different types of outlines for essays

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Four Main Components for Effective Outlines

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Ideally, you should follow the four suggestions presented here to create an effective outline. When creating a topic outline, follow these two rules for capitalization: For first-level heads, present the information using all upper-case letters; and for secondary and tertiary items, use upper and lower-case letters. The examples are taken from the Sample Outline handout.

Parallelism—How do I accomplish this?

Each heading and subheading should preserve parallel structure. If the first heading is a verb, the second heading should be a verb. Example:

• CHOOSE DESIRED COLLEGES
• PREPARE APPLICATION

("Choose" and "Prepare" are both verbs. The present tense of the verb is usually the preferred form for an outline.)

Coordination—How do I accomplish this?

All the information contained in Heading 1 should have the same significance as the information contained in Heading 2. The same goes for the subheadings (which should be less significant than the headings). Example:

• VISIT AND EVALUATE COLLEGE CAMPUSES
• Note important statistics
• Look for interesting classes

(Campus and websites visits are equally significant. They are part of the main tasks you would need to do. Finding statistics and classes found on college websites are parts of the process involved in carrying out the main heading topics.)

Subordination—How do I accomplish this?

The information in the headings should be more general, while the information in the subheadings should be more specific. Example:

• Favorite high school teacher
• Grandparent

(A favorite teacher and grandparent are specific examples from the generalized category of influential people in your life.)

Division—How do I accomplish this?

Each heading should be divided into 2 or more parts. Example:

• List relevant coursework
• List work experience
• List volunteer experience

(The heading "Compile Résumé" is divided into 3 parts.)

Technically, there is no limit to the number of subdivisions for your headings; however, if you seem to have a lot, it may be useful to see if some of the parts can be combined.

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Introduction

Once you have determined your main points, assemble a working outline. The outline can range from a simple sketch of what you essay will look like to a specific point by point outline complete with topic sentences. The idea is to provide yourself with a visual diagram of where your essay will go. The outline shows the sequence of your essay and the main ideas to keep in mind while writing. Three types of outlines are most commonly used. They are: alphanumeric outline, full sentence outline, and decimal outline. Sample outlines listed below are borrowed from Purdue Ow l site.

Alphanumeric Outline

Full Sentence Outline

Decimal Outline

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Writing an Outline

An outline is a plan for writing a paper. They are commonly used as a prewriting strategy after a brainstorming process and before writing the first draft. According to the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.), “Creating and using an outline helps you identify main ideas, define subordinate ideas, focus your writing, avoid tangential excursions, and find omissions” (2020, p. 126). Overall, outlines help writers map the order of ideas and see the links between them in order to ensure all the information is unified on the main idea(s), ordered logically, and developed adequately.

Alphanumeric Outlines

The alphanumeric outline is the most common type of outline. The formatting goes in the following order: – Roman Numerals – Capitalized Letters – Arabic Numerals – Lowercase Letters An example of an alphanumeric outline is below. This and the other sample outlines are for an essay about a future career.

Pursuing a Medical Career

I. Prospective Career in the Field of Medicine     A. Job title     B. Job description         1. Job responsibilities         2. Job requirements             a) Schooling needed             b) Experience of skills needed         3. Projected salary

Topic Outlines

A topic outline uses headings and subheadings for each point, each topic heading and subheading is formed with words and phrases rather than complete sentences.

Choosing a Career

I. Chosen Career     A. Career title     B. Career description         1. Possible job responsibilities         2. Requirements to acquire the career             a) Higher education degree needed             b) Advancement opportunities within the field         3. Starting and future salary

Full Sentence Outlines

A full-sentence outline format is the same as an alphanumeric outline, except that it uses full sentences for each point throughout the outline.

A Career in Medicine

I. There are many prospective careers in the field of medicine.     A. One important medical career is registered nursing.     B. The job description of a registered nurse (RN) varies depending on the facility and doctor the nurse works with. Generally, a nurse focuses on the care of patients.         1. RNs have several job responsibilities.             a) RNs promote good health and prevent illness, administer medications under the supervision of doctors, and keep records of patient symptoms and progress.             b) RNs also education patients and the public about medical conditions, treat and help patients in their rehabilitation, and provide advice and emotional support to patients’ families.         2. Higher education is required to become an RN.             a) To be an RN, one must obtain an associate’s or bachelor’s degree in nursing.             b) A mater’s degree in nursing is also expected at some medical facilities or for some nursing specialties and for advancement.         3. The annual projected salary for a nurse can range from $30,000 to $100,000.

Decimal Outlines

The decimal outline is similar to the alphanumeric outline; however, the decimal outline includes decimal notation that indicates how every level of the outline relates to one other.

• Research careers     1.1. Choose a career     1.2. State chosen career title         1.2.1. Explain career responsibilities         1.2.2. Explain career requirements             1.2.2.1. Provide educational requirements             1.2.2.2. Describe potential advancement opportunities

Strategies for Effective Outlines

Effective outlines are written with attention to word forms and sentence structures. Specifically, the following elements of writing style are important for creating a coherent and clear outline.

Parallelism

Repeating the syntactical structures of subsequent clauses, phrases, or words creates coherence (unity and soundness) in writing and improves readability. We call this kind of intentional repetition “parallelism.” Each of the sample outlines in this resource also illustrates parallelism. Here’s another example:

Parallel I. Choose prospective career. II. Provide career responsibilities. III. Discuss educational requirements.

In the example, each phrase begins with a present tense verb, so each is parallel in structure. If one of the verbs was in another form, or if the point began with a noun instead of a verb, the points would not be parallel making it harder for a reader to see how the ideas link together to form a logical (coherent) organization.

Not Parallel I. Choosing prospective career II. Provide career responsibilities. III. Educational requirements

Coordination

All the information contained in the first heading should have the same importance as the information or subtopic in the second heading and third, etc. Similarly, the subheadings should be equal in importance to one another. In the following example, points I, II, and III are each main points with balanced importance in the paper. The points with lesser importance, the supporting details, are given in the next level of the outline:

I. Research your prospective career. II. Evaluate your prospective career responsibilities.     A. Explain significant responsibilities     B. Note additional responsibilities required.

Subordination The information in the headings should be more general, and the information in the subheadings should be more specific. In the example below, to describe a career would be to provide an overview or general information whereas stating the job title and explaining the job responsibilities would be to provide specific details.

I. Describe your prospective career     A. State your job title.     B. Explain your job responsibilities.

Each heading should be divided into two or more parts. For instance, if there is a I, there should also be a II, and if there is an A, there should also be a B, and if there is a 1, there should also be a 2 and so on.

I. Describe your future career.     A. State the job title.     B. Explain the job responsibilities. II. Evaluate employment forecast for this career.     A. Discuss hiring trends.     B. Provide employment/unemployment statistics.

Selecting an Outline Strategy and Other Outlining Tips

When selecting an outline, it is important to consider your purpose for writing an outline, the audience who will read the outline, and the course and any assignment requirements for your outline.

Additionally, your specific topic and thesis statement, as well as the number of supporting points in your thesis, may also help you determine the best outline strategy.

When including research in an outline, every instance of source information requires an APA in-text citation and a full citation on a references list.

Microsoft® Word has an outlining feature. To access this feature, click on the Home tab and scroll to the Paragraph settings, and click on the appropriate outline format.

• Select Home tab as shown in Figure 1.
• Scroll to paragraph settings as shown in Figure 1 and select an outline option.

American Psychological Association. (2020). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.). https://doi.org/10.1037/0000165-000

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Writing Instruction Tutorial

In this section.

• General Outline Form
• Topic Outline
• Sentence Outline
• Bubble Outline
• Quiz Reviews

Introduction

An outline helps students with their writing. However, it does not work out a paper in its entirety. An outline should never be the paper or repeat the paper line by line. An outline serves as a plan for writing and may assist students with understanding reading material. While an outline may be formal or informal, it serves several important purposes:

• It helps students to stay focused on the subject.
• It helps students to develop ideas.
• It helps students to organize ideas.

Among the different types of outlines are the jotted outline, topic outline, sentence outline, paragraph outline, and bubble outline or its variation tree-branch outline. This site will focus attention on the topic , sentence and bubble outlines, which are the most commonly used.

The jotted outline, although the simplest, still requires following certain form requirements. Jotted headings must be grammatically parallel, structurally equal, and effectively balanced. The logical relations between headings should always be clear. The easy format is appropriate for short papers. As with all outlines, the thesis must be prominent at top. Like a list, the jotted outline numbers each main heading in sequence followed by a few pertinent supporting elements.

Jotted Outline Example

Cigarette Cool?

Thesis: Despite the "cool" factor, we must admit that cigarettes are harmful.

• Social benefits - make you feel accepted, give you something to do, and make you feel grown-up.
• Economic benefits - support a major industry, provide jobs, and contribute to other related industries, like advertising in different media.
• Psychological hazards - control you, take away your independence, and make you a follower rather than a leader.
• Physical hazards - pose a risk to your heart and lungs and shorten your life expectancy.

This outline is easily converted into an essay. The major points are succinctly stated with subordinate elements in abbreviated form following each heading. The main headings and the lesser ones follow parallel structure. Each heading contains a noun and an adjective. "Benefits" and "hazards" are the nouns and "social," "economic," "psychological" and "physical" are the adjectives that are part of the main headings. Lesser elements are also in parallel form, for example the verbs "make," "give" and "make."

One purpose of the paragraph outline is to break down difficult reading material — a complex essay or a chapter in a textbook. Students may better understand the material by constructing the paragraph outline. The format begins with the thesis . A general heading should be formulated for the first section. After the general heading, topic sentences for each paragraph are listed in the order in which they occur in the essay.

Paragraph Outline Example

Conductors and Critics

Thesis: Conductors and critics are often viewed as inhibiting music by musicians.

Conductors are capricious figures, either hams or tyrants.

• The musician views the conductor as an egomaniac with a flair for the dramatic.
• The role of the conductor creates these emotions in the musicians, for he must control and direct the many specialists under him.
• Musicians resent the credit given to the conductor, his more lucrative salary and his celebrity.
• The conductor sees his instrumentalists as lazy and difficult, like children who need discipline.

Besides the conductor, the musician, especially the soloist, sees the critic as equally suspect.

• The critic has tremendous power, capable of influencing an audience and ruining a career.
• Musicians often view the critic as a "frustrated" performer although when the critic "attacks" a rival, he is embraced.
• Both the conductor and critic are considered superior to the music historian or musicologist.

See essay: Joseph Pensman. "Classical Music and the Status Game," Transaction , 4, 9 (September 1967), 55-59.

Longer, more complex writing assignments are better served by the topic and sentence outlines. The bubble outline may be helpful for both informal, shorter writing assignments and more formal, technical presentations as a useful visual aid.

An outline is not the paper, nor should the entire paper be written in outline form. It is merely the skeleton that needs flesh put on it to make it come alive. Some writers need to see a concept in visual terms and, therefore, find the bubble outline works best. Other writers like the orderly and concise topic outline. The type of outline to use depends on the nature and purpose of the writing assignment and, to some extent, an individual's personal preference.

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Creating a Working Outline

An outline is a systematic way of organizing your ideas for your paper. Any list can be an informal outline and may work for your purposes. Sometimes you may want to use a formal outline to manage your information as your research expands. This can help you organize your information as you draft your paper.

Many writers organize their work more quickly and easily when they first make an outline of the material they wish to cover. Since you already know your main points, the writing goes much faster. Also, outlining helps to discover if you have enough supporting reasons on the topic or evidence to prove a point, so you don’t waste time writing full paragraphs on a topic about which you have little to say.

