How to Write an Outline

During some point in your academic career, you will likely need to write a report, thesis or article that may require an outline. A well-constructed outline can serve as a roadmap to help you navigate your subject and its related subtopics to make your meaning clear and your message effective. So, whether you need to prepare a book report or write the next Great American Novel, learn how to write an outline to help make the writing process smooth.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Learn How to Write an Outline

1. Define your targeted audience. Knowing your readership will help you to determine how much information and supporting facts will be necessary to support your main idea.
2. Determine the type of outline to use. If the piece you're going to write is nonfiction, then you'll want to structure your outline so that your introduction conveys your main point and the subsections contain facts that support your central idea or argument. For fiction, begin with a synopsis of the story line and then break down subsequent subsections as appropriate, such as details about character development, their conflict and how they find resolution.
3. Draft the basic outline by writing out your main points as a list, leaving adequate space between each for subsections. Make sure each point follows a logical progressive order to reach a conclusion. For fiction, this stage of the outline might highlight each turning point in the story.
4. Label each main point in your outline with a Roman numeral. For example, I. Introduction, II. Main Body, III. Supporting Facts, IV. Conclusion. Note that a period follows Roman numerals.
5. Indent five spaces under each main point to add subsections. Then label each subsection with a letter, as in A., B., C., etc. Again, note the use of the period after each letter.
6. Flesh out the subsections of your outline with third level sections (known as tertiary categories or points), if applicable. To do this, label the third level points by number.
7. Write your paper, article or report following the outline you've created.

Tips & Warnings

• While taking notes during your research, have the outline in front of you. That way you can mark your notes with the specific section and subsection the information corresponds with for easier insertion into the final paper.
• Keep it simple. Too many subsections can lead to frustration for when pulling the piece together. It can also lead to confusion on for your readers due to irrelevant information that doesn't serve to illustrate or support your main idea.

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