As a student, you’re no stranger to writing essays. Almost every class you take will require you to write one at some point, making it one of the most common assignments from elementary to grad school. Although essay writing is so prominent, many schools fail to teach the proper writing format, causing students of all ages to struggle to compose a high-quality paper. If you’re one of the thousands of students tasked with writing an essay but are unsure how to outline it, you’ve come to the right place. With a little bit of guidance, you can learn how to create effective outlines that help you write quality content that earns the highest marks. If you’re ready to ace your next essay, keep reading to learn how to create the best essay outline.
What Is An Outline?
An outline is a way of structuring or planning an essay prior to writing the content. It provides you with a summarization of the information you’d like to include within the essay, allowing you to plan how your content will flow. Sometimes a teacher or professor will require you to submit an essay outline as part of the overall assignment so they can see a quick synopsis of what you will write on. However, even if this step isn’t required, creating an outline is a great way to expedite the writing process and help keep all the required information organized.
Preparing To Write An Essay Outline
Before you can begin writing your essay outline, there are some preparatory steps you can do to make the process easier. Since you are still in the beginning stages of content creation, you most likely only have a broad idea of what you’d like to cover based on the research you’ve completed on the essay’s topic. Keeping in mind what you want to discuss will help guide the organizational process. Additionally, having your source on hand will save time down the line.
Information Categorization
To begin, you’ll want to arrange your information into categories based on the main topics you’d like to discuss in your essay. You will want to make one central theme that the rest of the material will build upon. Having a clearly defined theme or point will work as your guide for keeping you on track as you write your content. When organizing your categories, arrange them in relation to different aspects you’d like to cover relating to the central theme to ensure you discuss all pertinent information.
Including three main subjects or themes is the most common structure used in essay writing and can be broken up to fit the essay’s length. For example, your essay could be three paragraphs long, or you could make it into three sections with multiple paragraphs in each. Be sure to analyze your categories as you create your outline to ensure there isn’t any redundant or irrelevant information. You should clearly cover every topic, tying it into your central theme.
Creating The Order Of Your Content
Once you’ve organized your information into applicable categories, you must decide the order to use them in the essay. You will always begin with an introduction that introduces the central theme of your writing and end with a conclusion where you’ll provide a brief synopsis and present your final thoughts. While the introduction and conclusion are set, you can organize the body however you’d like as long as it flows and makes sense to the reader. To help ensure your essay is structured correctly, there are three questions you can consider when ordering your material:
- Does the information have an easy-to-follow starting point?
- Are there easy transitions from one subject to the next?
- Are there certain points that need to be introduced by discussing other points beforehand?
Outline Presentation
As you write your essay, you will use each paragraph to discuss a single idea that relates to the overall topic or theme, using multiple points, analysis, or evidence. You can decide whether you’d like to use short phrases or full sentences in your outline; just stay consistent with your choice. Let’s take a look at what an essay outline will look like using the guideline above.
I. Introduction
- Hook sentence to grab the reader’s attention
- One or two sentences introducing the central theme
II. Body
- The first main idea
- The first idea supporting evidence
- The first idea supporting evidence
- The first idea supporting evidence
- The second main idea
- The second idea supporting evidence
- The second idea supporting evidence
- The second idea supporting evidence
- The third main idea
- The third idea supporting evidence
- The third idea supporting evidence
- The third idea supporting evidence
III. Conclusion
- Restate your central idea
- Closing sentence
Frequently Asked Questions
When Should I Write An Essay Outline?
You may be required to write and submit an essay outline as part of the overall assignment. Teachers and professors often include this step to ensure you have a clear understanding of your central theme. Even if an outline isn’t required, it’s an excellent tool that makes streamlines and simplifies the writing process, allowing you to organize your ideas and information for easier content creation.
Do I Have To Use Full Sentences With My Essay Outline?
If an essay outline is a required part of your assignment, you may receive specific guidelines on sentence structure. When writing an outline for your own purposes, you can choose whether to use full sentences or short phrases; just be sure to stick to the same format throughout.
Am I Required To Stick To The Essay Outline While Writing?
It is best to stick to your essay outline as you write your content; however, if you have new or changing ideas that no longer fit with the created structure, it is ok to amend or adjust your outline to fit.
Writing essays doesn’t have to feel overwhelming; by creating an essay outline, you can simplify the process and help ensure the content is enjoyable for the reader.