. Conclusion: Don’t underestimate the
Topic Sentence: An interview is an opportunity importance of a good interview.