10 Tips for Writing a Great Outline

How to write a great outline

  1. Sometimes the thesis and introduction will be the first and main category and the conclusion will be the last.
  2. Topic outlines are more brief and quicker to write, but sentence outlines are generally easier to read and more comprehensive.
  3. Word processing software makes writing outlines easier because you can add, delete, and rearrange entries at will. Many of these programs include outline format tools, as well.
  4. If you can’t figure out what level (i.e. main, subcategory, or tertiary) a given point should be, ask yourself whether that point adds something completely new or different to the paper or whether it simply supports or explains a point or argument that is already there. If it supports or explains an existing category, it should be listed as a smaller division of that category.
  5. Each category type should have at least two entries. Thus, you cannot have an “A.” without a “B.”, a “1.” without a “2.”, or a “1.1.1″ without a “1.1.2″.
  6. Different ideas require different numbers of divisions. For example, if one of your main categories is “Advantages” or something you may have six subcategories (A-F), but your second main category, “Disadvantages” may have only three subcategories (A-C).
  7. Organize the outline according to your purposes: Are you attempting to show the chronology of some historical development, the cause-and-effect relationship between one phenomenon and another, the process by which something is accomplished, or the logic of some position? Are you defining or analyzing something? Comparing or contrasting one thing to another? Presenting an argument (one side or both)?
  8. Some methods of organizing: Climactic arrangement: one that works up to your strongest point, which is delivered as a kind of grand finale. The inductive argument: in which you build up the evidence first, and then draw conclusions. A problem-solution format: involves presenting the problem first and then outlining the solution.
  9. Remember, your paper depends on having a good outline! A good outline enhances the organization and coherence of your paper. The outline can help you organize your material, stay focused, be clear, discover connections between pieces of information that you weren’t aware of, make you aware of material that is not really relevant to the purposes of your paper, help you fill in gaps, etc.
  10. Finally, don’t sweat it! It’s just an outline, and it will actually help you organize your thoughts and write a good paper.

This article is excerpted from an article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world’s largest, highest quality how-to manual.