Checklist for a Complete Sentence Outline
_____ Is my outline in MLA format (double-spaced, one-inch margins on all side, four-line heading, etc.)?
_____ Is my complete thesis (the side of the argument you will be proving in your paper) stated as the
title of the outline?
_____ Have I written my outline in complete sentences and not in phrases or incomplete sentences?
(Example of a complete sentence: Many therapists feel that the most effective treatment for PTSD is
cognitive therapy. Example of a phrase and incomplete sentence: The uses of Cognitive therapy.)
_____ Are all of my points written in the form of declarative statements and not in questions? (A
question can never be a point; only an answer to a question can be a point.
_____ Does each lettered point, i.e., declarative statement, have at least two numbered sub-points?
_____ Can each of my points serve as a topic sentence of one of the paragraphs in my paper?
_____ Does the outline organize my information and points in a logical and readable fashion?
_____ Can a reader get a full sense of what my paper will argue and what its main points will be from
my outline?