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What is Outlining?
Outlining is a tool we use in the writing process to help organize our ideas, visualize our
paper's potential structure, and to further flesh out and develop points. It allows the writer to
understand how he or she will connect information to support the thesis statement and the claims
of the paper.
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It is a helpful guide in organizing your paper. Outlines give a visual structure to your work and are used to show relationships and hierarchies within your content.
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To outline, you must create a linear, organized plan for your paper that shows the main ideas that you will discuss as well as their relationships within the paper.
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Organizing your idea in an outline
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Use various outlines based on the structure you prefer
Guidelines in Writing an Outline:
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Basic outline form
I. MAIN IDEA
A. Subsidiary idea or supporting idea to I
B. Subsidiary idea or supporting idea to I
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II. MAIN IDEA
A. Subsidiary or supporting idea to II
B. Subsidiary idea to II
C. Subsidiary idea to II
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III. MAIN IDEA It is up to the writer to decide on how many main ideas and supporting ideas adequately describe the subject. However, traditional form dictates that if there is a I in the outline, there has to be a II; if there is an A, there has to be a B; and so forth.
Example Sentence Outline
The following outline is for a 5-7-page paper discussing the link between educational
attainment and health. Review the other sections of this page for more detailed information about
each component of this outline!
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I. Introduction
A. Current Problem: Educational attainment rates are decreasing in the United
States while healthcare costs are increasing.
B. Population/Area of Focus: Unskilled or low-skilled adult workers
C. Key Terms: healthy, well-educated
Thesis Statement: Because of their income deficit (cite sources) and general susceptibility to
depression (cite sources), students who drop out of high school before graduation maintain a higher
risk for physical and mental health problems later in life.
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II. Background
A. Historical Employment Overview: Unskilled laborers in the past were frequently
unionized and adequately compensated for their work (cite sources).
B. Historical Healthcare Overview: Unskilled laborers in the past were often provided
adequate healthcare and benefits (cite sources).
C. Current Link between Education and Employment Type: Increasingly, uneducated
workers work in unskilled or low-skilled jobs (cite sources).
D. Gaps in the Research: Little information exists exploring the health
implications of the current conditions in low-skilled jobs.
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III. Major Point 1: Conditions of employment affect workers' physical health.
A. Minor Point 1: Unskilled work environments are correlated highly with worker
injury (cite sources).
B. Minor Point 2: Unskilled work environments rarely provide healthcare or adequate
injury recovery time (cite sources).
IV. Major Point 2: Conditions of employment affect workers' mental health
A. Minor Point 1: Employment in a low-skilled position is highly correlated with
dangerous levels of stress (cite sources).
B. Minor Point 2: Stress is highly correlated with mental health issues (cite sources).
V. Major Point 3: Physical health and mental health correlate directly with one another.
A. Minor Point 1: Mental health problems and physical health problems are highly
correlated (cite sources).
B. Minor Point 2: Stress manifests itself in physical form (cite sources)
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VI. Major Point 4: People with more financial worries have more stress and worse physical
health.
A. Minor Point 1: Many high-school dropouts face financial problems (cite sources).
B. Minor Point 2: Financial problems are often correlated with unhealthy lifestyle
choices such unhealthy food choices,
overconsumption/abuse of alcohol, chain smoking, abusive
relationships, etc. (cite sources).
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VII. Conclusion
A. Restatement of Thesis: Students who drop out of high school are at a higher risk for
both mental and physical health problems throughout their lives.
B. Next Steps: Society needs educational advocates; educators need to be aware of this
situation and strive for student retention in order to promote
healthy lifestyles and warn students of the risks associated with
dropping out of school.
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Example of Topic Outline
Several aspects must be considered in writing a topic outline.
III. Peer Problems
A. Loss of Friends
B. Relationships with Dates