OUTLINING

Learning Objectives

1. Define Outlining;
2. Identify The Various Techniques In
Outlining; And
3. Make An Outline Of The Various
Academic Texts.
 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.
• 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.
• 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.
 ORGANIZING YOUR IDEA IN AN OUTLINE

• Begin by answering the question that leads to your

thesis statement.
• Use the two or three main ideas from this technique
as your main heading.
• Write subtopics for each main idea.
• Write the supporting details for each of the
subtopics.
 Use various outlines based on the
structure you prefer

• Sentence outline – Using complete

sentences as entries.
• Topic outline – Using words and phrases
as entries.
• Paragraph outline – Using paragraphs as
entries.
 Guidelines in Writing an Outline:

• Place the title at the center above the outline.

• Every level of the outline must have at least two
items (I and II, A and B, 1 and 2).
• Put a period after each numeral and letter.
• Indent each new level of the outline.
• All items of one kind (roman numerals, capital letters,
Arabic numerals) should line up with each other.
• Capitalize the first letter of each item.
• The terms Introduction, Body, and Conclusion do not
have to be included in the outline. They are not
topics; they are merely organizational units in the
writer’s mind.
 Basic outline form
I. MAIN IDEA
A. Subsidiary idea or supporting idea to I
B. Subsidiary idea or supporting idea to I
1. Subsidiary idea to B
2. Subsidiary idea to B
a. Subsidiary idea to 2
b. Subsidiary idea to 2
II. MAIN IDEA
A. Subsidiary or supporting idea to II
B. Subsidiary idea to II
C. Subsidiary idea to II
III. MAIN IDEA
Example Sentence Outline
Example of Topic Outline