Created by Melissa Zonin, 2012
Laying it Out with an Outline
As I'm sure your instructor has told you, it is integral to have a plan for your writing. Sometimes, this will be a required component of an analysis paper. There are two types of outlines (noted below), one of which you may be asked to include. No matter which outline you are asked to use, the format will look like this:
I.
A.
1.
a.
ii.
Remember that outlines need to have a header (last name and page number in the upper right corner), a title (the same title that appears on your title page and above your essay), parenthetical citations for quotes or paraphrases, and use double spacing.
Phrase Outline:
This outline is made up of short phrases, is double spaced, and can be NO longer than one page in length.
This length for the outline is a maximum no matter how long your actual essay will be.
Sentence Outline:
This outline is made up of complete sentences. There can be NO sentence fragments or phrases. The
maximum length on a sentence outline is TWO pages no matter the length of your full essay.
I.
A.
1.
a.
ii.
Remember that outlines need to have a header (last name and page number in the upper right corner), a title (the same title that appears on your title page and above your essay), parenthetical citations for quotes or paraphrases, and use double spacing.
Phrase Outline:
This outline is made up of short phrases, is double spaced, and can be NO longer than one page in length.
This length for the outline is a maximum no matter how long your actual essay will be.
Sentence Outline:
This outline is made up of complete sentences. There can be NO sentence fragments or phrases. The
maximum length on a sentence outline is TWO pages no matter the length of your full essay.
Outline Tutorial
Check out this video to get information on how to setup the header and title for your outline. After that just follow the format laid out above. To see an example of a completed outline, check out this example from the Purdue Online Writing Lab.