OUTLINE FORMAT
(see back for detailed example)
I. Introduction
a. Introductory information/Hook your reader
b. Thesis statement
II. Body
a. Main point #1 organized by progression of your topic
b. Main point #2 organized by progression of your topic
c. Main point #3 organized by progression of your topic
III. Conclusion
a. Conclusive remarks
b. Summary of your thesis statement and paper in general
Your main points need to be written out and described thoroughly!! You cannot just transfer
the thesis statement to the body and say it’s finished. See the back for an example. Your
outline should follow the format of the example on the back.
Your outline should include your actual introduction and your conclusion, as well as your thesis
statement. The sample outline on the back of this sheet includes only the thesis statement
because of space issues, but your outline must include a paragraph each for your introduction
and conclusion.
Sample Outline
I. Introduction
1. Looking around the classroom, the teacher sees twenty students. They are all different with no two looking
alike, but strangely, the teacher remembers having some of the exact same faces a few years earlier. In fact, she
remembers having the exact same faces. There are no subtle differences like a different smile or differing
heights; the students are exactly the same as students she has taught before, down to the smallest details. Abbey
has the same mole as her older sister, Christina, does. Nathan has a gap between his front teeth just like his
older brother, Noah. And Sarah has an identical shade of blond hair and the same curly look as her sister, Susie.
One might be thinking that these students just happen to look a lot like their siblings, but that is not the
case. Each of these students has been cloned, and just as this story illustrates what the future may hold, right
now cloning is a major issue in society, and it will only continue to grow as more technological advancements
are made.
Thesis statement: Cloning clearly affects the United States’ government, culture, and economy.
II. Body
1. Main point #1: Government
a. What the future looks like for cloning: Advancements being done in the cloning procedure
b. What the future looks like for cloning: How clones will influence the future
2. Main point #2: Culture (The benefits and risks of cloning)
a. Features clones have that are different from humans
i. Physical
ii. Mental
iii. Emotional
b. How cloning will help society
c. Reoccurring problems in the cloning procedure
d. What is being done to improve these problems
e. Risks that restrict the growth and development of cloning in society
f. Statistics of successful vs. unsuccessful cloning
3. Main point #3: Economy
a. U.S. government studies
b. Privately-funded studies
c.
III. Conclusion
1. Summarize main points and restate thesis statement
2. Conclude with final thoughts