LESSON 2: OUTLINING

At the end of this lesson, you can:

1. Determine language style in academic writing;
2. Differentiate language style used in academic texts from various disciplines; and
3. Construct paragraphs using academic language.

• Outlines Reading Texts in Various Disciplines

• Read and follow instructions carefully in each lesson

• Take note and record points for clarification
• Do the activities to fully understand each lesson
• Answer all the given tests and exercises

Pre-Test

Directions. Identify whether or not the following statements support the principle
of outlining. Write the letter of your answer. (At the end of this lesson, a format where
you can write directly all of your answers will be given.)

1. Leo is writing a story about native birds in Virginia. Which fact for outlining idea
doesn't belong?
A. The amount of colors on the male Cardinal
B. Flamingos get their color from eating shrimp
C. How many species are there of the Blue Jay?

2. Which technique is used to outline a successful essay?

A. Writing down all possible essay topics
B. Finding quotes by unknown people to backup essay
C. Writing down the main idea and all paragraph topics
3. Tavis is writing an essay on the features of the ocean floor, which idea doesn't belong
in his essay?
A. The ocean floor is a very interesting part of Earth.
B. Volcanoes can spew hot lava everywhere.
C. There are many parts to the ocean floor.

4. Thesis statements should preview what each topic sentence is about.

A. True
b. False

5. What is a hook?
A. opening sentence that captures the reader's attention
B. the last sentence of a paragraph
C. a tool used to catch a fish
D. a boring sentence

What I need to know

What is Outlining?
Outlining is a tool we use in the writing process to help organize our ideas, visualize
our paper's potential structure, and to further flesh out and develop points. It allows the
writer to understand how he or she will connect information to support the thesis
statement and the claims of the paper. It is a helpful guide in organizing your paper.
Outlines give a visual structure to your work and are used to show relationships and
hierarchies within your content. To outline, you must create a linear, organized plan for
your paper that shows the main ideas that you will discuss as well as their relationships
within the paper.

Organizing your idea in an outline

Begin by answering the question that leads to your thesis statement.
Use the two or three main ideas from this technique as your main heading.

Write subtopics for each main idea.

Write the supporting details for each of the subtopics.
Use various outlines based on the structure you prefer

Sentence outline – Using complete sentences as entries.

Topic outline – Using words and phrases as entries.

Paragraph outline – Using paragraphs as entries.
Guidelines in Writing an Outline:
Place the title at the center above the outline.
Every level of the outline must have at least two items (I and II, A and B, 1 and 2).
Put a period after each numeral and letter.
Indent each new level of the outline.
All items of one kind (Roman numerals, capital letters, Arabic numerals) should line up
with each other.
Capitalize the first letter of each item.
The terms Introduction, Body, and Conclusion do not have to be included in the
outline. They are not topics; they are merely organizational units in the writer’s mind.

Basic outline form

I. MAIN IDEA

A. Subsidiary idea or supporting idea to I

B. Subsidiary idea or supporting idea to I

1. Subsidiary idea to B

2. Subsidiary idea to B

a. Subsidiary idea to 2

b. Subsidiary idea to 2
II. MAIN IDEA
A. Subsidiary or supporting idea to II
B. Subsidiary idea to II

C. Subsidiary idea to II
III. MAIN IDEA

It is up to the writer to decide on how many main ideas and supporting ideas adequately describe the
subject. However, traditional form dictates that if there is a I in the outline, there has to be a II; if there
is an A, there has to be a B; and so forth.
Example Sentence Outline
The following outline is for a 5-7-page paper discussing the link between educational attainment and
health. Review the other sections of this page for more detailed information about each component of
this outline!
I. Introduction
A. Current Problem: Educational attainment rates are decreasing in the United States while
healthcare costs are increasing.
B. Population/Area of Focus: Unskilled or low-skilled adult workers
C. Key Terms: healthy, well-educated
Thesis Statement: Because of their income deficit (cite sources) and general susceptibility to
depression (cite sources), students who drop out of high school before graduation maintain a higher
risk for physical and mental health problems later in life.
II. Background
A. Historical Employment Overview: Unskilled laborers in the past were frequently unionized
and adequately compensated for their work (cite sources).
B. Historical Healthcare Overview: Unskilled laborers in the past were often provided
adequate healthcare and benefits (cite sources).

C. Current Link between Education and Employment Type: Increasingly, uneducated

workers work in unskilled or low-skilled jobs (cite sources).
D. Gaps in the Research: Little information exists exploring the health implications of the
current conditions in low-skilled jobs.

III. Major Point 1: Conditions of employment affect workers' physical health.

A. Minor Point 1: Unskilled work environments are correlated highly with worker injury (cite
sources).
B. Minor Point 2: Unskilled work environments rarely provide healthcare or adequate injury
recovery time (cite sources).

IV. Major Point 2: Conditions of employment affect workers' mental health

A. Minor Point 1: Employment in a low-skilled position is highly correlated with dangerous
levels of stress (cite sources).
B. Minor Point 2: Stress is highly correlated with mental health issues (cite sources).

V. Major Point 3: Physical health and mental health correlate directly with one another.
A. Minor Point 1: Mental health problems and physical health problems are highly correlated
(cite sources).
B. Minor Point 2: Stress manifests itself in physical form (cite sources)
VI. Major Point 4: People with more financial worries have more stress and worse physical health.

A. Minor Point 1: Many high-school dropouts face financial problems (cite sources).

B. Minor Point 2: Financial problems are often correlated with unhealthy lifestyle choices
such unhealthy food choices, overconsumption/abuse of alcohol, chain smoking, abusive
relationships, etc. (cite sources).
VII. Conclusion
A. Restatement of Thesis: Students who drop out of high school are at a higher risk for both
mental and physical health problems throughout their lives.
B. Next Steps: Society needs educational advocates; educators need to be aware of this
situation and strive for student retention in order to promote healthy lifestyles and warn
students of the risks associated with dropping out of school.

Example of Topic Outline

Several aspects must be considered in writing a topic outline.
1. Recall that all headings and subheadings must be words or phrases, not sentences.
2. Also, the wording within each division must be parallel.
3. Finally, as in any outline, remember that a division or subdivision cannot be divided into one part;
therefore, if there is an "A" there must be a "B," and if there is a "1" there must be a "2."

I. Family Problems
A. Custodial: Non-custodial Conflicts
B. Extended Family

C. Adolescent's Age
II. Economic Problems
A. Child Support
B. Women's Job Training
C. Lower Standard of Living

D. Possible Relocation

1. Poorer Neighborhood

2. New School

III. Peer Problems

A. Loss of Friends
B. Relationships with Dates