Humanities 2013
Things to Keep In Mind When Creating an Outline
An outline is a tool you can use to "map out" your paper before you begin writing
a draft. Creating an outline will not only help you to organize your ideas in your paper,
but also will show you where you may need more information or research. Your outline
should be as detailed as possible so it can serve as a guide for writing your rough draft.
Below are some things to think about as you begin to make your outline:
1. When formatting your outline, you should alternate between Roman numerals,
capital letters, numbers, and lower case letters to show the progression from
topics to subtopics to specific information.
--Roman numerals should correspond to the broad main ideas in your paper
--Capital letters should correspond to main ideas of your paper's individual
PARAGRAPHS
--Numbers correspond to supporting points or pieces of evidence within
paragraphs
--lower case letters correspond to analytical points you want to make about your
evidence
2. You begin your outline with your INTRODUCTION, which should contain your
THESIS. Remember: Thesis statements contain content and position. Your
introduction also should contain a "preview" of the main points that you will use
to defend your argument. These points should be in the order they will appear in
your paper.
3. After your introduction, start by writing out one roman numeral (I, II, III, IV, V,
VI, VIII, IX, X) for each of the broad, major ideas you will address in your paper
to prove your thesis.
4. Within each roman numeral, insert a capital letter for each body paragraph you
will use to prove that overall main idea. Remember, each paragraph should tackle
one idea only!
5. Within each roman numeral, add numbers and then lower case letters for your
evidence and analytical points, respectively
6. You should end your outline with your CONCLUSION that will restate your
thesis, summarize the main points in your paper, and add a final "so what" idea.
See reverse for a sample (there are a handful of deliberate errors here—see if you
can find them!)
Sam Nekrosius
March 26, 2013
Outline for Research Paper
Tentative title=Whaling: The Trade That Launched America's Global Commercial
Identity
I. Introduction
A. Thesis Statement: The whaling industry in 18th and 19th century America
brought the fledgling nation into a global network of trade and established America as a
growing power on the world stage.
1. Main idea #1—Growth of whaling fleet, international recognition
2. Main idea #2—Financial impact--positive
3. Main idea #3—Costs of whaling--negative
4. So What idea: Whaling transformed America from an inconsequential
nation into a world power willing to do anything to expand its empire.
II. Background information about whaling industry
A. Before whaling, American sailing somewhat limited due to mercantilism,
threat of piracy, and trade partners
1. Quotation from research
a. Analysis of how that quotation proves the paragraph's topic
sentence
B. As a result of the need to constantly expand the whaling grounds, American
ships range farther and farther abroad
III. Recognition of American whaling prowess, growing power of the American
whaling fleet
IV. Enrichment of merchants, American Northeast in general
V. Recognition of the Costs of Whaling
A. Horrible conditions for sailors
B. Environmental impact on whale populations
VI. Conclusion
1. Restate thesis
2. Restate main ideas 1, 2, and 3
3. So What idea: The legacy of whaling lives on today and can be seen in
America's cavalier attitude toward the development of other natural resources such as
shale oil.