The organizing principle of your outline will depend on your topic, the argument you intend to make, and the expectations of your audience. There are as many types of outlines as there are writers! Some people work better with longer outlines of complete sentences; others find that simple keywords do the trick. Whether you are developing a topic outline or a sentence outline, keep the following points in mind: 

• Work from your thesis statement. Everything in your essay needs to connect to your thesis, which is the main idea of the essay, so drafting a tentative one first can help unify your points as you start outlining. In fact, it's wise to put it at the top of your outline for reference. However, you will often find that your points change as you start to outline. Just make sure to adjust your thesis to fit with the direction of the rest of your essay. See Thesis Statements for tips on drafting one.
• Most word processing programs will automatically fill in the numbers and letters when they recognize that you are creating an outline.
• Start with broader topics by adding in major points. These can eventually turn into the topic sentences of each paragraph. 
• Then work toward the specifics with supporting details and evidence. Make sure to put the citations for any evidence from sources in the outline too. This will save you a lot of time later and helps to avoid accidentally plagiarizing.  
• Lastly, it may be helpful to include analysis in your outline as well. This means following the evidence with explanations of why it is important or useful to your point. 

You can easily build on your outline to the point where you have full paragraphs. Just remember to take out the outline formatting (numbers and indentation) before submitting a full draft of the essay. 

Sample Outline

An outline of a writing project can serve as a reliable road map to your project’s destination. By outlining your key points, you can ensure that your most important ideas do not get left behind. The following outline structure can be helpful as you develop your individual outlining style. This is a general outline structure. Some types of writing or assignments may require different sections and/or organizations, so check your assignment directions carefully. 

A. Introduction

1. Hook or attention grabber  

2. Introduce Area/Persons of Focus 

3. Provide context, background information, and/or key terms 

4. Thesis statement 

B. Background (optional depending on the type of paper)  

1. Historical Overview

2. Link between history and current events

3. Gaps in the current materials

C. Major Point I: _____________________  

1. Minor point related to Major Point I 

 a. Evidence (Name your sources in your outline!)  b. Analysis of evidence 

2. Minor point II related to Major Point I

 a. Evidence  b. Analysis of evidence

D. Major Point II: ____________________

1. Minor point related to Major Point II 

 a. Evidence   b. Analysis of evidence 

2. Minor point related to Major Point II 

E—G. Other Major Points, following the structure of C and D.

H. Conclusion

1. Restatement of thesis and summary of main points 

2. Connect back to the audience by explaining why they should care 

3. Next steps in the research and literature conversation 

4. Limitations in the research 

5. Final note like a suggestion or prediction 

Outlining is not the only prewriting activity you can try. See the KU Writing Center writing guide on  Prewriting Strategies  for more ideas.  

(Updated July 2022)  

• TemplateLab

Essay Outline Templates

37 outstanding essay outline templates (argumentative, narrative, persuasive).

Writing an essay can seem like an overwhelming task, and planning beforehand is essential to success. An essay outline will help you to structure and organize your essay so that it flows coherently. Essay outlines work for all kinds of essays and will save you time and stress.

There are various different ways to structure an essay, and using an essay outline template allows you to decide on the best structure for your essay. Whether you want a balanced argument, or if you’re trying to persuade someone of your idea, then there will be an essay outline that works for you.

Table of Contents

• 1 Essay Outline Templates
• 2 What is an Essay Outline Template?
• 3 Essay Outline Examples
• 4 What Different Types of Essay Outline Templates Are Available?
• 5 Why are Essay Outlines important?
• 6 How Do You Structure an Outline for an Essay?
• 7 Essay Outline Samples
• 8 What is the Format of a Five-Paragraph Essay Outline? 
• 9 How to Write an Effective Essay Outline
• 10 Free Essay Outlines
• 11 Create an Effective Outline Using an Essay Outline Template

You can download and print one of our free essay outline templates to help you plan the perfect essay.

What is an Essay Outline Template?

An essay outline template is essentially the essay plan. It provides students with a clear structure before they write their essay, including all of the main points that are necessary for their writing.

Planning an essay outline beforehand makes the process of essay writing a lot less daunting, providing students with a guideline to follow whilst writing their essays in detail. In the world of academic writing , an essay outline serves as a tool to organize and structure thoughts before delving into the actual writing process. Many students underestimate the significance of creating an essay outline, often resulting in disorganized and incomprehensible essays.

Essay Outline Examples

What Different Types of Essay Outline Templates Are Available?

Essay outlines can be used for any college essay, research papers, a contrast essay, speech writing, or an expository essay. There are a range of essay outline templates to use, and they vary depending on the style of essay you are writing. These include:

• Argumentative essay outline
• Narrative essay outline
• Contrast essay outline
• Literary analysis essay outline
• Persuasive essay outline
• Expository essay outline
• College essay outline
• Descriptive essay outline
• Reflective essay outline

Depending on the purpose of your essay, there will be a different structure to suit your writing and your writing process. For example, an argumentative essay outline may follow a more traditional five-paragraph essay outline, while a literary analysis essay may follow a more detailed essay outline template.

Why are Essay Outlines important?

Of course, you can write an essay without planning. However, it will likely read as unstructured and lacking in coherence. Essays that follow an essay outline template present as more well-researched, clearer, and with a thoughtful structure throughout.

• Planning makes perfect If you are writing to argue a point or explore a range of viewpoints, essay outlines are crucial to prepare before you begin writing in detail. Writing should not be an immediate, quick process; the best essays are drafted, re-drafted, edited, and finalized. If you use an essay outline, this will be reflected in the quality of your work. As a teacher, it is clear to me when students have not taken the time to plan their work. Their writing seems messy and rushed. Essay outlines provide structure and balance to any long piece of writing.
• Save time during the writing process Planning is the hard part of essay writing. During the planning process, you will be brainstorming your ideas and cultivating your overall viewpoint or argument. This means that when you come to write the essay, those ideas are already there. All you need to do is formulate them into sentences and paragraphs. An essay outline makes the process of writing the essay itself so much simpler. With the essay outline template, you will have the bulk of your ideas and the structure of your essay there to follow. It will save you time when it comes to writing the essay out in full.

How Do You Structure an Outline for an Essay?

Depending on the assignment, essays can follow a range of structures, and there are many different ways to structure an essay outline.

Before you begin to structure your essay outline, there are a few things to consider:

• Check your assignment guidelines . Your teacher or professor may have specified a certain number of words or pages for the essay, which can affect how you structure it.
• Consider the purpose of the essay. Is it to argue, is it a persuasive essay, or is it to reflect upon something? This will greatly help you to form and structure your essay, as you may need to compare and contrast ideas throughout your writing.
• Who is your audience? If this essay is purely for academic purposes, then your essay may follow a more traditional structure. However, if your essay is for a speech or a college application, then the structure may be more unconventional and include more of your own thoughts and experiences.

While there may be variations in essay outline structures depending on the specific requirements of the assignment, some general guidelines can be followed. You should edit and adjust your essay structure depending on the tone, audience, and purpose of your essay.

Typically, an effective essay outline comprises three primary sections: the introduction, the body paragraphs, and the conclusion. Each of these sections serves a unique purpose and contributes to the overall coherence of the essay.

• Introduction The introduction section of an essay outline introduces the topic and provides relevant background information to engage the reader. It also includes the thesis statement, which presents the main argument or claim of the essay. To structure the introduction in the outline effectively, writers can utilize a hook to grab the reader’s attention, provide context, and end with a strong thesis statement.
• Body Paragraphs The body paragraphs section of the essay outline supports the thesis statement with relevant evidence and arguments. The number of body paragraphs may vary depending on the required length of the essay. However, it is common to have three body paragraphs, each focused on a specific supporting point. In the outline, writers can include subpoints, evidence, and examples for each body paragraph to ensure a coherent and logical flow of ideas.
• Conclusion The conclusion section of the essay outline summarises the main points discussed in the body paragraphs and restates the thesis statement. The conclusion should not be an afterthought in the essay writing process. This part of the essay helps to tie all of your ideas together and is reflective of a well-structured essay. It is crucial to end the essay on a strong note, leaving a lasting impression on the reader. To structure the conclusion in the outline, writers can briefly restate the thesis, review the main points, and provide a final thought or call to action.

Essay Outline Samples

What is the Format of a Five-Paragraph Essay Outline? 

A five-paragraph essay outline is a common essay structure used for academic essays. It is particularly useful for shorter essays or beginners who are just starting to develop their writing skills. Many high school students or first-year college students benefit from following this structure.

The format consists of five paragraphs, as the name suggests – an introduction, three body paragraphs, and a conclusion.

• Introduction In the introduction of a five-paragraph essay outline, writers should begin with an attention-grabbing hook to capture the reader’s interest. This can be achieved through a relevant anecdote, a rhetorical question, or a shocking statistic. This helps to immediately capture the reader’s attention and begin the essay strong. Next, provide some background information on the topic and end the introduction with a clear thesis statement that encapsulates the main argument of the essay.
• Body Paragraphs The three body paragraphs of a five-paragraph essay outline each focus on a specific supporting point, which aids in the development of the thesis statement. Start each body paragraph with a topic sentence that introduces the main idea of the paragraph. Following the topic sentence, writers should provide evidence, examples, or arguments to support the main point. It is essential to ensure a logical flow between paragraphs and maintain coherence throughout the essay. This can be done through the use of connectives at the start of each body paragraph, such as ‘Firstly,’ ‘Secondly,’ and ‘Furthermore.’
• Conclusion The conclusion of a five-paragraph essay outline restates the thesis statement and summarizes the main points discussed in the body paragraphs. However, it is vital to avoid introducing new information in the conclusion. Instead, writers should provide a thought-provoking final statement or reinforce the significance of the essay topic.

How to Write an Effective Essay Outline

Each writer will have their own unique approach to essay writing, but preparing an essay outline does not require you to reinvent the wheel. You can follow these simple steps to craft an effective, useful, solid outline.

• Read and Understand the Assignment Before beginning the outline, thoroughly read and understand the essay assignment, including any specific guidelines or requirements from the instructor. This will help in determining the length, topic, and structure of the essay. Understanding the assignment in detail also enables you to plan how you will carry out your preliminary research for the essay. Adaquete reading and preparation also helps you to establish the purpose of your essay, which will determine which essay outline template will work best for you.
• Brainstorm and Organize Ideas Start with brainstorming ideas related to the topic. Here, you should establish the key points of the essay based on your research. Once ideas are generated, you can organize them into meaningful categories or subtopics. In an argumentative essay outline, for example, you will need to compare and contrast ideas. By placing all the main points into categories in an organized manner, you can create a logical flow within the essay, making it more engaging for the reader.
• Choose an Appropriate Outline Format Decide on the outline format that best suits the specific essay requirements. Depending on the complexity of the topic, your essay may be formatted differently. An expository essay will differ from a research paper, for example, so be clear on which outline will work for you. It is also essential to decide on the number of main points to be included based on the required length of the essay. Sometimes it is best to discuss fewer points in greater detail, particularly for a literary analysis or narrative essay.
• Develop Thesis Statement and Main Arguments Craft a strong and clear thesis statement that encapsulates the main argument or claim of the essay. Then, determine the main arguments or supporting points that will be discussed in the body paragraphs.
• Organize Supporting Points and Supporting Evidence Arrange the main arguments in a logical order, keeping in mind the flow of ideas. Ensure that each supporting point is backed up by sufficient evidence or reasoning to strengthen the overall argument. This will also help you to write a strong conclusion to complete your essay.
• Review and Revise After creating the initial essay outline, review and revise it to ensure coherence, logical flow, and adherence to the assignment requirements. Make necessary adjustments and rearrange the outline if needed. Then, you can start writing your essay by following the outline.

