Writing Your Outline

1. 1
Choose a topic. Whether your work will be reflective, persuasive,
informative, research-based, or some combination thereof, you must
choose a general focus to help keep your thoughts on track.

2.
2
Determine the larger purpose of your work. Choosing an end goal will
not only give your topic direction, but also help you structure your paper
logically. (If youre writing a formal essay, write a thesis statement that
summarizes this purpose.) You might, for example, want to:

o Compare and contrast two things.
o Present cause and effect.
o Define or analyze a particular aspect.
o Present one side of an argument or both.
o Provide evidence and draw a conclusion.
o Present a problem, then provide a solution.
3. 3
Gather supporting materials. These might be quotes, statistics,
theories, images, plot points, or personal reflections depending on the
nature of your work.

4. 4
Decide how to generally order your supporting evidence so that it
supports your larger purpose. For example: if you are presenting a
historical overview, you may want to order things chronologically; if you
arguing for a literary interpretation, you may want to order things by
theme; if you are weighing two sides of an argument before taking a
stance, present the evidence that contradicts your stance first, then
dispel it with the counter evidence to end on a persuasive note.

5. 5
Decide whether to write a topic outline or a sentence outline. A topic
outline uses short, general phrases and can be useful if your outline is
very flexible; a sentence outline uses complete sentences and
addresses complexity and detail.

o Consider starting your outline as a topic outline with structural
flexibility and then converting it to a sentence outline as you go.
6. 6
Identify your main categories. Based on both the larger purpose of the
work and the nature of the supporting material you have found,
determine how best to break your larger topic down into logical
categories. These will form the first level of your outline, which is
traditionally labeled with Roman numerals (I, II, III, IV, etc.).

o When writing essays, it is very common to devote one category to
each paragraph: I. would be the intro paragraph, II. would be the
first body paragraph, and so on.
o Ex. If presenting a historical overview of the car, each
category might cover a major era in the cars history.
7. 7
Think of at least two points for each category. Select these subpoints
based on both the purpose of your paper and the list of supporting
materials you gathered earlier. These will form the second level of your
outline, which is traditionally labeled in letters of the English alphabet (A,
B, C, D, etc.).

o Indent the second level of your outline 0.5 to 1 inch past the first
level.
o Ex. If presenting a historical overview of the car, each point
might cover a typical engine model during that era.
8. 8
Expand upon your points with subpoints if necessary. This will
maximize the logical grounding of your essay work. Put these in the
third level of your outline, which is traditionally labeled in numbers (1, 2,
3, 4, etc.).

o Should you need to go another layer deeper into your outline, use
lowercase Roman numerals (i, ii, iii, iv, etc.), then lowercase letters
(a, b, c, d, etc.) and then finally switch to numbers (1, 2, 3, 4, etc.).
o It is unlikely you will need to have more than 4 layers in your
outline. Consider combining points if this is the case.
o Ex. If presenting a historical overview of the car, each sub-
point might address a technological innovation for that engine
model.
9. 9
Present your material in outline form. Order your categories, points,
and subpoints so as to lay out your larger purpose for the reader, using
indented levels of Roman numerals and regular numbers as
demonstrated below.

o Make sure your outline is internally consistent; if youre writing a
compare and contrast, for example, make sure that you compare
the same aspects of each item for a true side-by-side comparison.

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Edit Tips
Be concise and straightforward in your outline. This doesn't have to
be perfectly polished writing; it just has to get your point across.
Use outlines as a memorization tool. Choose concise words to
trigger a concept.
Don't be afraid to eliminate irrelevant information as you conduct
more research about your topic and narrow the area you want your
writing to focus on.
When you start creating an outline in Microsoft Word, it has an
automatic indentation feature that it imposes on your outline. If you
prefer to work with your own indentation system, read How to Make
Outline Text in Word.
Indent each level of your outline 0.5 to 1 inch past the previous
level.
Use a computer. Many provide outline tools. It's quick to add,
delete, or rearrange information.
Increase the indent by the same increment for each level; do not
indent .5 inches, then 1 inch, then .75 inches, etc.
Expand upon your assertions with evidence, warrants and
examples. Include proof in your outline to strengthen the bones of
your paper, and identify potential holes in your research.
Edit Warnings
Take your outline seriously, and it will go a long way in helping you
logically construct your paper. Many essays fail because their
general structure and organization is weak.
Your outline should not be your essay in a different form. Make
sure that you are only writing the major assertions of your piece
down, or referencing specific details/examples with taglines. Your
outline should be concise.
Generally, you should avoid only having one point or sub-point on
any outline level. If there is an A, you probably also need a B to
add complexity.
Edit Related wikiHows
How to Organize an Essay
How to Write an Annotated Outline
How to Organize Notes
How to Take Good Notes and Organize Them
How to Annotate a Book
How to Write Useful Notations in a Book
How to Write a Story from an Animals Point of View
How to Write a Personal Profile Outline
How to Write a Research Paper on the History of the English
Language
How to Outline a Term Paper
HINTS FOR GOOD NOTE TAKING


