Using Outlines in
Technical Writing
MEE 6419 ENGLISH TECHNICAL WRITING
Outlines
oIn English there is a “colloquialism” that “a picture is worth a 1000 words”
oWhat the phrase means is that you can represent something complex in picture
form in terms of something familiar and easily understood by someone else
oColloquialism is a phrase that is not part of formal language but is used by people in
everyday or familiar conversation
o“Slang” is a form of colloquialism
oAnother idea to consider. Would a manager at Hyundai allow a car to be built
without seeing the CAD drawings? Of course not, without proper attention being
given to what each piece in the car is to look like and how it will function, the
vehicle will not work properly.
A picture is worth a thousand words
An outline is a way of formally arranging
and developing your ideas.
No matter the length of the paper, from a 3-page weekly assignment to a 50-page senior thesis,
outlines can help you see the overall “picture” of your paper and how the ideas fit together.
Many writers use an outline to help them think through the various stages of the writing
process.
◦ Is there a logical flow to what you have written?
◦ Do the ideas progress naturally and in way the reader would expect them?
You do not tell a story by starting with how it ends in most cases
It helps a reader who is unfamiliar with what you are writing about to understand what you have
done and helps them to better assess the merit of the work and if there are errors or problems
in the work
An outline is a tool for use in writing
The function of an outline is to help you consider the most effective way to say what you want to
say.
Outline Forms
It typically uses Roman numbers and letters and Arabic numbers. It is
organized as follows:
Outline Forms
A decimal outline form can also be used if you prefer this style:
What do I write in an outline
§For short papers, a few short phrases written on a piece of paper may be enough.
§Long papers are often too big to write without planning what you want to write about. You need
a more systematic plan to organize the paper.
§Preparing an outline will help:
§ you keep your writing focused and “on topic”, it helps to make sure you cover what is important and
avoid writing about irrelevant points that may be interesting and related but nor needed for the
audience to understand your work
§ consider your ideas from several perspectives,
§ write a organizational plan appropriate to your topic and audience. Without an outline there is a danger
that you will start writing as if you are the audience
§ an outline that accompanies can also function as a table of contents for the reader.
Outlining Procedure
1. Brainstorming: List all the ideas that you want to include in your paper. Don’t
worry about what is right or wrong. This is taken care of in the next step.
2. Organizing: Group related ideas together. Discard any ideas that do not fit or
are not related or are not important.
3. Labeling: Create main and sub headings. These usually correspond to section
and sub-section headings in a journal/conference paper. For lengthy reports
or theses, the main headings will be chapters and the sub-headings will be
sections in each chapter.
4. Ordering: Arrange the material that will be discussed in each subsection.
Generally this will go from general to specific or from abstract to concrete.
Suggestions for Effective Outlines
For first-level heads, present the information using all upper-case
letters; and for secondary and tertiary items, use upper and lowercase letters. Indent each secondary and tertiary item. Also you might
want to consider:
Suggestions for Effective Outlines
Campus and Web sites visits are equally significant tasks. They are part of
the main tasks you would need to do. Finding statistics and classes found on
college Web sites are parts of the process involved in carrying out the main
heading topics.
Suggestions for Effective Outlines
Suggestions for Effective Outlines
If it can not be divided into 2 or more parts, consider putting it into a parallel
heading or eliminating it from the outline
Moving from the Outline to the Paper
Once you have written a workable outline, you are ready to start writing the paper.
An advantage of working with an outline is that you can start writing at any point,
and still know what you need to discuss before and after that section. Try to follow
the flow of the outline as much as possible, since that is its purpose.
If you find yourself diverging from your outline while you are writing. This can mean
one of two things is happening:
1. It may be that while you are writing, you have come up with some new ideas that
you did not consider earlier. These should be added to your outline. Add them
but make sure all the ideas still flow and fit together well.
2. It can also mean that you have lost your focus. Go back and see if you are still
following your outline. You may also need to revise your outline.
The Outline – Micro Outline
Introduction to the Problem and why it is important
I.
Manufacturing problems with rolling large rings in industry
I.
wind turbines have created a new need for manufacturers to produce larger steel rings
II.
Such rings are difficult to make for two reasons
I.
Manufacturing problems
I.
because of the extra time to transport and re-heat the ring due to thermal losses
II.
Reduced efficiency in equipment (takes longer to manufacture the ring)
III.
Increased number of defects in the ring
II.
Meeting performance specifications
I.
Non uniform temperature during rolling can cause non-uniform mechanical properties in the ring
I.
Grain size varies with position in the ring
II.
Yield strength is not unform
The micro outline will often be larger than the macro outline