Free Essay Outlines

Create an Effective Outline Using an Essay Outline Template

Creating an essay outline is a crucial step in the writing process that should not be overlooked. Whether it’s an argumentative essay outline, a literary analysis essay outline, or a persuasive essay outline, an essay outline template can help you to structure and organize your points in a thoughtful and clear way.

By structuring an essay outline effectively, using the appropriate format for a five-paragraph essay, and following the steps to write an essay outline, writers can ensure a well-organized, coherent, and compelling essay. Utilizing an essay outline template not only enhances the writing quality but also saves time and effort in the long run.

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Writing Center

Writing a formal outline, organizing key points into a clear, logical framework.

Formal outlines are not required by most writing instructors. However, an outline can help writers refine ideas in the prewriting process by organizing key points into a clear, logical framework. They can also help keep you from wandering off-topic. An outline serves as a blueprint of a to-be-finished paper. Most students find that producing a well-organized outline before they begin writing makes it easier to get started.

There are two major types of outlines: topic outlines and sentence outlines.

A topic outline allows writers to organize the topics of a paper quickly without going into details. It may use noun phrases, infinitive phrases, or gerund phrases instead of sentences.

A sentence outline allows writers to crystallize ideas by summarizing a paragraph’s point or a major sub-point in a paragraph in one clear sentence. It also enables the writer to judge the overall organization of their paper in terms of clarity, coherence, and flow.

Visit the following sites for more information and examples:

• Four Main Components for Effective Outlines
• Topic Outline Example

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Types of Outlines: Alphanumeric, Full-Sentence, & Decimal Outline

What is the importance of an outline in academic writing?

Above all, an outline reduces the time you spend on writing. You can significantly facilitate your work if you know what to write in advance.

Believe it or not, we also created an outline for this article. That is why we spent only 4 hours writing and another 1.5 hours planning – 5.5 hours in total. We would have needed twice as much without an outline.

Our best experts worked hard to make this article for you. It is full tips and helpful information on creating an outline. Besides, here you’ll find decimal, full-sentence, and alphanumeric outline examples. Let’s begin!

• 🗂️ Outlining Rules & Types

🔡 Alphanumeric Outline

🧮 decimal outline, 📑 full-sentence outline, 🗂️ importance, rules, and types of outlines.

An outline is a plan of your text that structures and orders its content. It is more like a basis for your writing/speech than a strict guide. An essay outline gives you a general idea and keeps you organized. At the same time, it is flexible and alterable.

We will start our discussion by defining the importance of outlining, its rules, formatting, and types.

Importance of an Outline

So, what are the benefits of an outline?

• The information is ordered logically. It helps to organize knowledge of different types and see flaws at the very beginning. If something doesn’t look appropriate, you notice it in your outline.
• A text has frameworks. It is so important both in technical writing and when you get creative. Knowing the borders helps you filter the information you find while doing research.
• You stay focused. There are so many sources that can distract you. With an outline, you know what to look for, what has to be accomplished, and what comes next.
• Time management improves. When you know how much work you need and what to expect, your time perception upgrades instantly.
• Additional motivation. Setting milestones and seeing the progress keep you interested in what you do.

Outline Rules

Of course, your approach may change depending on the type of outline you choose. We will discuss the basics in this passage.

First of all, you need to identify your research problem. Then divide it into the main categories that will become outline headings. Complete it with more specific subheadings.

When it comes to organization, we suggest chronological order (if possible). You can also arrange the information in any other logical sequence: use Roman or Arabic numerals.

Here are the rules that apply to all types of outlines:

Types of Outlines

The two main types of outlining are topic outline and sentence outline .

What are the differences?

• In a topic outline, each heading should be a single word or a phrase.
• For a sentence outline, there have to be complete sentences in headings and subheadings.

Below, we will describe the types of outlines you might use for your assignments. Choose the most convenient for your paper. If you have to hand in your outline, consult your instructor first.

An alphanumeric outline is the most common type of outline. You need to use numbers, letters, and periods to organize headings and subheadings.

Here’s an alphanumeric outline template for you.

A decimal outline, as the alphanumeric one, uses the same format for organization and hierarchy. The main difference is that you use only numbers to create it.

Have a look at a decimal outline template.

A full-sentence outline . The main requirement is to create complete sentences for each heading or subheading. The hierarchy is the same as in the alphanumeric outline. It is the most popular type of outline for traditional essays.

Check how a full-sentence outline looks like.

You can use topic or sentence points in an alphanumeric outline. The main requirement is to follow outline rules defining hierarchy and aligning your thoughts logically.

At first, write down your thesis statement or topic. Decide on the main points – parts of the thesis. Make them the first level of your hierarchy, add less essential points – following levels.

How to Write an Alphanumeric Outline

An alphanumeric outline requires periods after each point. Here are the outline numbering rules:

• Use Roman numerals to list the main ideas (I., II., III., IV., …). And always capitalize words.
• Use capital letters for major details of the ideas (A., B., C., D., …).
• Use Arabic numerals to provide minor details (1., 2., 3., 4., …).
• Use lowercase letters if you need further division (a., b., c., d., …).

Check the alphanumeric outline template below.

Alphanumeric Outline Example

Let’s say it is an essay on nutrition.

We will start with a thesis.

Proper nutrition is a vital part of a lifestyle. It determines how healthy you are, influences your productivity, and changes your appearance.

This is a more convenient way to see how each minor point relates to major ones. The process of creating an outline’s headings and subheadings is similar to the alphanumeric type of outline. You can use individual words or phrases or complete sentences.

Just be consistent with what you have chosen.

How to Write a Decimal Outline

Use whole numbers for the main ideas. When you add extra information, use Arabic numerals separated by a period. The amount of digits defines the level of your outline.

Take a look at the decimal outline format:

• Use Arabic numerals for the main points (1., 2., 3., 4., …).
• Use Arabic numerals with a period to divide each category into subcategories (1.1., 1.2. or 2.1., 2.2.).
• Proceed with Arabic numerals if you need further division (1.1.1., 2.1.1., 3.1.1., etc.).

Decimal Outline Example

We will use the same essay outline that we used in the previous passage.

A full-sentence outline is an alphanumeric outline that uses sentences instead of phrases or words in headings and subheadings. This is a great way to structure your thoughts as your headings can be precisely the same as sentences in the text.

How to Write a Full-Sentence Outline

What is a full-sentence outline?

It is a broader approach to your writing. It might take more time to develop, but you will need less effort to prepare an essay. Create your outline according to the structure of the alphanumeric outline. Each heading and subheading is a separate completed thought.

Full-Sentence Outline Example

Well, that’s all we’ve got here.

You now know the importance of having an outline while writing.

Don’t forget to review your outline once you’ve created it. It is the best way to indicate possible mistakes. Remember that a good outline is the first step to an excellent paper.

We also recommend you to look at other students’ works. In our free essay samples base, you can find numerous papers on different topics. Maybe some of them will assist you in understanding the process of outline making. Good luck!

Thanks a lot, it was helpful.

What are the 3 types of outlines?

Outlines serve as powerful tools for organization, allowing writers to structure their thoughts and ideas systematically before delving into the writing process. Understanding the different types of outlines helps to plan effectively and create well-structured content.

In this guide, the aim is to provide a comprehensive insight into the three primary types of outlines, namely Topic Outlines, Sentence Outlines, and Decimal Outlines, discussing how they function and the unique benefits they bring to the table.

A Deep Dive into The Concept of Outlining

Redefining outlining and its importance.

Outlining plays an integral role within the process of academic writing, forming a structural blueprint or a plan that simplifies the complex task of content creation by systematically delineating the main ideas and supporting points. In our discussion, we will break down the three prime forms of such outlines, namely the topic outline, the sentence outline, and the decimal outline. The topic outline heavily leans on an alphanumeric system to arrange headings and subheadings.

The sentence outline, in contrast, requires full sentences to articulate each sectional heading. Quite conversely, the decimal outline relies on a numeric system to set up a content hierarchy. One must not forget that revising and rectifying potential errors within the outline remain crucial steps in cementing a strong foundation for any written piece.

Key Guidelines for Effectuating Robust Outlining

To achieve an efficient organization and streamline the writing process , a well-crafted outline becomes indispensable. We will take a closer look at three types of outlines, including the topic outline, sentence outline, and decimal outline. In a topic outline, it is common to lean on an alphanumeric arrangement to articulate headings and subheadings.

Such layout comes in handy when delineating major topics for a research paper on a notable subject, like 'smart dust', featuring categories such as "Military Applications" and "Nonmilitary Applications". The sentence outline goes a step further, necessitating complete sentences to describe each heading, thus providing additional insight about each section. Contrarily, a decimal outline adopts a number system to create a distinct hierarchy within the content. Efficacious outlining helps amplify the structure, as it encourages logical flow and lends an all-encompassing base to academic work.

Introduction to the Primary Outline Types

Getting to know the alphanumeric outline.

The alphanumeric outline springs to life through an amalgamation of letters and numbers, meticulously arranged to organize the content into diverse headings and subheadings. In practical terms, it could look something like this:

1. Introduction

a. Definition of smart dust

b. Historical overview of smart dust.

2. Applications of smart dust

a. Potential military usage

b. Nonmilitary uses.

3. Ethical considerations about smart dust

a. Risks and implications

b. Regulatory precautions and safeguards.

4. Conclusion

By sticking to an alphanumeric outline, writers can manage their content effectively, maintain close alignment with the central theme, and dismiss any unrelated information.

The Art of Crafting Engaging Alphanumeric Outlines

Creating an excellent alphanumeric outline can bring about a substantial improvement in academic writing. This approach could either be a topic outline or a sentence outline, both utilizing a structured alphanumeric system. Alternatively, a decimal outline also proves to be a practical choice, owing to its utilization of numbers to establish a hierarchical order within the content.

Reiterating the importance of thoroughly reviewing the outline for potential errors and amending them is imperative, as it lays the foundation for a successful written piece.

Illustrative Representation of an Alphanumeric Outline

A proficiently created alphanumeric outline can serve as a valuable aid for academic writers, aiding in maintaining a sharp focus and seamless organization of content. Both topic and sentence outlines rely on an alphanumeric organization mechanism, while the decimal outline leans onto a numeric system to establish content hierarchy. Ensuring to review the outline and rectify any possible errors remains a critical step towards drafting a robust content structure.

Getting Acquainted with the Decimal Outlining Technique

The decimal outline employs a numbering system to structure the content, following a hierarchical format. The number '1.0' could be used for a principal heading, '1.1' for a subsection, and '1.1.1' for a third-tier sub-section. This system allows for straightforward segmentation and progression of ideas, ensuring a focused approach in writing.

Mastering the Skill of Creating a Decimal Outline

Constructing a well-structured and efficient decimal outline can go a long way in enhancing productivity and organization within academic writing. This style exploits numbers to logically arrange headings and subheadings. The outcome is a visually compelling representation of the flow and organization of your thoughts and ideas. This, in turn, contributes to a reduction in writing time and improves the overall coherence of the content. Selecting the appropriate outline for your writing project not only structures your content but also subtly influences the tones of writing , ensuring that your message resonates clearly with your intended audience

Example of a Comprehensive Decimal Outline

Well-designed outlines sit at the heart of academic writing. Out of the three types, the topic outline uses alphanumeric symbols to arrange headings and subheadings, the sentence outline provides a more detailed overview of each section, and the numerical decimal outline lends clarity and aids in logical progression. Revisiting the structure for potential gaps is an important activity, as it ensures an organized, tightly-knit written piece.

