Essay Outline Guide

• An essay outline is a basic structure for organizing various types of essays.
• It lists topics in order of appearance in different sections.
• Outlines are not written in complete sentences but contain information in lists.

Purpose of an Outline

• Outlines help writers organize thoughts and data.
• Outlines are easier and quicker to modify compared to essays.
• The overall organization of an essay is more apparent in an outline.
• Outlines help maintain a logical flow of ideas.
• Outlines ensure that no important information is omitted.
• Structure, quality of ideas, and organization in writing is improved through using outlines.

Essay Organization and Structure

• A common method is the five-paragraph format.
• The introduction ends with a thesis statement listing three main points.
• Paragraph 2 discusses point one with the first sentence as a topic sentence and the last sentence as a transition.
• Paragraph 3 discusses point two, similar to paragraph two, but transitions to point three.
• Paragraph 4 discusses point three, starting with a topic sentence.
• Paragraph 5 is the conclusion, restating the thesis in different words.

Types of Outlines

• Alphanumeric Outlines: Uses Roman numerals, capital letters, Arabic numerals, and lowercase letters.
• Decimal Outlines: Similar to alphanumeric, but uses the decimal system.
• Sentence fragments are typically used to show the format and structure of the whole essay.
• Full sentence outlines involve writing in complete sentences, with the benefit of already having part of the essay written.

Four Key Characteristics of Outlines

Parallelism

• Parallelism requires all items in a list to start with the same part of speech.
• Incorrect: "I Writing an Outline; II You need to write a rough draft; III. Edit"
• Correct: "I Create outline; II Write a rough draft; III Edit"

Coordination

• Coordination means items with the same number or letter have the same level of significance.
• Items following a Roman numeral should be main points.

Subordination

• Subordination orders ideas from general to specific or abstract to concrete.

Division

• Division requires each new designator to have at least two points.
• A writer cannot need to have a 1.1 without a 1.2 or a I without a II

How to Make an Outline for an Essay

• Understand the purpose and audience to determine content and language.
• Take notes and research, documenting sources.
• Create a thesis statement that states the main point.
• Brainstorm ideas without self-editing.
• Group relevant ideas under topic sentences.
• Support each topic sentence with details and evidence.

Other Strategies for Essay Outlines

• Create a reverse outline after writing the essay to check the organization and support.
• Verbally explain information and take notes to help with writing.
• Headings in an outline can coordinate with the paragraphs of an essay.