An outline is an organized overview of the material you are going to include in your paper. Some instructors will require a formal outline be turned in with your final paper, others will not. (MLA style does not require an outline for a research paper.)

 

You may find it helpful to do a preliminary outline. This can help you identify the subtopics you might have to address in your paper and the relationships between the parts and the whole. Using an outline can also help to keep you focused on information that is relevant to your paper.

 

As you prepare your outline, look through the information you have gathered. Decide what is relevant to your thesis and what is not. Decide on the best way to organize your information for presentation in your paper. Should you arrange it chronologically? Should you identify the causes of something and then its effects? Will you describe the steps in a process? Are you supporting an argument with a series of equivalent pieces of evidence?

 

If the final outline is to be turned in to your instructor, there are some specific formatting guidelines you should follow. Always be sure to check with your teacher for specific instructions, especially regarding how specific you should be in your outline. Some prefer that you put your thesis at the head of your outline. Some like to see specific quotations in the outline. Others will accept a more general overview of your work.

 

There are two general types of outlines. The more common type is called a topic outline. In a topic outline the information is presented in short phrases. Less common is a sentence outline in which all information is written in sentence form. Whichever format you select (or are assigned) be consistent.

 

The general order of arrangement of information is as follows:

 

I.

 

A,

 

1.

 

a.

 

(1)

 

(a)

 

(b)

 

(2)

 

b.

 

2.

 

B.

 

II.

 

Roman numerals designate the major divisions of the information in your paper. Capital letters indicate the major subtopics in each division. Arabic numbers indicate divisions of your subtopics.

 

Keep in mind, that if you have an A, you should also have a B (and perhaps a C, D, E, etc.) If you do not have a B to go with the A, you do not have to break it into subdivisions in the first place.

 

For a sample outline, see one of the sample papers.