Consider a research paper on 'renewable energy sources'; an illustrative topic outline could have headings like "Solar Energy" and each topic can be further detailed. A well-constructed outline serves as the launching pad for producing an exceptional academic write-up.

Exploring the Full-Sentence Outlining Approach

Distinct from a topic outline, the full-sentence outlining technique incorporates complete sentences for each section of each heading. This strategy presents writers with a comprehensive, well-organized structure, thus ensuring the thorough exploration of each point within the content.

Principles of Crafting an Effective Full-Sentence Outline

Outlining is an indispensable tool in academic writing, serving as a clear roadmap for your work. While topic and decimal outlines lean on alphanumeric symbols or a number hierarchy, creating a sentence outline requires complete sentences. Employing an outline that aligns with your writing needs can further optimize the writing process and ensure a coherent final draft. Do consider examining the outline for inconsistencies before starting with the writing phase.

Sample of a Full-Sentence Outline

Outlines are deemed necessary in the realm of academic writing to piece together well-structured content. Both topic and sentence outlines utilize alphanumeric symbols, albeit the latter provides a more holistic framework. Conversely, decimal outlines adopt a numbering scheme to distinguish between multiple content levels.

For example, topic outlines can effectively organize key points and subtopics while sentence outlines provide a richer, detailed blueprint. An appropriately utilized outline acts as a guiding path, ensuring coherence in the final written piece.

Contextualizing the Use of Outlining Techniques

Outlining in context of academic essays and research papers.

The structure of academic writing is often rendered efficient through the use of outlines. Distinctive outlines such as topic, sentence, and decimal each provide a unique framework that lends structure to an academic paper. For instance, a topic outline with alphanumeric categorization helps to plan an essay or research paper methodically. Sentence outlines push the envelope by requiring each heading and subheading to be a full sentence, offering more substance to the content.

Decimal outlines,meanwhile, create a distinctive hierarchy, helping writers stay organized and work more efficiently.

The Importance of Outlining in Crafting Memorable Speeches

A captivating speech is often the output of having a profound, well-consolidated outline serving as its backbone.

For example, a topic outline might enumerate a list delineating the benefits of exercise or how physical activity helps curb the risk of chronic diseases. Quite differently, decimal outlines employ a hierarchical numbering system to expound upon aspects like time management, productivity enhancement, and the avenues to achieve a balanced work-life equation.

Outlining: A Key Ingredient for Crafting Engaging Novels and Informative Books

Whether it's about creating an intriguing novel or writing an informative book, a well-crafted outline can provide a roadmap to achieving writing success. A topic outline could segment different aspects such as characters, plotlines, etc., offering a framework to explore the protagonist, antagonist, and the ensuing conflict.

Sentence outlines elucidate each heading providing a comprehensive view, while a decimal outline's number-based hierarchy keeps the entire work neatly structured and organized, thereby enhancing readability.

The Role of Outlining in the Execution of Successful Projects

An outline plays an instrumental role for efficient project management. Topic outlines can categorize significant themes, for instance, breaking down 'health benefits of exercise' into subsections like 'cardiovascular benefits' and 'mental well-being'. Sentence outlines require full sentences for each heading and sub-heading, thereby helping in elaborate content planning.

Quite contrastingly, decimal outlines present numerical hierarchical divisions, which ensure that multiple dimensions of a project are efficiently organized and communicated, contributing to successful project execution.

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The Different Types of Outlining

Outlining is a crucial part of the writing and research process, helping writers organize their ideas and structure their work in a logical and coherent manner. Whether you are a student working on a school project or a researcher writing a paper, creating an outline can be a valuable tool for ensuring that your work is well-organized and clearly presented. An outline can be thought of a writing center or skeleton for your paper or book.

Writing a paper or essay can be a daunting task, especially if you have a lot of information to organize and present. Outlines can be a helpful tool for breaking down the writing process into manageable steps and for organizing the information you have gathered.

There are several different approaches to outlining that you can use depending on your needs and preferences. Traditional outlines, such as topic and sentence outlines, use a hierarchical structure with Roman numerals and letters to organize ideas by level of importance. This type of format is often used in academic writing and can be especially useful for long or complex papers.

Faculty members and other instructors may require students to use a specific type of outline when writing papers or completing other assignments. It is important to follow any guidelines provided by your instructor and to make sure that your outline is well-organized and clearly presented.

Outlines can also be a helpful tool for writers who are struggling to get started on a paper or who are having trouble organizing their ideas. By breaking down the writing process into smaller, more manageable steps, outlines can help writers overcome writer's block and improve the overall structure and coherence of their work.

It can be very helpful to outline your work, even if you're just beginning. Not only does it allow you to organize your work, but it can also help you get a clearer picture of your plot or paper and the general direction you want to go in.

In this article, we will explore the different types of outlining and how they can be used effectively for various writing and research projects. Outlining is also a powerful technical for high level project planning. At the end we'll also touch on an outliner software app that can be used to create and share outlines.

What is Outlining?

Outlining in the context of writing a novel or book is a method used to organize the story plot, characters and setting. This is a useful tool in many areas of writing, from nonfiction to fiction. An outline allows you to create a logical order and establish an appealing flow.

If you are writing a book, a good outline should include a few key elements, including a topic sentence, a list of scenes, a list of characters, a plot summary, and research notes. You should also leave room for scene purpose questions, which will reveal how you will use your characters and settings in the story.

If you are writing research paper then before you begin writing you should think about the assertion or conclusion you are working towards and structure your thinking and writing in an appropriate way to convey your case. The main objective is to summarize the most important points, citing relevant sources or quotes to back up your claims. You will likely have many sections.

An outline can be formal or informal. Some writers prefer to work free form, while others are better off with a more structured method. Most word-processing applications are equipped with an outlining feature which can also work as bullet points or in number format.

Types of Outline

There are several types of outlines, and each one has its advantages and disadvantages. The outlining process is a valuable pre-writing tool, but a poorly constructed outline can hinder the development of your story, paper or project.

The main goal of an outline is to present the most important elements of your subject. Before you begin outlining you might select different formats that help you organize your thoughts.

Topic outlines

A topic outline is a type of outline that organizes ideas by topic, rather than by order of importance or chronology. It is a useful tool for organizing research and writing projects that cover a wide range of topics. A topic outline allows writers to see the relationships between different ideas and can help them determine what information is relevant and what can be left out, and which are supporting ideas to the main ideas and major points.

Sentence outlines

A sentence outline is a type of outline that consists of full sentences rather than just topic headings. This type of outline allows writers to see the relationships between different ideas more clearly and can be especially useful for longer or more complex projects. A sentence outline also helps writers ensure that their ideas are fully developed and that all of the necessary information is included.

Concept maps

A concept map is a visual representation of the relationships between different ideas or concepts. It is often used in conjunction with other types of outlining to help writers see the connections between different ideas and to identify gaps in their research or writing. Concept maps can be especially useful for projects that involve a large amount of information or that cover a wide range of topics.

A mind map is a visual representation of ideas and concepts that is organized around a central theme or idea. It is often used as a brainstorming tool to help writers generate ideas and to see the connections between different concepts. Mind maps can be especially useful for projects that involve a lot of creative thinking or for writers who prefer a more visual approach to organizing their ideas.

Outlining an Essay or Research Paper

Outlining an essay is a useful prewriting tool that helps writers organize ideas, keep their arguments focused on a single point, and determine the best appeals to make. It is an important step in writing a paper, and many professors will make it mandatory. But when you write an essay, you don't just need to outline; you also need to have a good thesis statement, evidence, and supporting details.

When you outline your essay, you'll want to include the main point, or thesis statement, along with an introduction paragraph and a conclusion. The thesis statement should be a clear and concise statement of your primary argument, or point.

Another reason to include an outline is to help you keep track of what you've written. Having a template will keep your ideas organized, and will make it easy to revise and re-order your ideas.

An outline can also be helpful in making the process of writing an essay less daunting. For instance, it can remind you to make a transition between different points. This can be especially helpful for longer essays.

While outlining an essay, you may want to include subheadings and headings. Headings represent the major ideas, while subheadings provide details that support those ideas. Using an outline can help you create a logical flow from point to point in your essay.

In terms of size, an outline can be anything from five to ten paragraphs. You may also wish to include an introduction, body, and conclusion.

Outlining your Speech

Regardless of what kind of speech you are giving, a good outline can be a valuable tool. It can help you visualize the subject matter of your speech and organize the information you want to discuss. Using an outline can also guide you through the speech.

An outline should contain main points and sub-points. In the final draft, the sub-points should be connected to the main point. The speaker should revise the outline several times before delivering it.

A good presentation outline includes an Opening, Main Content, and Conclusion. This helps you structure your material and provides a sense of overall flow.

Another type of outline is a skeletal outline, which is used to prepare a speech. During the preparation of a speech, a writer should focus on finalizing the purpose of the speech and deciding where supporting material should be placed.

When planning a speech, it is important to determine what is most interesting to the audience. Then, you should research the topic and identify major facets. After you have a list of ideas, write down the key phrases, definitions, stories, or analogies that relate to the topic.

Outlining a Novel or Book

Outlining a novel or book is a crucial part of the writing process. It can be easy to get stuck without an outline. A good outline will help you organize your thoughts before you begin.

An outline can be written on paper or in the form of a visual mind map. Creating an outline is a great way to plan your storyline and character development.

A good book outline should include all of the main points of your story, as well as chapter summaries and character breakdowns. This way, you can see the big picture and sell your book to readers.

As you write, your outline will change. You can cut unimportant points or add new ones. In addition, you can plug in contents or make adjustments to your template. Once you have an outline, you'll have a solid foundation to work from. The outline will help you find gaps in logic or story. It will also help you avoid gaps in your plot.

One of the best ways to do this is to ask yourself questions on the page. You can use similar books as ideas, or you can ask yourself questions about unique angles.

Another great technique is to start by thinking of a premise. This premise is what will hook your potential readers, and it should answer the questions that a potential editor or agent might have.

Outlining a Project

In the realm of planning and scheduling, the project outline is your ticket to success. It allows you to map out your tasks and visualize the distribution of effort. And if you're a project manager, this can help you nudge team members towards their responsibilities. Using a Gantt chart can also help.

Of course, your project may vary in size and scope. Depending on the complexity of the project, it may not make sense to create an elaborate outline if the project is small. Fortunately, there are tools like NoteDex to make the task a breeze. This software makes it easy to outline project phases, stages and tasks right onto notecards, so you can spend less time managing your projects and more time making them happen.

The best part about simple tools like NoteDex is that you can easily add to or remove cards as you go, so you can keep your project plan up to date.

Outlining an essay, book, research paper or project can be a good idea. It allows you to get a clear picture of the ideas you want to include and helps you organize them into a coherent piece.

There are many different types of outlining. Some examples include the editorialization, which uses anecdotes and commentary to make a point. You can also use a call to action, which helps your readers know what to do with what you have written.

When outlining a paper, start with the introduction. The opening paragraph should be a short, eye-catching one that summarizes the topic and gets your reader's attention. Your next step is the body. Each body paragraph should list the key points of your paper. Be sure to include a thesis statement. The conclusion should tie together the ideas in your paper. For instance, you could describe how a research study helped fill a gap in the literature. In the same vein, you could describe how the study helped people understand the importance of the concept.

In a narrative essay, your conclusion should wrap up the story. Make sure to include some lessons learned and takeaways. Also, consider linking the conclusion to the introductory paragraph. This will create a full circle narration for your readers.

Lastly, don't forget to include a call to action in your conclusion. Including a call to action in your conclusion makes your work seem more genuine and gives the reader something to engage in next.

