Essay Outline Sample Template

The purpose of an essay outline is to plan the structure of your essay before you begin writing it. Basically, you will write quick summary sentences or phrases for every point you will discuss in each paragraph, giving you an idea of how your argument will proceed.

What should you include in an outline for an essay?

The five steps to writing a strong outline are as follows:

1. Decide what your topic will be and decide what your purpose will be. Many writers struggle to determine their paper's initial focus. Trying to pick a topic from a list of options is challenging, but it is just as imperative to understand your essay's larger purpose as well.
   
2. Identify the main ideas and create a list. The brainstorming process is the first step in the writing process. It is helpful to make a list of the essential points you will present in your article or essay.
   
3. Make a list of your main ideas. In this step, you are going to rearrange the ideas you came up with above, arranging them so they make sense to you and the reader. Depending on the type of essay you are writing, there are many different ways to organize your ideas.
   
4. Make sure your main points are clear. To support each major idea, you'll need to add some relevant content after deciding on the order of your main points. In this step, you should expand upon your original ideas to ensure your reader understands them better.
   
5. Adapt and review. In most cases, you would think that your outline is done after step four, but this is not true. Changing and revising a piece of writing until it is the best it can possibly be is a repetitive process for all writers.
   

How should an outline be formatted?

An outline is typically formatted using an alphanumeric system, where letters and numbers alternate at the beginning of each section. Chapters and sections are numbered in Roman numerals. Capital letters are usually used to indicate paragraphs. Paragraphs are organized using Arabic numerals to identify points and subtopics.

Our website offers free access to this sample essay outline template. Changes can be made to documents with any word processing program. Feel free to share this template with your friends and family. Check out our website for some useful content and give us your valuable feedback.