Essay Outline Template and Sample | PDF
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After completing your research and taking notes, the next step in writing your paper is to create an outline. Using an outline to help write an essay has a number of benefits: It lets you organize your ideas and the essay, remove information that is redundant or irrelevant, and speeds up the process.
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How to Write an Essay Outline
Most essays will follow a similar format that begins with an introduction, then the body, and finally a conclusion. Some essays may call for a title page or references page as well. These major sections will be the major headings on the outline as well.
Thus, the first major heading will be “I. Introduction.” The intro serves to explain the main argument of your paper and briefly introduce your main points to support that argument. Here, you must include the thesis of your paper, which is its main argument. The thesis is a critical aspect of any paper, so you should research how to write an effective one if you are unsure how. It may be easier to fill this section in after you fill in the body sections, as you will have a clearer understanding of your thesis and main points after fleshing out the heart of the essay.
Next, you should divide the body section by your main points and then under each point list evidence and reasons that support that point. Like the thesis, your main points should be written clearly and concisely, using specific terms. Further, you must relate these main points to the thesis, as this will help prove your thesis. Your sub-points can develop your main points and show why they are true and how they relate to your thesis.
Last, the conclusion will essentially restate your introduction. It must state your thesis and can briefly include your primary points, but do not introduce new information here.
Remember, you do not need to use complete sentences in an outline, but write enough so you can refer back to it and understand the points you wanted to convey. Doing this work up front will make actually writing out your paper much smoother.
Example
Here is an example of an essay outline:
I. Introduction
The intro should grab the reader’s attention and move swiftly into the thesis statement, which will condense your overarching argument into a concise, authoritative claim.
II. Body
1. First Point/topic sentence
a. (support for your first point with evidence, research, statistics, etc.)
b.
c.
2. Second Point/topic sentence
a. (support for your second point)
b.
c.
3. Third Point/topic sentence
a. (support for your third point)
b.
c.
III. Conclusion
Sources
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