Outlining Your Paper

• Aids in the process of writing

• Helps you organize your ideas

• Presents your material in a logical form

• Shows the relationships among ideas in your writing

• Constructs an ordered overview of your writing

• Defines boundaries and groups

4 Components of Effective Outlines

1. Parallelism

2. Coordination

3. Subordination

4. Division

Parallelism

Each heading and subheading should preserve parallel structure. If the first heading is a verb, the second heading should be a verb. Example:

I. Choose desired collegesII. Prepare application

("Choose" and "Prepare" are both verbs. The present tense of the verb is usually the preferred form for an outline.)

CoordinationInformation contained in Heading I. should have the same significance as the information contained in Heading II. The same goes for the subheadings (which should be less significant than the headings). Example:

I. VISIT AND EVALUATE COLLEGE CAMPUSESII. VISIT AND EVALUATE COLLEGE WEBSITES

A. Note important statisticsB. Look for interesting classes

(Campus and Web sites visits are equally significant. 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.)

Subordination

Information in the headings should be more general, while the information in the subheadings should be more specific. Example:

I. Describe an influential person in your lifeA. Favorite high school teacherB. Grandparent

(A favorite teacher and grandparent are specific examples from the generalized category of influential people in your life.)

Division

Each heading should be divided into 2 or more parts. Example:

I. Compile ResumeA. List relevant courseworkB. List work experienceC. List volunteer experience

(The heading "Compile Résumé" is divided into 3 parts.)

Technically, there is no limit to the number of subdivisions for your headings; however, if you seem to have a lot, it may be useful to see if some of the parts can be combined.

Alphanumeric Formatting

• Roman Numerals (I, II, III)

• Capitalized Letters (A, B, C)

• Arabic Numerals (1, 2, 3)

• Lowercase Letters (a, b, c)

Where do I start?

• Look over outline example• Determine if your research has info about the

history and causes of the issue or info ONLY about the reasons why your argument is right

• Refer to notes (from this ppt)• Write brief phrases to fill in the blanks on the

outline examples provided for you