OUTLINING

An outline presents a picture of the main ideas and the subsidiary ideas of any subject. Some typical
uses of outlining are: a class reading assignment, an essay, a term paper, a book review or a speech.
For any of these, an outline will serve as a rough draft or summary of the content of a document.
The Topic Outline and Sentence Outline
Rules in Outlining:
1. Do not mix topic and sentence outline methods.
2. Indent properly.
3. In a sentence outline, begin each point with a capital letter and place a period after each division
number or letter and at the end of the sentence.
4. In a topic outline, begin each point with a capital letter and place a period after each division
number or letter. Do not place periods after ideas.
5. Strive for parallel wording among outline topics and sub-topics.
Topic Outline: Is a hierarchical outline composed of topics. Each entry is a subtopic of the subject of
the outline. One application of topic outlines is the college course overview, provided by professors to
their students, to describe the scope of the course.
Thesis Statement: The abuse of alcohol and drugs can affect a person economically, psychologically,
and physically.
I. Economical effects (Main idea)
A. Alcohol (Sub-idea)
1. Cost of alcohol purchases (Detail of A)
2. Cost of DUIs (Detail of A)
B. Drugs (Sub-point)
1. Cost of drug purchases (Detail of B)
2. Cost of drug arrest (Detail of B)
II. Psychological effects
A. Alcohol
1. Mental impairment
2. Mental addiction
B. Drugs
1. Mental impairment
2. Mental addiction
III. Physical effects
A. Alcohol
1. Liver disease
2. Alcohol poisoning
B. Drugs
1. Brain damage
2. Drug overdose

Sentence Outline: Composed of sentences. Each includes a heading or single sentence of a planned
document about the subject of the outline. It is the type of outline typically used to plan the
composition of books, stories, and essays. It can also be used as a publishing format, in which the
outline itself is the end product.
Thesis Statement: The abuse of alcohol and drugs can affect a person economically, psychologically,
and physically.
I. Alcohol and drug abuse can affect one economically.
A. The cost of alcohol abuse is high and getting higher.
1. The costs of DUIs can be enormous.
2. Alcohol costs are always rising because of rising production costs as well as state and
local taxes.
B. The cost of drug abuse can be high.
1. Even the arrest for the possession of a minute amount of drugs can result in high bail and
court cost.
2. The cost of drugs fluctuates drastically according to the type of drug, its availability, and
the amount.
II. Alcohol and drug abuse can have severe psychological effects.
A. Alcohol abuse can damage a person psychologically.
1. Alcohol is a depressant and can alter the personality of anyone.
2. The abuse of alcohol can lead to the psychological addiction to alcohol.
B. Drug abuse can be detrimental to one psychologically.
1. Drugs impair one's ability to function normally because of the hallucinations or numbness
of "getting high."
2. Drugs can become a psychological addiction.
III. Alcohol and drug abuse can affect one physically.
A. Alcohol and drug abuse can cause physical problems.
1. The most common disease among alcoholics is cirrhosis of the liver.
2. The massive consumption of alcohol can lead to alcohol poisoning and
death.
B. Drug abuse has many physical implications.
1. Drug abuse has been linked to the damage of brain tissue.
2. The unpredictability of drugs can lead to an overdose and death.
Outline Formats:
1. Alphanumeric Outlines
This is the most common type of outline and usually instantly recognizable to most people. The
formatting follows these characters, in this order: *Roman Numerals *Capitalized Letters *Arabic
Numerals *Lowercase Letters
Note: If the outline needs to subdivide beyond these divisions, use Arabic numerals inside parentheses
and then lowercase letters inside parentheses.

THE COLLEGE APPLICATION PROCESS

I. CHOOSE DESIRED COLLEGES
A. Visit and evaluate college campuses
B. Visit and evaluate college websites
1. Look for interesting classes
2. Note important statistics
II. PREPARE APPLICATION
A. Write personal statement
1. Choose interesting topic
a. Describe an influential person in your life
(1) Favorite high school teacher
(2) Grandparent
b. Describe a challenging life event
2. Include important personal details
a. Volunteer work
b. Participation in varsity sports

2. Decimal Outlines
The decimal outline is similar in format to the alphanumeric outline. The added benefit is a system
of decimal notation that clearly shows how every level of the outline relates to the larger whole.
Liz Claiborne Company
1.0 Introduction
1.1 Brief history of Liz Claiborne
1.2 Corporate environment
2.0 Career opportunities
2.1 Operations management
2.1.1 Traffic
2.1.2 International trade and corporate customs
2.1.3 Distribution
2.2 Product development