#2) Creating and Using Outlines
Making an outline can help you to identify and organize ideas before drafting. The following are some
considerations for creating and using outlines.
Before You Start
Establishing your purpose and structure
An outline helps you meet the requirements of your assignment. Read your instructor’s guidelines carefully
before making your outline. What type of paper are you to write? Has your instructor described a structure
you are to follow? Who is your audience? How familiar is your audience with your topic—will you need to
provide background on the topic and define key terms?
Developing your “working thesis”
Establish your thesis—the main idea governing your paper. The outline will help to organize your ideas for
supporting your thesis. Remember that your thesis at this point is a “working thesis” and may be modified as
your writing process moves forward.
Creating the Outline
Varieties of outlines
Outlines may be formal or informal. Informal outlines, effective for shorter papers, may be formatted in any
manner you choose—with bullet points, dashes, or the like. Formal outlines use Roman numerals, capitalized
letters, Arabic numerals, and lower-case letters. Longer writing projects often require writers to use more
formal outlining. Remember that the purpose of an outline is to organize your ideas before you draft, so select
the variety that best suits your needs and the complexity of the project.
Informal outlines
If you are working on a short writing assignment, an informal outline listing your major points and a brief
description of your support for each point might be all you need to organize your thoughts before drafting:
Thesis: The three-part structure of “To Autumn” allows Keats to show both the distinct
phases of autumn and the season’s continuity within the larger cycle of nature.
--Briefly define Romantic nature poetry
--Introduce “To Autumn” (three-part structure)
--1st stanza: late summer/fruitfulness/Sept.
--2nd stanza: harvest time/Oct.
--3rd stanza: end of season/onset of winter/Nov.
--Season’s beauty softens the images of death
--Death and cycle of nature; hints of renewal and return
(from The Borzoi Handbook for Writers, 3rd ed., p. 31)
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Formal Outlines
If your project is longer and more complicated, you may want to use a formal outline, which is useful for
organizing and subordinating your ideas, examples, and evidence. In the examples that follow, notice the
writer’s subordination strategy for each subtopic and the supporting ideas. Supporting ideas provide evidence
and examples for the subtopics, and all of the subtopics provide support for the thesis. This type of
organization will help ensure that each of your paragraphs is focused and developed and that the main idea of
your paper is fully supported.
A formal outline can be written in either topic or sentence form. Topic outlines use single words or phrases.
Entries in the sentence outline are written in complete sentences. The following examples are from The McGraw
Hill Handbook, 2nd edition, by Maimon, Peritz, and Yancey, pp. 48-49.
Notice that both outlines work from the same thesis and organizational plan. But the topic outline uses brief
wording while entries in the sentence outline are expressed as complete thoughts. Some writers find that
sentences in the topic outline, especially the major ideas listed under Roman numerals, can actually serve as
topic sentences in the first draft.
Formal Topic Outline
Thesis: Like a photojournalist, Salgado brings us images of newsworthy events, but he goes beyond
objective reporting, imparting his compassion for refugees and migrants.
I.
II.
III.
Sophistication of Salgado’s photographs
Power of “Orphanage attached to the hospital” photo
A. Three infant victims of Rwanda War
1. Label: abstract statistics
2. Photo: making abstractions real
B. Documentary vividness and dramatic contrasts of black and white
1. Black-and-white stripes of blankets
2. White eyes and dark blankets
3. Faces
a. Heart-wrenching look of baby on left
b. Startled look of baby in center
c. Glazed and sickly look of baby on right
C. Intimate vantage point
1. A parent’s perspective
2. Stress on innocence and vulnerability
Salgado’s ability to illustrate big issues with intimate images
(from The McGraw Hill Handbook, 2nd ed. p. 48)
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Formal Sentence Outline
Thesis: Like a photojournalist, Salgado brings us images of newsworthy events, but he goes
beyond objective reporting, imparting his compassion for refugees and migrants.
I.
II.
III.
The images in Migrations, an exhibit of his work, suggest that Salgado does more than
simply point and shoot.
Salgado’s photograph “Orphanage attached to the hospital at Kibumba, number One Camp,
Goma, Zaire” illustrates the power of his work.
A. The photograph depicts three infants who are victims of the war in Rwanda.
1. The label indicates that there are 4,000 orphans in the camp and 100,000
orphans overall.
2. The numbers are abstractions that the photo makes real.
B. Salgado’s use of black and white gives the photo a documentary feel, but he also
uses contracts of light and dark to create a dramatic image of babies.
1. The vertical black-and-white stripes of the blanket direct viewers’ eyes to the
infants’ faces and hands.
2. The whites of the infants’ eyes stand out against the darkness of the blankets.
3. The camera’s lens focuses sharply on the babies’ faces, highlighting their
expressions.
a. The baby on the left has a heart-wrenching look.
b. The baby on the center has a startled look.
c. The baby on the right has a glazed and sunken look and appears to be
near death.
C. The vantage point of this photograph is one of a parent standing directly over his or
her child.
1. The infants seem to belong to the viewer.
2. The photo is framed so that the babies take up the entire space, consuming
the viewer with their innocence and vulnerability.
Salgado uses his artistic skill to get viewers to look closely at painful subjects, illustrating a
big, complex topic with a collection of intimate, intensely moving images.
(from The McGraw Hill Handbook, 2nd ed. pp. 48-49)
Using Your Outline
After you have created your outline, you can use the preliminary plan to evaluate the development of your
argument. First, evaluate the subtopics as a group to ensure they provide the necessary support and
development for your thesis. Repeat the process for each individual subtopic—check to ensure that your
evidence and examples provide ample support. Additionally, you should evaluate the order of your subtopics:
Why is subtopic one first and three last? Might you create a more effective order? At this stage of the writing
process, you might edit your outline, and save some valuable drafting time.
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