If you are interested in using an app to outline your thoughts try NoteDex - you can create 'index card' style short notecards that allow you to build out and organize your structure and thoughts.

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What is an outline?

An outline of an academic essay contains the thesis and brief information about the proof paragraphs. .

The  proof paragraphs  are the paragraphs between the introduction paragraph and the concluding paragraph. Proof paragraphs contain evidence, also called supporting details, that the thesis is accurate.

An outline is like a skeleton of the essay. Outlines for academic essays and research papers that are not reports on research or other specialized report have a very specific organization. Here is a sample for a 500-word essay. The number of body paragraphs will vary, generally from two to four, for a 500-word essay.

Thesis and Supporting Details (Body Paragraphs)

Thesis : A one-sentence answer takes a position on the research question or, if assigned a topic and not a question, the thesis is a one-sentence statement taking a position on a controversial aspect of the topic. The thesis must be a statement, not a question. The thesis must be a sentence, not a topic. See Thesis in Related Links on the right sidebar.

I. One reason why your thesis is accurate.

A.  Supporting detail

B.  Supporting detail

II. Second reason why your thesis is accurate.

III.  Third reason why your thesis is accurate.

A. Supporting detail

B. Supporting detail

Concluding paragraph  sums up proof and restates thesis and/or draws an implication from the information presented as to significance depending upon instructions.

For a shorter essay, possibly only two body paragraphs will be needed. For a longer essay, you may need more proof paragraphs.  

Note that the outline begins with the thesis statement. What you intend to put into the introduction paragraph as background information leading up the thesis is not part of the outline.

Note that I, II, and III represent what will go into the body (proof paragraphs).

Note that the outline does not ordinarily include a reference to the concluding paragraph even though we have listed it above, but all essays must have a concluding paragraph.

How outlining helps in writing an essay

There are three ways that an outline can help you in writing your essay..

• It helps to organize your thought or research, if you are writing a research paper, into a writing plan.
• It can also help you decide what information should be included and which information is not really needed.
• Finally, it can also help you manage the large amount of information you need to sort in order to write a well supported paper.

Once you have an outline, you can actually write the essay from the outline. Just open the file, delete the word Thesis and the paragraph numbering, add background information before the thesis, develop details for each proof paragraph, and write the concluding paragraph.

How to create an outline

An outline must start with a thesis statement: a one-sentence statement (not a question) taking a position answering a research question (if given a research question to answer) or taking a position on a controversial aspect of a topic (if given a topic on which to write a paper).

Sometimes, you know your position and can easily start with a thesis. If you also know your reasons why you are taking that position, you can simply list your reasons (I, II, …).

At other times, you may not be sure and have to do some thinking or research on the issue. Let’s take the question “Why don’t some Americans vote?” If this is not a research paper, you might have to do some brainstorming before you can come up with a thesis: a one-sentence answer to the question. If this is a research essay (research paper), you will do some research. Creating a working bibliography (a list of sources) or doing a synthesis activity can be very helpful for gathering ideas.

Whether you are required to do research or not, the first step is determining a thesis statement.  From brainstorming and/or research, you may have identified the several reasons some people don’t vote as follows:

Age restrictions

Believe that the system is fixed

Believe nothing will ever change

Don’t know where to go to vote

Physically disabled

Don’t know where to register

Happy with the status quo

Believe their vote doesn’t count

Can’t vote because of incarceration

Don’t know when to vote

Not an important part of upbringing/culture

Felony conviction

Don’t know what identification is needed

Illegal status

Receiving false information about where to vote

Now, we have to cluster these points into categories so that they can be discussed in an organized way in the essay. We can see that there are some general reasons such as legal barriers, confusion about how to register or where to vote, and lack of concern or interest where people just don’t think voting would change anything.

I.   Lack of concern or interest

II.  Confusion

III. Legal barriers

Looking over the notes that you made from your brainstorming or research, the next step is to eliminate duplications and group ideas under the categories. Depending on the assignment length, you don’t necessarily have to include everything you find.

For example:

Age restrictions - proof paragraph   III

Believe that the system is fixed - proof paragraph I

Believe nothing will ever change - proof paragraph I

Don’t know where to go to vote - proof paragraph  II

Physically disabled - proof paragraph II

Don’t know where to register - proof paragraph  II

Happy with the status quo - proof paragraph I

Too young - proof paragraph - proof paragraph III

Believe their vote doesn’t count - proof paragraph  I

Can’t vote because of incarceration - proof paragraph III

Don’t know when to vote - proof paragraph II

Not an important part of upbringing/culture - proof paragraph I

Felony conviction - proof paragraph III

Don’t know what identification is needed - proof paragraph   II

Illegal status - proof paragraph III

Receiving false information about where to vote - proof paragraph II

Now you have a rough outline. You have your three major causes and some details that support each. The next step is to make a solid thesis.

The most important part of your paper is the thesis. A good thesis clearly answers your research question and will provide guidance to the reader about the direction and scope of your paper. Make sure that your thesis is a defensible point that others could reasonably disagree. For this paper a reasonable thesis could be: Three major reasons that Americans do not vote are apathy, confusion, and legal barriers.

Next it is time to think about the body of your essay. Since the thesis very clearly shows the three main points, you can use these along with the grouped details you sorted earlier. As you are making your outline you may discover that you have more ideas than you can fit into your paper’s length or that you have gone beyond the scope of your topic. If so, feel free to remove some ideas. For example, because you have many different types of ideas listed under legal barriers, you may wish to remove the weakest or least supported detail.

Some instructors also require that you include a concluding statement. Remember that this statement should simply be a restatement of your thesis and should never introduce new ideas or begin a new discussion. 

This is an acceptable outline to the research questions we’ve developed here:

Your Instructor’s Name

Course Title

Day Month Year

Thesis: Three major reasons that Americans do not vote are apathy, confusion, and legal barriers.

I.  Lack of concern or interest

A.  Disbelief in the system

1.  One vote doesn’t matter

2.  Voting is tampered with

B.  Social/culturally not valued

C.  Satisfaction with the status quo

A.  Location

1.  Where to register

2.  Where to vote

B.  When to vote

C.  What documents are needed

III.  Legal barriers

A.  Incarceration

B.   Conviction of a felony

C.  Immigration status

Concluding paragraph:  Sum up proof and restate thesis and/or draw an implication from the information presented showing the significance depending upon your instructions.

Note that this outline has three support details for each reason your thesis is right (each proof point – I, II, III).  Sections I, II, and III each represent one body (proof) paragraph.  Each body paragraph in the essay must begin with a topic sentence that is a reason your thesis is accurate.  This may vary from essay to essay.  What is described here is more like a scratch outline or topic outline which gives just the general ideas.  A formal outline would include detailed sentences and subsections. These are called  sentence outlines.   In a sentence outline, the sentence next to each I, II, and III must be a topic sentence which clearly expresses what point that shows the thesis is right will be shown in the paragraph.  

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Types of Outlines for Writing Papers

Whether writing a paper for an English class, for a work project or for an application, it is helpful to create an outline ahead of time. There are several types of outlines that can be used, including the alphanumeric outline, the full sentence outline and the decimal outline. Each type has its own pros and cons. It is a good idea for students to try each type and determine which works best for them.

Alphanumeric Outline

The alphanumeric outline is the standard format most people learned in high school English. Each main heading, or topic, is noted by a Roman numeral and can be separated into two or more distinct classifications. These subheadings would be indented and then noted by a capital letter. The third level of subheadings can be separated into two or more distinct classifications and noted by Arabic numbers. The fourth level of subheadings can be separated into two or more distinct classifications and noted by lower-case letters. Not all headings or subheadings will be separated into further classifications.

Full Sentence Outline

The full sentence outline is similar to the alphanumeric outline in that it follows the same format. The primary difference is that each topic, or thought, is written out as a full sentence. This can be helpful, as it ensures the complete thought is recorded on the outline and will not be forgotten when it comes time to write the paper. It is also helpful because these sentences can be transferred directly to the paper later.

Decimal Outline

The decimal outline is similar to the alphanumeric outline. The primary difference between is that the decimal outline is written using decimals to note each heading and subheading. The main heading would be noted by a whole number. Each subheading would be noted by a decimal building from the main heading. For example, the main heading would be noted as 1. The first subheading under that section would be noted as 1.1. If there were another level of subheadings, that line would be noted as 1.1.1. The main benefit of using a decimal outline is that each section can be clearly identified back to the main heading. The decimal outline can be written as individual thoughts or in complete sentences.

• Types of Outlines and Samples

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• The four main types of essay | Quick guide with examples

The Four Main Types of Essay | Quick Guide with Examples

Published on September 4, 2020 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on July 23, 2023.

An essay is a focused piece of writing designed to inform or persuade. There are many different types of essay, but they are often defined in four categories: argumentative, expository, narrative, and descriptive essays.

Argumentative and expository essays are focused on conveying information and making clear points, while narrative and descriptive essays are about exercising creativity and writing in an interesting way. At university level, argumentative essays are the most common type. 

In high school and college, you will also often have to write textual analysis essays, which test your skills in close reading and interpretation.

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Table of contents

Argumentative essays, expository essays, narrative essays, descriptive essays, textual analysis essays, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about types of essays.

An argumentative essay presents an extended, evidence-based argument. It requires a strong thesis statement —a clearly defined stance on your topic. Your aim is to convince the reader of your thesis using evidence (such as quotations ) and analysis.

Argumentative essays test your ability to research and present your own position on a topic. This is the most common type of essay at college level—most papers you write will involve some kind of argumentation.

The essay is divided into an introduction, body, and conclusion:

• The introduction provides your topic and thesis statement
• The body presents your evidence and arguments
• The conclusion summarizes your argument and emphasizes its importance

The example below is a paragraph from the body of an argumentative essay about the effects of the internet on education. Mouse over it to learn more.

A common frustration for teachers is students’ use of Wikipedia as a source in their writing. Its prevalence among students is not exaggerated; a survey found that the vast majority of the students surveyed used Wikipedia (Head & Eisenberg, 2010). An article in The Guardian stresses a common objection to its use: “a reliance on Wikipedia can discourage students from engaging with genuine academic writing” (Coomer, 2013). Teachers are clearly not mistaken in viewing Wikipedia usage as ubiquitous among their students; but the claim that it discourages engagement with academic sources requires further investigation. This point is treated as self-evident by many teachers, but Wikipedia itself explicitly encourages students to look into other sources. Its articles often provide references to academic publications and include warning notes where citations are missing; the site’s own guidelines for research make clear that it should be used as a starting point, emphasizing that users should always “read the references and check whether they really do support what the article says” (“Wikipedia:Researching with Wikipedia,” 2020). Indeed, for many students, Wikipedia is their first encounter with the concepts of citation and referencing. The use of Wikipedia therefore has a positive side that merits deeper consideration than it often receives.

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An expository essay provides a clear, focused explanation of a topic. It doesn’t require an original argument, just a balanced and well-organized view of the topic.

Expository essays test your familiarity with a topic and your ability to organize and convey information. They are commonly assigned at high school or in exam questions at college level.

The introduction of an expository essay states your topic and provides some general background, the body presents the details, and the conclusion summarizes the information presented.

A typical body paragraph from an expository essay about the invention of the printing press is shown below. Mouse over it to learn more.

The invention of the printing press in 1440 changed this situation dramatically. Johannes Gutenberg, who had worked as a goldsmith, used his knowledge of metals in the design of the press. He made his type from an alloy of lead, tin, and antimony, whose durability allowed for the reliable production of high-quality books. This new technology allowed texts to be reproduced and disseminated on a much larger scale than was previously possible. The Gutenberg Bible appeared in the 1450s, and a large number of printing presses sprang up across the continent in the following decades. Gutenberg’s invention rapidly transformed cultural production in Europe; among other things, it would lead to the Protestant Reformation.

