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Knowledge Base General Guides How to Write an Outline: Al…

3 min Updated: November 9th, 2021 Print

How to Write an Outline:

Alphanumeric, Decimal, & Other
Formats
(17 votes)

An outline is the main form of organization in

academic writing. It implies listing all of the
research ideas and components before the writing
process starts. To many of you, an outline may
seem like just another piece of extra work to do,
but trust us, it will end up saving you a signi\cant
amount of time. Keep reading this article by
Custom Writing experts to learn how to write an
alphanumeric outline and other outline formats!

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Contents hide

01 Outlining: Key Components

02 Outlining: Main Rules
03 Outline Formats
3.1. Alphanumeric
3.2. Decimal

3.3. Full-sentence

04 References

A Good Outline & Its Key

Components
It is hard to underestimate the importance of an
outline in the process of writing an academic
paper. It arranges your thoughts, arguments, and
hypothesis to avoid unnecessary gaps,
inconsistencies, and lack of logic. The three types
of outline format are:
alphanumeric
decimal
full-sentence

All of them can be equally e^cient, being

adequately selected according to the purpose.
The decimal format numbers the structural
paragraphs with 1.1., 1.2., 1.2.1., etc. The
alphanumeric outline is generally the same, but
the list levels are numbered in Roman numerals,
capital letters, Arabic numbers, and lowercase
letters. These two formats use short notes rather
than full sentences. On the contrary, the full-
sentence form can use any of the above
numerations, but the paragraphs are written as
complete sentences. You’ll \nd more information
about the three outline formats in the below
sections.

If your research paper outline is assessed,

language and structure shall be your primary
concern. The following tips can help you ful\ll the
assignment correctly.

Parallelism: Grammatical Consistency

A point and its sub-points should have similar
grammatical structures. If paragraph 1 starts with
a verb, make all its subpoints (1.1., 1.2…) also start
with verbs.

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Example:

1.1. Visit college websites and evaluate them.

1.1.1. Look for compelling courses.
1.1.2. Note the demonstrative statistics.

Coordination: Equal Weight of Equal List Levels

The subheadings you choose should be of the
same importance as all the other subheadings of
the same level.
Example:

A. Write your personal statement.

1. Describe your role model.
2. Explain a challenging event in your life.
B. Revise your personal statement.

Subordination: From the General to the

Particular
General points shall be separated from the
speci\c ones. The \rst headings shall be the most
general, and each next sub-heading shall become
more particular.
Example:

II. Frederic Douglas as a Lecturer.

A. Early lectures and the speech before Garrison.
a. The success of the \rst speech.

Division: Informational Breakdown

Keep in mind that the outline is not the ultimate
purpose. It is only the preparation for the writing.
There is no exact number of subpoints you can
include, but remember that you will have to
arrange them into paragraphs. The only rule is
that there should be two or more sub-points on
each level. In order to better determine the
crucial parts, try a text shortener on a draft that
you might have.

Outlining: the Main Rules

Example:

1 A clear and precise organizational system is essential.

The topics should be subdivided by numbers and
letters, followed by a period.

2 Every section (heading/subheading) should consist of

at least two entries. For example:

If your outline starts with a section under Roman

numeral I, it must also include a section labeled
Roman numeral II.

Suppose you have a capital letter A under

category I. In that case, there must follow a
capital letter B. Then continue with capital letters
C, D, E, and so on, depending on how much
information you are going to cover.

3 The major points in the outline correspond to your

key ideas, which will be placed in each paragraph’s
topic sentence.

The \rst Roman numeral is for the introduction.

The next one is for the \rst body paragraph.

The third one is for the second body paragraph.

(Use as many body paragraphs as you need to
fully support your thesis.)

The last one is for your conclusion.

Outline Formats (with Examples)

Alphanumeric Outline
The alphanumeric outline format is the one most
commonly used. It features:
Roman numerals
Capitalized letters
Arabic numerals
Lowercase letters

For even further subdivisions, you can use Arabic

numerals inside parentheses and then lowercase
letters inside parentheses. Writing an
alphanumeric outline, make short notes, not full
sentences.

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Alphanumeric Outline Example

Example:

PAPER TITLE
I. INTRODUCTION
II. BODY
A. Paragraph 1
1. Point 1
a. Sub-point 1
b. …

Decimal Outline
The decimal outline format is similar to the
alphanumeric one. The dimerence is the
numbering system it uses (1, 1.1, 1.2, etc.). Just like
in the alphanumeric outline, the text is written in
the form of short notes.

Decimal Outline Example

Example:

PAPER TITLE
1. INTRODUCTION
2. BODY
1.1 Paragraph 1
1.1.1 Point 1
1.1.2 Point 2
1.1.3 …

Full-Sentence Outline
The full-sentence outline format is similar to the
alphanumeric one. The dimerence is that the
points are given as complete sentences, not as
short notes. A sentence outline gives you the
opportunity to specify details directly in the
headings rather than creating a long, confusing
outline consisting of many brief phrases.

Full-sentence Outline Example

Example:

PAPER TITLE
I. Paper introduction and the thesis statement
II. Paper body
A. First paragraph of the paper
1. First point of evidence that supports
the thesis
a. Sub-point that discusses the
point A
b. …

References
1 Outlining – Harvard College Writing Center –
Harvard University
2 Types of Outlines // Purdue Writing Lab

3 Outlines for Every Type of Writing

Composition – ThoughtCo
4 Making an Outline – Organizing Your Social
Sciences (USC)
5 Guidelines for Outlining — Hunter College

6 The Writing Center | Outlining | Guides

7 Reverse Outline – UNC Writing Center

8 Outline Construction – University of

Oklahoma

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