The Outline

Don't know how to create an outline?

Outlines are very important when you're writing a long paper. They help you organize your thoughts in a logical way, and help you prepare to actually write the paper.

Use your note cards to help you figure out what your major topics will be. Then within your larger topic, organize your smaller sub-topics. Keep in mind-- as you start organizing, some of the note cards may seem like they don't belong or they're not relevant anymore. If you think you don't need a note card anymore, don't throw it out: keep it in a separate pile where you can find it, in case you change your mind later.


Check out these websites for helpful info on how to create your outline:

This website is a bit long-winded, but it has a lot of great information: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/544/01/

This website has a good example of outline format at the bottom of the page: http://webster.commnet.edu/MLA/outlines.shtml