A narrative essay is one that tells a story. This is usually a story about a personal experience you had, but it may also be an imaginative exploration of something you have not experienced.

Narrative essays test your ability to build up a narrative in an engaging, well-structured way. They are much more personal and creative than other kinds of academic writing . Writing a personal statement for an application requires the same skills as a narrative essay.

A narrative essay isn’t strictly divided into introduction, body, and conclusion, but it should still begin by setting up the narrative and finish by expressing the point of the story—what you learned from your experience, or why it made an impression on you.

Mouse over the example below, a short narrative essay responding to the prompt “Write about an experience where you learned something about yourself,” to explore its structure.

Since elementary school, I have always favored subjects like science and math over the humanities. My instinct was always to think of these subjects as more solid and serious than classes like English. If there was no right answer, I thought, why bother? But recently I had an experience that taught me my academic interests are more flexible than I had thought: I took my first philosophy class.

Before I entered the classroom, I was skeptical. I waited outside with the other students and wondered what exactly philosophy would involve—I really had no idea. I imagined something pretty abstract: long, stilted conversations pondering the meaning of life. But what I got was something quite different.

A young man in jeans, Mr. Jones—“but you can call me Rob”—was far from the white-haired, buttoned-up old man I had half-expected. And rather than pulling us into pedantic arguments about obscure philosophical points, Rob engaged us on our level. To talk free will, we looked at our own choices. To talk ethics, we looked at dilemmas we had faced ourselves. By the end of class, I’d discovered that questions with no right answer can turn out to be the most interesting ones.

The experience has taught me to look at things a little more “philosophically”—and not just because it was a philosophy class! I learned that if I let go of my preconceptions, I can actually get a lot out of subjects I was previously dismissive of. The class taught me—in more ways than one—to look at things with an open mind.

A descriptive essay provides a detailed sensory description of something. Like narrative essays, they allow you to be more creative than most academic writing, but they are more tightly focused than narrative essays. You might describe a specific place or object, rather than telling a whole story.

Descriptive essays test your ability to use language creatively, making striking word choices to convey a memorable picture of what you’re describing.

A descriptive essay can be quite loosely structured, though it should usually begin by introducing the object of your description and end by drawing an overall picture of it. The important thing is to use careful word choices and figurative language to create an original description of your object.

Mouse over the example below, a response to the prompt “Describe a place you love to spend time in,” to learn more about descriptive essays.

On Sunday afternoons I like to spend my time in the garden behind my house. The garden is narrow but long, a corridor of green extending from the back of the house, and I sit on a lawn chair at the far end to read and relax. I am in my small peaceful paradise: the shade of the tree, the feel of the grass on my feet, the gentle activity of the fish in the pond beside me.

My cat crosses the garden nimbly and leaps onto the fence to survey it from above. From his perch he can watch over his little kingdom and keep an eye on the neighbours. He does this until the barking of next door’s dog scares him from his post and he bolts for the cat flap to govern from the safety of the kitchen.

With that, I am left alone with the fish, whose whole world is the pond by my feet. The fish explore the pond every day as if for the first time, prodding and inspecting every stone. I sometimes feel the same about sitting here in the garden; I know the place better than anyone, but whenever I return I still feel compelled to pay attention to all its details and novelties—a new bird perched in the tree, the growth of the grass, and the movement of the insects it shelters…

Sitting out in the garden, I feel serene. I feel at home. And yet I always feel there is more to discover. The bounds of my garden may be small, but there is a whole world contained within it, and it is one I will never get tired of inhabiting.

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Though every essay type tests your writing skills, some essays also test your ability to read carefully and critically. In a textual analysis essay, you don’t just present information on a topic, but closely analyze a text to explain how it achieves certain effects.

Rhetorical analysis

A rhetorical analysis looks at a persuasive text (e.g. a speech, an essay, a political cartoon) in terms of the rhetorical devices it uses, and evaluates their effectiveness.

The goal is not to state whether you agree with the author’s argument but to look at how they have constructed it.

The introduction of a rhetorical analysis presents the text, some background information, and your thesis statement; the body comprises the analysis itself; and the conclusion wraps up your analysis of the text, emphasizing its relevance to broader concerns.

The example below is from a rhetorical analysis of Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech . Mouse over it to learn more.

King’s speech is infused with prophetic language throughout. Even before the famous “dream” part of the speech, King’s language consistently strikes a prophetic tone. He refers to the Lincoln Memorial as a “hallowed spot” and speaks of rising “from the dark and desolate valley of segregation” to “make justice a reality for all of God’s children.” The assumption of this prophetic voice constitutes the text’s strongest ethical appeal; after linking himself with political figures like Lincoln and the Founding Fathers, King’s ethos adopts a distinctly religious tone, recalling Biblical prophets and preachers of change from across history. This adds significant force to his words; standing before an audience of hundreds of thousands, he states not just what the future should be, but what it will be: “The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.” This warning is almost apocalyptic in tone, though it concludes with the positive image of the “bright day of justice.” The power of King’s rhetoric thus stems not only from the pathos of his vision of a brighter future, but from the ethos of the prophetic voice he adopts in expressing this vision.

Literary analysis

A literary analysis essay presents a close reading of a work of literature—e.g. a poem or novel—to explore the choices made by the author and how they help to convey the text’s theme. It is not simply a book report or a review, but an in-depth interpretation of the text.

Literary analysis looks at things like setting, characters, themes, and figurative language. The goal is to closely analyze what the author conveys and how.

The introduction of a literary analysis essay presents the text and background, and provides your thesis statement; the body consists of close readings of the text with quotations and analysis in support of your argument; and the conclusion emphasizes what your approach tells us about the text.

Mouse over the example below, the introduction to a literary analysis essay on Frankenstein , to learn more.

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is often read as a crude cautionary tale about the dangers of scientific advancement unrestrained by ethical considerations. In this reading, protagonist Victor Frankenstein is a stable representation of the callous ambition of modern science throughout the novel. This essay, however, argues that far from providing a stable image of the character, Shelley uses shifting narrative perspectives to portray Frankenstein in an increasingly negative light as the novel goes on. While he initially appears to be a naive but sympathetic idealist, after the creature’s narrative Frankenstein begins to resemble—even in his own telling—the thoughtlessly cruel figure the creature represents him as. This essay begins by exploring the positive portrayal of Frankenstein in the first volume, then moves on to the creature’s perception of him, and finally discusses the third volume’s narrative shift toward viewing Frankenstein as the creature views him.

If you want to know more about AI tools , college essays , or fallacies make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples or go directly to our tools!

• Ad hominem fallacy
• Post hoc fallacy
• Appeal to authority fallacy
• False cause fallacy
• Sunk cost fallacy

College essays

• Choosing Essay Topic
• Write a College Essay
• Write a Diversity Essay
• College Essay Format & Structure
• Comparing and Contrasting in an Essay

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At high school and in composition classes at university, you’ll often be told to write a specific type of essay , but you might also just be given prompts.

Look for keywords in these prompts that suggest a certain approach: The word “explain” suggests you should write an expository essay , while the word “describe” implies a descriptive essay . An argumentative essay might be prompted with the word “assess” or “argue.”

The vast majority of essays written at university are some sort of argumentative essay . Almost all academic writing involves building up an argument, though other types of essay might be assigned in composition classes.

Essays can present arguments about all kinds of different topics. For example:

• In a literary analysis essay, you might make an argument for a specific interpretation of a text
• In a history essay, you might present an argument for the importance of a particular event
• In a politics essay, you might argue for the validity of a certain political theory

An argumentative essay tends to be a longer essay involving independent research, and aims to make an original argument about a topic. Its thesis statement makes a contentious claim that must be supported in an objective, evidence-based way.

An expository essay also aims to be objective, but it doesn’t have to make an original argument. Rather, it aims to explain something (e.g., a process or idea) in a clear, concise way. Expository essays are often shorter assignments and rely less on research.

The key difference is that a narrative essay is designed to tell a complete story, while a descriptive essay is meant to convey an intense description of a particular place, object, or concept.

Narrative and descriptive essays both allow you to write more personally and creatively than other kinds of essays , and similar writing skills can apply to both.

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12.2 Types of Outlines

Learning objectives.

• Define three types of outlines: working outline, full-sentence outline, and speaking outline.
• Identify the advantages of using notecards to present your speaking outline.

Dave Gray – Blank index card – CC BY 2.0.

When we discuss outlining, we are actually focusing on a series of outlines instead of a single one. Outlines are designed to evolve throughout your speech preparation process, so this section will discuss how you progress from a working outline to a full-sentence outline and, finally, a speaking outline. We will also discuss how using notecards for your speaking outline can be helpful to you as a speaker.

Working Outline

A working outline is an outline you use for developing your speech. It undergoes many changes on its way to completion. This is the outline where you lay out the basic structure of your speech. You must have a general and specific purpose; an introduction, including a grabber; and a concrete, specific thesis statement and preview. You also need three main points, a conclusion, and a list of references.

One strategy for beginning your working outline is to begin by typing in your labels for each of the elements. Later you can fill in the content.

When you look ahead to the full-sentence outline, you will notice that each of the three main points moves from the general to the particular. Specifically, each main point is a claim, followed by particular information that supports that claim so that the audience will perceive its validity. For example, for a speech about coal mining safety, your first main point might focus on the idea that coal mining is a hazardous occupation. You might begin by making a very general claim, such as “Coal mining is one of the most hazardous occupations in the United States,” and then become more specific by providing statistics, authoritative quotations, or examples to support your primary claim.

A working outline allows you to work out the kinks in your message. For instance, let’s say you’ve made the claim that coal mining is a hazardous occupation but you cannot find authoritative evidence as support. Now you must reexamine that main point to assess its validity. You might have to change that main point in order to be able to support it. If you do so, however, you must make sure the new main point is a logical part of the thesis statement–three main points–conclusion sequence.

The working outline shouldn’t be thought of a “rough copy,” but as a careful step in the development of your message. It will take time to develop. Here is an example of a working outline:

Name : Anomaly May McGillicuddy

Topic : Smart dust

General Purpose : To inform

Specific Purpose : To inform a group of science students about the potential of smart dust

Main Ideas :

• Smart dust is an assembly of microcomputers.
• Smart dust can be used by the military—no, no—smart dust could be an enormous asset in covert military operations. (That’s better because it is more clear and precise.)
• Smart dust could also have applications to daily life.

Introduction : (Grabber) (fill in later)

(Thesis Statement) Thus far, researchers hypothesize that smart dust could be used for everything from tracking patients in hospitals to early warnings of natural disasters and defending against bioterrorism.

(Preview) Today, I’m going to explain what smart dust is and the various applications smart dust has in the near future. To help us understand the small of it all, we will first examine what smart dust is and how it works. We will then examine some military applications of smart dust. And we will end by discussing some nonmilitary applications of smart dust.

(Transition) (fill in later)

Main Point I : Dr. Kris Pister, a professor in the robotics lab at the University of California at Berkeley, originally conceived the idea of smart dust in 1998 as part of a project funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).

• (supporting point)

Main Point II : Because smart dust was originally conceptualized under a grant from DARPA, military uses of smart dust have been widely theorized and examined.

Main Point III : According to the smart dust project website, smart dust could quickly become a common part of our daily lives.

Conclusion : (Bring your message “full circle” and create a psychologically satisfying closure.)

