Outlining
What is an Outline?
An outline is a formal system to help you clarify your thoughts and organize your paper. As you continue through the research process, you may want, or be required, to compose an outline of your paper. First, ask your teacher the type of outline they require. The two most common forms of outlines are:
- Sentence outlines, which use complete sentences throughout.
- Topic outlines, which use only short phrases throughout. A topic outlines is not as detailed (and therefore is shorter!) than a sentence outline, but it still must be organized logically and formatted correctly
Format
- Use a proper heading, Roman numerals, capital letters, double-spaced throughout, full sentences, one-inch margins, 12-point type, and a standard font.
- Place the tentative title (centered) as the first line of text
- In a sentence outline, write 1-2 sentences (each) for the purpose and thesis. Label each accordingly.
- The outline should be in the format: I.A.1.a.(1.) (a.) . Do not use bullets or other numbering schemes. The descending parts of an outline are normally labeled in the following order:
- Consider using one of the outline templates found within most word processing programs.
- Or you can simply type your labels, and use the tab button to denote the levels of subordination.
Content
- Each outline entry (sentence) should be 10-20 words long (an occasional slightly longer sentence is fine, but no paragraphs).
- Write entries in the form of sentences that are concise, precise, and at a college level.
- Be sure to provide the in-text citation at the end of each sentence, just as you would for a college-level paper.
- Either paraphrase (and then cite) or create a sentence of your own (as long as it is common knowledge).
- The author and year are expected for paraphrases, summaries, or direct quotes; add the page number for a quote.
- Remember, if the information is not general knowledge, cite your source.
- If the information is general knowledge, no citation is required, so label the end of the sentence as ((N/A).
Helpful Tips
- Each Roman numeral should be the topic sentence of a paragraph.
- If you have an “A,” then you must have a “B” (If you do not have a “C,” then delete it from the template above).
- Specifically indicate the quotations and sources you will use in the paper.
- Number your pages by putting your last name and page number in the upper right corner.
- SAVE!!! Save early, and save often!
- Visit the following sites for more information
Last Revision: May 5, 2010
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