STEP SIX MAKE AN OUTLINE

Making an outline of the points you want to cover helps you to organize your paper and keeps you on track. Your preliminary research should give you enough knowledge about your topic to make a general outline. However, you may need to make some adjustments to your outline as you go along and discover more about your topic. An outline is a snapshot of your paper, capturing the important points. It helps you to take your paper from a clear introduction to a logical conclusion, supported by your research. It is essentially a guide to writing your paper, something like assembly instructions. If you make a good outline and follow it carefully, you will have a sound finished product.

Tips for making an outline

An outline should arrange your information logically, and include an
introduction, main body, and conclusion.

             Title
       I. Introduction
      II. Main Topic
           A. Subtopic
                1. key point
                2. key point
                    a. detail
                    b. detail
           B. Subtopic
                1. key point
                2. key point
      III. Main topic
             A. Subtopic
                  1. key point
                  2. key point
       IV. Conclusion

The introduction should state the subject of your paper and the
areas you will focus on.

The body should be divided into main topics.

Each main topic should be divided into subtopics which support it.

You should list key points you want to cover for each subtopic

You may have further details for the key points.

Your conclusion should briefly sum up your main topic.
Here is a sample of the format you might follow for an outline →