How to Outline Effectively

By Emily Winters

As a peer writing tutor, one common question that I have heard from students is “how do I outline my paper?” Outlining effectively has several benefits: firstly, it gives you the confidence to begin writing, because it shows you that you know more about your topic than you think you know. Secondly, it provides a road map to success and an easy place to access important evidence and quotations from your readings. Thirdly, it allows you to reorganize your paragraphs before you begin writing, which will save you time and stress during the editing process.

So, the next time you begin to outline your paper, remember the following tips:

1. Pay attention to topic sentences - be sure to emphasize the main idea of each paragraph. This will help you organize your ideas as well as create an effective flow to your paper from topic to topic.

2. Include direct quotes and specific evidence from the readings to support your ideas. Be sure to remember to include your page numbers - this will save you time and stress as you begin to write!

3. Write in shorthand - your outline is to help you make sure you have all your details and main ideas, but not necessarily for complete sentences or a finished draft. Getting bogged down in the details and trying to craft finished writing as you outline might distract you from the task at hand!

4. Keep track of your sources and page numbers - one tip is to create your references page as you outline. This way, this important step will not be overlooked or rushed at the last second, leading to room for error and potential accidental plagiarism!

According to Purdue Owl, there are three common types of outlines:

1. Alphanumeric outline - using roman numerals and letter sub-bullets

2. Full sentence outlines (which I believe are quite helpful for outlining and planning speeches or in-class presentations)

3. Decimal outlines - using same indent formula as other outlines, but you use 1.0, 1.1, 1.2, etc. to label your bullet points

Lastly, check out some sample outlines below, courtesy of Purdue Owl:

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