GER 3200
Discovery Project
Outline Format
Overview
1 - Give a title to your project.
2 - Create a subtitle to immediately follow your main title.
3 - Write a project synopsis explaining briefly the nature of your project.
4 - Compose a topical outline showing how you intend to organize the information you have gathered.
Title and Subtitle
Title: The title is typically only a few words and names very generally the topic of the project.
Subtitle: The subtitle is usually much longer than the title. The subtitle helps carefully narrow your topic and guide your
readers into the channel of the specific topic of the paper. You may wish to wait until you have finished your outline
before you create a subtitle.
Examples of Titles with their Subtitles
German Soccer: An examination of various German soccer clubs, their members, history and recent performance.
The German Political System: An overview of the main features of the German political structure, the major parties and
some prominent politicians.
Cuisine in Germany: A tour from region to region describing local foods and specialties from the German kitchen.
Car Manufacturing in Germany: A guide to the German auto industry including major manufacturers, management
practices, a brief history of auto manufacturing in Germany and current financial statistics of the top five auto producers
in Germany.
Project Synopsis
Write a paragraph explaining briefly the nature of the project. This can be as simple as a filled-out wording of your
subtitle. It’s okay to have repetition from the title or subtitle in this paragraph. The idea is to help guide your readers
down the exact path you intend to take them when revealing your topic and tell your readers what to look for. It’s likely
that you already composed this paragraph when originally choosing your topic. If you’ve already composed this paragraph
and are happy with its wording, then it’s fine to re-use that.
Example of a Project Synopsis
In this project, we will examine the customs in Germany concerning the consumption of alcohol. We will compare the
U.S. to Germany in some of the legal aspects of drinking such as legal drinking age, drunk driving penalties and
consumption of alcohol in public spaces. We will also view the differences between the U.S. and Germany in the rates of
alcoholism, overall alcohol abuse and, in particular, alcohol consumption among teens. Finally, we will examine how
attitudes toward alcohol vary between Americans and Germans.
Topical Outline
Think about all the information you have discovered. Now, contemplate how you can group the various pieces together
in three or four clusters. The point of an outline is to carefully divide the substance of your research into a small handful
of logical categories. Each of these categories becomes a main heading in your outline. From there, divide the subinformation into further categories. This act of grouping, dividing and naming requires some thought and creativity.
Keep in mind that if you have an “A” you must also have at least a “B“ and if you have a “1” you must also have at least a
“2“. If you can not subdivide the information below a heading, then simply include all the information within the
heading. If you are having trouble creating subdivisions, then you may want to completely reorganize your outline into
topics that lend themselves toward subdividing.
A note on formatting: To save paper and make the outline easier to see at a glance, feel free to use single spacing. The
example below is single spaced. You can also place the tabs closer together than the default in your word processor. The
tabs in the example below are 1/4 inch. Feel free to reduce the size of the font. 10 point works well. Smaller than that is a
little hard to see. (This is 9.5 point.) Use the following scheme to create an outline. (Your word processor might turn this
on for you automatically.) Place a period after each heading letter or number. Only place a period after the text in your
outline if the heading forms a complete sentence (conjugated verb + subject).
I.
(Roman Numeral - main heading on margin)
A. (Upper Case Letter - subheading, one tab in)
1. (Number - subdivision of subheading, two tabs in)
a. (Lower Case Letter - further subdivisions, three tabs in)
i. (Lower Case Roman Numerals - four tabs in - only for extreme detail)
Example of a Topical Outline
I. Primary education (including Orientierungsstufe)
II. Secondary education
A. Hauptschule
1. Dual education system
2. Types of apprenticeships
3. Age factors (limitations and requirements)
B. Realschule
C. Gymnasium
1. Types of Gymnasium
2. Problems with elitism
D. Other tracks
1. Gesamtschule
2 Oberschule
III. Tertiary Education
A. Universität
B. Hochschule
1. Specialty schools
a. Music
b. Sport
c. Arts
2. Other schools
a. Technical
b. Job training
IV. Continuing education
V. The Bologna Process and problems to consider
Above all, the purpose of an outline is to help you think about how to create categories and divide your information into
logical groups. If you are having difficulty creating an outline, then consider re-dividing the information into a new
scheme of categories. If you find that you have an “A” but can’t find a “B” then think about how some of the info you’ve
gathered could be re-worded or re-thought so that it would more easily lend itself into becoming a “B”. Juggling the
information you’ve gathered requires creativity and thought on your part. One of the most important features of a well
presented project is clear organization of the material. A good outline is arguably the best tool to bring you to that point.