Outlining
Paul Mundy
www.mamud.com
A suggested outline (policy brief)
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Title
Author
Summary
Statement of the issue or problem
Background
Existing policy situation
Policy options
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Advantages and disadvantages of each option
Evidence based on your research
Your recommendations
References or further reading
Develop a structure, then put information
into it
1.
2.
3.
Decide what categories you want to use (or
must use)
Put the categories in a logical order
Sort your notes into these categories
Situation
Problem
Intervention
Results
Problem
Examples
Analysis
Recommendations
Develop the structure from the
information itself
1.
2.
3.
Sort your information into categories: put
similar types of information together
Give each category a title
Sort the categories into a logical order
Problem
Situation
Examples
Problem
Analysis
Intervention
Results
Recommendations
Four ways to start writing
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Write a summary sentence
Write some possible leads
Write an ending
Write without notes
Overcoming writer’s block 1
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Brainstorm
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Make a mind map
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Get ideas from a group
Use cards to sort ideas
Write down thoughts on the topic in a mind map
diagram
Get someone to interview you
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Tell him/her about your topic
He/she takes notes and ask questions
Overcoming writer’s block 2
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Write down ideas in any order
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Begin in the middle
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Don’t worry about the words or sentence flow
Reorder ideas
Find the right words, then rewrite
Leave the intro till later, when you have a clearer
idea of what the paper is about
Make a recording
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Imagine your audience in front of you
Transcribe the recording
Overcoming writer’s block 3
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Change the audience
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Pretend you're writing to a child, a friend,
someone new to the subject
Explain the topic slowly and clearly
Play a role
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Pretend you are someone else writing
Eg, head of an NGO, company lobbyist
Brainstorming 1
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Needs several
people
Take 5 minutes to
think of ideas
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Write ideas on cards
– one per card
Each person gives
one idea in turn
Go around group
until ideas are
exhausted
Brainstorming 2
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Put cards on table or floor
Sort cards into categories
Develop outline from
categories
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Categories become
major headings
Individual cards
become subheadings
or points
Brainstorming rules
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Postpone and withhold your judgment of
ideas
Encourage wild and exaggerated ideas
Quantity counts at this stage, not quality
Build on the ideas put forward by others
Every person and every idea has equal worth
Mind mapping 1
Subject
Main ideas
Details
Mind mapping rules
Write the subject in the centre of page
Draw a circle around it
For main subheadings, draw lines out from circle
Label lines with subheadings
Draw new lines to each subheading for each new
idea. Add labels
For individual facts, draw lines from appropriate
heading. Label them
Convert the mind map into an outline
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Main ideas become main headings
Details become subheadings or individual points
Mind mapping
Volume
Livestock
marketing
Resources
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www.brainstorming.co.uk
www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newISS_01
.htm
owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/general/
gl_block.html