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Your assignment this week, the Outlining the Research Analysis Essay, provides you with a template for building an outline for your final paper in this class. But the process of outlining for written communication can be more complex.

An outline is a tool used to organize your written ideas about a topic into a logical order. It is meant to help you establish a structure for a paper you are going to write. It is a way for you to demonstrate the main argument (thesis), main points (topic sentences), and main pieces of evidence you are going to present in a paper before actually writing the paper.

STEP ONE: Experience Outlining

Outlining is basically establishing a plan for your paper. It allows you to think through your paper before you actually start writing, and see if there are any holes in your argument or gaps in your research. Also, it is a great way to see if your paper flows and makes logical sense before you start writing.

Reflect on your experience with outlining. Have you used outlines for your writing in the past? Have you found them to be helpful? Are there any aspects of outlining that are challenges for you?

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There are many different types of outline structures that you may be familiar with. Most people have experience with the traditional alphanumeric form of outlines—with roman numerals. But, the form of the outline isn’t as important as what it can provide you: a road map for building a paper.

STEP TWO: Building the Outline

For this class, the outline you submit will follow a template that we provide to you. In other situations, throughout your academic and professional lives, this might not be the case. In fact, you may be called upon to use a variety of different forms. However, the underlying purpose of the outline remains the same.

Though outlines don’t usually ask you to write complete paragraphs, or to provide finished writing, it can be useful to get as much down on paper as you can. Think about the topic you will develop on the Outlining the Research Analysis Essay.

Apart from the thesis, what information will you include in the introduction? It’s okay to just type words or ideas in this step.

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Your Week 2 Written Assignment gave you the opportunity to write about one of your main source articles. Think about one of the other source articles you will use to support your thesis. Use this space to write some of the main ideas from the article.

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These main ideas will help to develop your outline and will guide you when you write your essay.

STEP THREE: Pulling It Together

The outline helps you to set a structure for your paper. It helps you to put your ideas in order, and to ensure that your thesis is supported. But an outline is, by its very nature, choppy. It presents the ideas, but none of the context. An outline is a plan for a paper, but it is not the paper itself.

It can be difficult to go from an outline to a finished paper. Good academic writing should flow, which means it should be easy to read with ideas logically connected to one another. Adding flow to your writing will reduce the likelihood of confusion.

Consider the three strategies covered in the “Making Your Writing Flow” resource. Which of the three do you feel as if you have the most experience with? Which of the three do you think might present you with challenges as you write?

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Applying these strategies will assist you as you take the ideas in your outline and develop the full essay in Week 5.

ENG122 Week 3 Research Notebook