Creating an Outline:
Who's on First, What's on Second?


The outline, which is the sequence of ideas and information, is truly the road map for your paper.  It tells you where you are going in a logical way.  An outline is generated from the topics stated on your note cards, and can be formatted in either topics or sentences in the following ways:

Outline

Thesis: There are positive and negative aspects to the commercials on television.

The Topic Outline

                                T.V. Commercials

                                                I. Necessary

                                                                A. To pay for broadcasts

                                                                B. To sell sponsors’ products

                                                II. Irritating

                                                                A. Repetitious

                                                                B. Frequent

                                                III. Instigating

                                                                A. Causes viewer to spend money

                                                                B. Appeals to emotions

The Sentence Outline

                                T.V. Commercials

                                                I. Commercials are necessary.

                                                                A. The sponsors pay for the broadcasts to sell their
                                                                     products  

                                                                B. The commercials sell the sponsor’s products.

                                                II. Commercials are irritating.

                                                                A. The constant repetition is irritating.

                                                                B. The too-frequent interruption of programs is
                                                                     irritating.

                                                III. Commercials are instigating.

                                                                A. The creators know how to appeal to the viewer’s 
                                                                     emotions.

                                                                B. They cause viewer to spend money.

 There are specific rules for making an outline.  

1. Place the capitalized word OUTLINE centered above the title of your paper.

2. Do not include the terms "Introduction" and "Conclusion" in the outline. The outline equals the body of the paper. The introduction as well as the conclusion need to be written as separate units. This is why the first Roman numeral represents the second paragraph of your paper.

 3. Use Roman numerals for the main topics.  Subtopics are given letters and numbers.

 4. Include Thesis Statement in the Outline.  

See also Graphic Organizers in this manual.

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