This stage of preparation turns out to be a good place to go back and examine whether all the main points are directly related to the thesis statement and to each other. If so, your message has a strong potential for unity of focus. But if the relationship of one of the main points is weak, this is the time to strengthen it. It will be more difficult later for two reasons: first, the sheer amount of text on your pages will make the visual task more difficult, and second, it becomes increasingly difficult to change things in which you have a large investment in time and thought.

You can see that this working outline can lay a strong foundation for the rest of your message. Its organization is visually apparent. Once you are confident in the internal unity of your basic message, you can begin filling in the supporting points in descending detail—that is, from the general (main points) to the particular (supporting points) and then to greater detail. The outline makes it visually apparent where information fits. You only need to assess your supporting points to be sure they’re authoritative and directly relevant to the main points they should support.

Sometimes transitions seem troublesome, and that’s not surprising. We often omit them when we have informal conversations. Our conversation partners understand what we mean because of our gestures and vocal strategies. However, others might not understand what we mean, but think they do, and so we might never know whether they understood us. Even when we include transitions, we don’t generally identify them as transitions. In a speech, however, we need to use effective transitions as a gateway from one main point to the next. The listener needs to know when a speaker is moving from one main point to the next.

In the next type of outline, the full-sentence outline, take a look at the transitions and see how they make the listener aware of the shifting focus to the next main point.

Full-Sentence Outline

Your full-sentence outline should contain full sentences only. There are several reasons why this kind of outline is important. First, you have a full plan of everything you intend to say to your audience, so that you will not have to struggle with wordings or examples. Second, you have a clear idea of how much time it will take to present your speech. Third, it contributes a fundamental ingredient of good preparation, part of your ethical responsibility to your audience. This is how a full-sentence outline looks:

Name: Anomaly May McGillicuddy

Specific Purpose : To inform a group of science students about the potential of smart dust.

• Smart dust could be an enormous asset in covert military operations.

Introduction : (Grabber) In 2002, famed science fiction writer, Michael Crichton, released his book Prey , which was about a swarm of nanomachines that were feeding off living tissue. The nanomachines were solar powered, self-sufficient, and intelligent. Most disturbingly, the nanomachines could work together as a swarm as it took over and killed its prey in its need for new resources. The technology for this level of sophistication in nanotechnology is surprisingly more science fact than science fiction. In 2000, three professors of electrical engineering and computer Science at the University of California at Berkeley, Kahn, Katz, and Pister, hypothesized in the Journal of Communications and Networks that wireless networks of tiny microelectromechanical sensors, or MEMS; robots; or devices could detect phenomena including light, temperature, or vibration. By 2004, Fortune Magazine listed “smart dust” as the first in their “Top 10 Tech Trends to Bet On.”

(Thesis Statement) Thus far researchers hypothesized that smart dust could be used for everything from tracking patients in hospitals to early warnings of natural disasters and as a defense against bioterrorism.

(Transition) To help us understand smart dust, we will begin by first examining what smart dust is.

• According to a 2001 article written by Bret Warneke, Matt Last, Brian Liebowitz, and Kris Pister titled “Smart Dust: Communicating with a Cubic-Millimeter Computer” published in Computer , Pister’s goal was to build a device that contained a built-in sensor, communication device, and a small computer that could be integrated into a cubic millimeter package.

For comparison purposes, Doug Steel, in a 2005 white paper titled “Smart Dust” written for C. T. Bauer College of Business at the University of Houston, noted that a single grain of rice has a volume of five cubic millimeters.

• Each individual piece of dust, called a mote, would then have the ability to interact with other motes and supercomputers.
• As Steve Lohr wrote in the January 30, 2010, edition of the New York Times in an article titled “Smart Dust? Not Quite, But We’re Getting There,” smart dust could eventually consist of “Tiny digital sensors, strewn around the glove, gathering all sorts of information and communicating with powerful computer networks to monitor, measure, and understand the physical world in new ways.”

(Transition) Now that we’ve examined what smart dust is, let’s switch gears and talk about some of the military applications for smart dust.

• Major Scott Dickson, in a Blue Horizons paper written for the US Air Force Center for Strategy and Technology’s Air War College, sees smart dust as helping the military in battlespace awareness, homeland security, and weapons of mass destruction (WMD) identification.
• Furthermore, Major Dickson also believes it may be possible to create smart dust that has the ability to defeat communications jamming equipment created by foreign governments, which could help the US military not only communicate among itself, but could also increase communications with civilians in military combat zones.
• According to a 2010 article written by Jessica Griggs in new Scientist , one of the first benefits of smart dust could be an early defense warning for space storms and other debris that could be catastrophic.

(Transition) Now that we’ve explored some of the military benefits of smart dust, let’s switch gears and see how smart dust may be able to have an impact on our daily lives.

• Steve Lohr, in his 2010 New York Times article, wrote, “The applications for sensor-based computing, experts say, include buildings that manage their own energy use, bridges that sense motion and metal fatigue to tell engineers they need repairs, cars that track traffic patterns and report potholes, and fruit and vegetable shipments that tell grocers when they ripen and begin to spoil.”
• Theoretically, we could all be injected with smart dust, which relays information to our physicians and detects adverse changes to our body instantly.
• Smart dust could detect the microscopic formations of center cells or alert us when we’ve been infected by a bacterium or virus, which could speed up treatment and prolong all of our lives.

(Transition) Today, we’ve explored what smart dust is, how smart dust could be utilized by the US military, and how smart dust could impact all of our lives in the near future.

Conclusion : While smart dust is quickly transferring from science fiction to science fact, experts agree that the full potential of smart dust will probably not occur until 2025. Smart dust is definitely in our near future, but swarms of smart dust eating people as was depicted in Michael Crichton’s 2002 novel, Prey , isn’t reality. However, as with any technological advance, there are definite ethical considerations and worries related to smart dust. Even Dr. Kris Pister’s smart dust project website admits that as smart dust becomes more readily available, one of the trade-offs will be privacy. Pister responds to these critiques by saying, “As an engineer, or a scientist, or a hair stylist, everyone needs to evaluate what they do in terms of its positive and negative effect. If I thought that the negatives of working on this project were greater than or even comparable to the positives, I wouldn’t be working on it. As it turns out, I think that the potential benefits of this technology far outweigh the risks to personal privacy.”

Crichton, M. (2002). Prey . New York, NY: Harper Collins.

Dickson, S. (2007, April). Enabling battlespace persistent surveillance: the firm, function, and future of smart dust (Blue Horizons Paper, Center for Strategy and Technology, USAF Air War College). Retrieved from USAF Air War College website: http://www.au.af.mil/au/awc/awcgate/cst/bh_dickson.pdf

Griggs, J. (2010, February 6). Smart dust to provide solar early warning defense. New Scientist, 205 (2746), 22.

Kahn, J. M., Katz, R. H., & Pister, K. S. J. (2000). Emerging challenges: Mobile networking for “smart dust.” Journal of Communications and Networks, 2 , 188–196.

Lohr, S. (2010, January 30). Smart dust? Not quite, but we’re getting there. New York Times . Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com

Pister, K., Kahn, J., & Boser, B. (n.d.). Smart dust: Autonomous sensing and communication at the cubic millimeter. Retrieved from http://robotics.eecs.berkeley.edu/~pister/SmartDust

Steel, D. (2005, March). Smart dust: UH ISRC technology briefing. Retrieved from http://www.uhisrc.com

Vogelstein, F., Boyle, M., Lewis, P., Kirkpatrick, D., Lashinsky, A.,…Chen, C. (2004, February 23). 10 tech trends to bet on. Fortune, 149 (4), 74–88.

Warneke, B., Last, M., Liebowitz, B., & Pister, K. S. J. (2001). Smart dust: Communicating with a cubic millimeter computer. Computer, 31 , 44–51.

When you prepare your full-sentence outline carefully, it may take as much as 1 ½ hours to complete the first part of the outline from your name at the top through the introduction. When you’ve completed that part, take a break and do something else. When you return to the outline, you should be able to complete your draft in another 1 ½ hours. After that, you only need to do a detailed check for completeness, accuracy, relevance, balance, omitted words, and consistency. If you find errors, instead of being frustrated, be glad you can catch these errors before you’re standing up in front of your audience.

You will notice that the various parts of your speech, for instance, the transition and main points, are labeled. There are compelling reasons for these labels. First, as you develop your message, you will sometimes find it necessary to go back and look at your wording in another part of the outline. Your labels help you find particular passages easily. Second, the labels work as a checklist so that you can make sure you’ve included everything you intended to. Third, it helps you prepare your speaking outline.

You’ll also notice the full references at the end of the outline. They match the citations within the outline. Sometimes while preparing a speech, a speaker finds it important to go back to an original source to be sure the message will be accurate. If you type in your references as you develop your speech rather than afterward, they will be a convenience to you if they are complete and accurate.

Don’t think of the references as busywork or drudgery. Although they’re more time consuming than text, they are good practice for the more advanced academic work you will do in the immediate future.

Speaking Outline

Your full-sentence outline prepares you to present a clear and well-organized message, but your speaking outline will include far less detail. Whenever possible, you will use key words and phrases, but in some instances, an extended quotation will need to be fully written on your speaking outline.

Resist the temptation to use your full-sentence outline as your speaking outline. The temptation is real for at least two reasons. First, once you feel that you’ve carefully crafted every sequence of words in your speech, you might not want to sacrifice quality when you shift to vocal presentation. Second, if you feel anxiety about how well you will do in front of an audience, you may want to use your full-sentence outline as a “safety net.” In our experience, however, if you have your full-sentence outline with you, you will end up reading, rather than speaking, to your audience. The subject of reading to your audience will be taken up in Chapter 14 “Delivering the Speech” on speech delivery. For now, it is enough to know you shouldn’t read, but instead, use carefully prepared notecards.

Your speech has five main components: introduction, main point one, main point two, main point three, and the conclusion. Therefore we strongly recommend the use of five notecards: one for each of those five components. There are extenuating circumstances that might call for additional cards, but begin with five cards only.

How will five notecards suffice in helping you produce a complete, rich delivery? Why can’t you use the full-sentence outline you labored so hard to write? First, the presence of your full-sentence outline will make it appear that you don’t know the content of your speech. Second, the temptation to read the speech directly from the full-sentence outline is nearly overwhelming; even if you resist this temptation, you will find yourself struggling to remember the words on the page rather than speaking extemporaneously. Third, sheets of paper are noisier and more awkward than cards. Fourth, it’s easier to lose your place using the full outline. Finally, cards just look better. Carefully prepared cards, together with practice, will help you more than you might think.

Plan to use five cards. Use 4 × 6 cards. The smaller 3 × 5 cards are too small to provide space for a visually organized set of notes. With five cards, you will have one card for the introduction, one card for each of the three main points, and one card for the conclusion. You should number your cards and write on one side only. Numbering is helpful if you happen to drop your cards, and writing on only one side means that the audience is not distracted by your handwritten notes and reminders to yourself while you are speaking. Each card should contain key words and key phrases but not full sentences.

Some speeches will include direct or extended quotations from expert sources. Some of these quotations might be highly technical or difficult to memorize for other reasons, but they must be presented correctly. This is a circumstance in which you could include an extra card in the sequence of notecards. This is the one time you may read fully from a card. If your quotation is important and the exact wording is crucial, your audience will understand that.

How will notecards be sufficient? When they are carefully written, your practice will reveal that they will work. If, during practice, you find that one of your cards doesn’t work well enough, you can rewrite that card.

Using a set of carefully prepared, sparingly worded cards will help you resist the temptation to rely on overhead transparencies or PowerPoint slides to get you through the presentation. Although they will never provide the exact word sequence of your full-sentence outline, they should keep you organized during the speech.

