•

    • Two Types of Outlines

    Informal Outlines

    An informal outline orders information and helps a writer gain clarity in thought; however, they are rarely acceptable for your professors. These types are generally for personal use only.

    Outlining helps pull together the results of your prewriting. When your purpose is a major research paper, an outline is a must; however, any essay pulls together better if directed by an outline.

    Outlines

    		order ideas
    help prepare the thesis statement
    provide visual guides
    take the place of a checklist
    and perhaps most importantly, reveal flaws:
    		missing information,
    undesirable repetitions,
    digressions from the thesis,
    unclear thinking,
    illogical transitions.

    • to help with sufficient evidence

    • as a checklist of info

    • Sample Informal Outline
    Thesis Statement: With the right training, any writer can use the outline to help organize and direct her essay
    to attain clarity of thought use indents and bullets
    		transitions
    signify change of thought
    detail
    examples
    include notes to self about citations or exciting ideas
    when writing the first draft can use as a reference

    Formal Outlines

    Content and format are rigid in the formal outline. The two blend to display the relationships among ideas in an orderly fashion. A formal outline can be a topic outline or a sentence outline. Each item in a topic outline is a word or phrase; each item in a sentence outline is a complete sentence. Formal outlines never mix the two.

    Conventions of Formal Outlines

    Formal Outline Pattern
    Thesis Statement:
    I. First main idea
    A. First subdivision of the main idea
    1. First reason or example
      a. First supporting detail
      b. Second supporting detail

    2. Second reason or example
      a. First supporting detail
      b. Second supporting detail
    B. Second subdivision of the main idea
    1. First reason or example
      a. First supporting detail
      b. Second supporting detail

    2. Second reason or example
      a. First supporting detail
      b. Second supporting detail
    II. Second main idea
    A. First subdivision of the main idea
    1. First reason or example
      a. First supporting detail
      b. Second supporting detail

    2. Second reason or example
      a. First supporting detail
      b. Second supporting detail
    B. Second subdivision of the main idea
    1. First reason or example
      a. First supporting detail
      b. Second supporting detail

    2. Second reason or example
      a. First supporting detail
      b. Second supporting detail

    Traits of a Formal Outline
    		Signal groupings and levels of importance with numbers, letters, and indentations;
    subdivide each level with more than one entry;
    use the same level of generality for all subdivisions;
    do not overlap headings, i.e., different points require different ideas;
    arrange phrases and sentences grammatically parallel;
    capitalize the first word of each entry;
    end each sentence in a sentence outline with periods but not the items in a topic outline;
    do not include introduction or conclusion;
    place the thesis statement above the outline itself.

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    should not be held responsible.  ©1999-2009
    Last revised: November 19, 2009 by Jan Strever -- jstrever@scc.spokane.edu
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