Ten Basic Steps:

1. Dont write down everything that you read or hear. Be alert and attentive to the main
points. Concentrate on the "meat" of the subject and forget the trimmings.
2. Notes should consist of key words, or very short sentences. As a speaker gets side-
tracked you can go back and add further information.
3. Take accurate notes. You should usually use your own words, but try not to change the
meaning. If you quote directly from the author, quote correctly.
4. Think a minute about your material before you start making notes. Dont take notes
just to be taking notes! Take notes that will be of real value to you when you look over
them later.
5. Have a uniform system of punctuation and abbreviation that will make sense to you.
Use a skeleton outline, and show importance by indenting. Leave lots of white space for
later additions.
6. Omit descriptions and full explanations. Keep your notes short and to the point.
Condense your material so you can grasp it rapidly.
7. Dont worry about missing a point. Leave space and try to pick up the material you
miss at a later date, either through reading, questioning, or common sense.
8. Dont keep notes on oddly shaped pieces of paper. Keep notes in order and in one
place.
9. Shortly after making your notes, go back and rework (not recopy!) your notes by
adding extra points, spelling out unclear items, etc.. Remember, we forget quickly.
Budget time for this vital step just as you do for the class itself.
10. Review your notes periodically. This is the only way to achieve lasting memory.

Taking Useful Notes:*

1. Use dashes for words when the speaker goes too fast. Leave space so that you can fill
in details later.
2. Use symbols to call attention to important words: underline, CAPS, circle, box, *, !, ?,
or .
3. When the instructor says, "this is important" get it exactly and * (mark it). Get a
reference to the text or other source if you can.
4. Dont erase a mistake and dont black it out completely. Draw a single line through it.
This saves time and you may discover later that you want the mistake.
5. Abbreviate Shortcuts, such as abbreviations, are alternatives to writing everything
longhand. Abbreviate only if you will be able to understand your won symbols when you
go back to study your notes. Be constantly on the lookout for new and useful
abbreviations and symbols to shorten your writing time. This will also increase your
listening time.

Commonly Used Symbols and Abbreviations:
& and
No. or # number
= equal to, is the same as
b/4 before
ref. reference
w/ with
> greater than
< less than
i.e., that is
vs. versus, as opposed to
e.g., for example
etc. et cetera
Q. question
b/c because
w/o without
*From "*How to Succeed in College" by Gerow & Lyng and "Study Skills: A Students
Guide for Survival" by Carman & Adams, Jr.


Note Taking Styles:


Outline Style
Outlines work particularly well when the material being presented is well organize and
when the information moves from main ideas to support detail. In an outline style of
note taking, each point being recorded is separately numbered or lettered.
Phrase Style
When the manner in which the lecture is presented approaches a situation much like
storytelling, jotting down phrases may be the best technique for note taking.
Vocabulary
Style
Many courses (particularly at the introductory level) deal exclusively with the
development of new vocabulary. As you take notes, one of your main objectives is to
list the new vocabulary items and to spell them correctly. Although your may just list
the words and definitions in your notes, these terms will have to be integrated with
textbook notes and other materials. You need to have these definitions handy so you
can formulate questions about concepts involving these words.
Drawing,
Graph, and
Problem Style
In many of your classes, your notes will be essentially non-verbal. Some obvious
examples include diagrams, mathematical formulas/problems, drawings, and all sorts
of charts and graphs. These pictorial representations are most important because they
condense and summarize information that is difficult to write out.



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