The “trick” to selecting the phrases and quotations for your cards is to identify the labels that will trigger a recall sequence. For instance, if the phrase “more science fact” brings to mind the connection to science fiction and the differences between the real developments and the fictive events of Crichton’s novel Prey , that phrase on your card will support you through a fairly extended part of your introduction.

You must discover what works for you and then select those words that tend to jog your recall. Having identified what works, make a preliminary set of no more than five cards written on one side only, and practice with them. Revise and refine them as you would an outline.

The following is a hypothetical set of cards for the smart dust speech:

Introduction : 2002, Prey , swarm nanomachines feed on living tissue.

Kahn, Katz, and Pister, U C Berkeley engineering and computer sci. profs. hyp.

Microelectromechanical (MEMS) devices could detect light, temp, or vib.

Thesis Statement : Researchers hyp that s.d. could track patients, warn of natural disaster, act as defense against bioterrorism.

Prev .: What smart dust is and how it works, military aps, nonmilitary aps.

Transition : To help understand, first, what smart dust is.

I. Dr. Kris Pister, prof robotics lab UC Berkeley conceived the idea in 1998 in a proj. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).

• 2001 article by Bret Warneke et al titled “Smart Dust: Communicating with a Cubic-Millimeter Computer” publ. in Computer , Pister wanted sensors, comm. devices, and computer in a cubic millimeter package.

Doug Steel of CT Bauer College of Bus at Houston noted grain of rice = 5 cm.

• Each mote could interact w/ others.
• (see extended quotation, next card)

Quotation : Steve Lohr, NYT Jan 30 2005, “Smart Dust? Not Quite, but We’re Getting There.” Smart dust could eventually consist of “Tiny digital sensors, strewn around the globe, gathering all sorts of information and communicating with powerful computer networks to monitor, measure, and understand the physical world in new ways.”

II. Orig conceptualized under DARPA, military uses theor. and examined.

Smart Dust website, battlefield surveill., treaty monitor., transp. monitor., + scud hunting.

benefit, surveill.

• Maj. Scott Dickson, Blue Horizons Paper for Ctr for Strat and Tech for USAF air war college, sees s.d. as help for battlespace awareness, homeland security, and WMD ID.
• could also defeat comm. jamming equipt by communicating among itself and w/ civilians in combat zones.
• 2010 article Jessica Griggs New Scientist , early defense, storms and debris.

Transition : Switch gears to daily lives.

III. s.d. project website: s.d. could become common in daily life.

Pasting particles for virtual computer keyboard to inventory control poss.

• Steve Lohr, 2010, NYT, “The applications for sensor-based computing, experts say, include buildings that manage their own energy use, bridges that sense motion and metal fatigue to tell engineers they need repairs, cars that track traffic patterns and report potholes, and fruit and vegetable shipments that tell grocers when they ripen and begin to spoil.”

Medically, accdng to SD project website, help disabled.

• interface w/ computers

injected, cd. relay info to docs and detect body changes instantly

• cancer cells, bacteria or virus, speed up treatment, and so on.

Transition : We expl. What SD is, how SD cd be used military, and how SD cd impact our lives.

Conclusion : Transf fiction to fact, experts agree potential 2025. Michael Crichton’s Prey isn’t reality, but in developing SD as fact, there are ethical considerations. Pister: privacy.

Dr. Kris Pister: “As an engineer, or a scientist, or a hair stylist, everyone needs to evaluate what they do in terms of its positive and negative effect. If I thought that the negatives of working on this project were larger or even comparable to the positives, I wouldn’t be working on it. As it turns out, I think that the potential benefits of this technology far far outweigh the risks to personal privacy.”

Using a set of cards similar to this could help you get through an impressive set of specialized information. But what if you lose your place during a speech? With a set of cards, it will take less time to refind it than with a full-sentence outline. You will not be rustling sheets of paper, and because your cards are written on one side only, you can keep them in order without flipping them back and forth to check both sides.

What if you go blank? Take a few seconds to recall what you’ve said and how it leads to your next points. There may be several seconds of silence in the middle of your speech, and it may seem like minutes to you, but you can regain your footing most easily with a small set of well-prepared cards.

Under no circumstances should you ever attempt to put your entire speech on cards in little tiny writing. You will end up reading a sequence of words to your audience instead of telling them your message.

Key Takeaways

• Working outlines help you with speech logic, development, and planning.
• The full-sentence outline develops the full detail of the message.
• The speaking outline helps you stay organized in front of the audience without reading to them.
• Using notecards for your speaking outline helps with delivery and makes it easier to find information if you lose your place or draw a blank.
• With respect to your speech topic, what words need to be defined?
• Define what you mean by the terms you will use.
• How does your definition compare with those of experts?

Stand up, Speak out Copyright © 2016 by University of Minnesota is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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Four Types of Outlining - article

Before we explore outlining methods, let's get something out of the way: not all writers use outlines and that's perfectly fine. Winging it, or "pantsing," is a valid writing method, especially for fiction writers. However, many writers benefit from a well-laid plot blueprint as it helps them avoid getting stuck with no way out. It also helps authors who continuously start projects but can never figure out how to reach the end. Now that that's out of the way, let's take a look at four popular outlining forms:

Classical Outlining

A classical outline includes Roman numerals, letters, and numbers for headings and subheadings. This is a highly organized form of outlining and relies heavily on sequential thinking, making it a popular choice among nonfiction writers. The goal of the classical outline is to create a blueprint that effectively divides main ideas and subordinating ones, while at the same time coordinating ideas into a cohesive whole. This pre-writing organization brings clarity to the work.

Summary Outlining

In a summary outline, the writer estimates the number of chapters in their manuscript. The writer often starts out with a document similar to a beat sheet used by screenwriters (a sequentially ordered list of plot events). Then a short summary of each chapter is written. A clear goal is defined for each chapter, and the characters are discussed, along with settings and chapter timelines. This kind of outline is very linear in nature.

Index Card Outlining

Index card outlining is very popular because it allows for the constant reorganization of ideas. Writers create short scene synopses and can rearrange them at will. This is great for those who have a non-linear style. Many use Post-it notes instead of note cards because they can be easily arranged on a wall board, offering a more visual way to follow the story’s plot. For the technically inclined, a program like Microsoft’s “Power Point” or Mac’s “Keynote” allow you to create cards online and easily rearrange as needed. Other programs like Scrivener and Celtx are made for writers and have even more user-friendly outlining features.

Clustering, or mind mapping, is a random and organic outline form and consists of creating a web of ideas that will eventually be used to start a story. The main idea is placed in a central bubble then more bubbles surround it. More ideas radiate out from the center, creating a web-like shape upon completion. Lines connect all the bubbles with coordinating ideas. For large works, a poster-sized sheet of paper is recommended.

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Top Comments

Excellent added information, and added confidence. For me the first primero manuscript/book, was 55% sporacdic, somewhat all over most pages. Yet very thankful it has come to pass. And not sitting, standing and collecting dust. And a Goal soon became a Dream. 

These are great ways to outline your ideas according to your style. I like the Index Card Outlining and the Clustering; I think I will try clustering.

There are a variety of publishing companies that could help you, but you may want to look at AuthorHouse or iUniverse. 

planning to write a book and I am wondering if any publishing company can edit my writing simply to put things together with there expertise :)? if yes please send me the name of the publishing company name thanks 

Hi Jennifer,

© Copyright 2018 Author Learning Center. All Rights Reserved

The Writing Process

Making expository writing less stressful, more efficient, and more enlightening

Sample Detailed Outline

“Organize. Organize. Organize.” —U.S. Vice President and Nobel Peace Prize-winner Al Gore

Below is an example of a detailed outline. (It is for a research paper, but the principles and structure apply to any paper.) Notice the hierarchical use of the roman numeral system . Such a hierarchy is key to organizing your thinking and your argument and keeping track of the relationships between your ideas.

Introduction

quote from movie like Independence Day to get readers’ attention SOURCE: IMDB.com

world preparing to welcome with festivities and open arms the aliens coming to Earth from Andromeda galaxy

Thesis (complete sentence!): Although the aliens seem friendly and say they come in peace, Earth’s number one priority should be to build a defense shield before they arrive.

On March 15, 2016, we discovered not alone in universe: irregular but repeating signal discovered from nearby Andromeda. SOURCE: NYTimes , 3/16/16

Different scientists have decoded the message differently

Commonly accepted interpretation friendly:

“Greetings, people of Earth. We have detected and watched your reports (e.g., The Big Bang Theory ) documenting typical life on Earth. We are currently on our way to Earth to begin our friendship and will arrive in Earth year 2020. Prepare yourselves for a glorious future [unclear signals].” (SOURCE: Michaels, “Aliens Are Our Friends,” People )

still parts of the message undecoded (SOURCE?

all scientists agree: Aliens arriving in 2020 (Source: Fredericks, Wall Street Journal )

Argument: there are signs that message is a warning and that aliens are planning to attack

Prof. Alan Guthman, Harvard Center for Astrophysics, makes case (SOURCE: Guthman, “We Do Not Come in Peace”)

With only one message to work with, we have little clue of tone of message

If we interpret three different patterns in signal differently, tone much different: “Attention, Earthlings. We have observed your unusual lives. We are coming to Earth to…[unclear]. Prepare yourselves for life under our control.”

With all the videos we broadcast into space, an alien race would assume that we are hostile and act accordingly

Logic: Even if these aliens are friendly, it is better to be safe than sorry and protect ourselves

FIND: Estimates of the number of intelligent races in the nearby universe and the probability that at least one of them is hostile and technologically advanced

Argument: Estimates show that workable shield surrounding Earth can be constructed by 2020

If nations of Earth collaborate, we can build shield that will block incoming ships and weapons fire (SOURCE. Teller, “Shielding the Earth,” Physics Rev. Letters )

Will cost huge amounts of $$, but:

if spread out among many countries, affordable FIND. Estimates of costs

We can’t afford NOT to build it

Argument: Building shield will both stimulate global economy and result in very useful new technologies

FIND! Evidence on how previous projects—moon landing, the International Space Station, emergency stimulus packages—created

jobs –find stats!

new products & companies

FIND! I don’t have concrete evidence for this, but I remember hearing how the moon landing and international space station resulted in the creation of new, useful technologies

Counterargument: If we build shield and they detect it, it could signal that we are hostile and provoke the aliens to attack

Missile defense shields on Earth have often provoked international tensions. SOURCE: M. Pritchard, “If You Build It, They Will Attack.” ( Boston Globe )

FIND source that shows that

such tensions do not necessarily lead to attack and

any intelligent race will understand need for others to be prepared to defend themselves.

Counterargument: We are probably not able to build shield that would work against such a technologically advanced race

non-sequitor. fact that it may not work does not mean that it won’t and that we should not try to protect ourselves.

Conclusion.

We have no way of knowing the intensions of a group we have never met on the basis of one message.

The only sensible approach is to try to defend ourselves, especially when there will be benefits for trying such as jobs and new technologies.

• As I learned in Las Vegas, “Never risk what you cannot afford to lose.” Can we afford to risk our children’s lives?

Click here to create a detailed outline from your freewrite/brainstorm using GoogleDocs.

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Structure of an Essay: Outline

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This is an outline of what a five-paragraph essay looks like. To view a “written text” version of a five-paragraph essay/outline, click here: Five Paragraph Essay Sample and Outline.

Introduction

• Introductory statements
• Thesis statement
• Introduce supporting ideas (optional)
• Transition, topic sentence
• Discussion, examples, and analysis
• Conclusion (optional)

III. Conclusion

• Transition, statement reflecting back on thesis
• Restate key points
• Ending statement that provokes thought ( optional)

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