An outline is a brief list of all the main aspects of your paper. Thanks to it, you will be able to discuss all the necessary issues and not forget about anything. It becomes possible due to the outline’s structure, which comprises major arguments, subtopics, and some details. For example, it may look like:
- Main Idea
- Detail aspect
- Detail aspect
- Detail aspect
- Main Idea
- …
- …
- …
Rather convenient, isn’t it?
What Should Be Included?
In outline, you should include not only single words but also short sentences or even a few of them. First of all, add the main topics that will be discussed. Then, introduce and briefly describe the subtopics. An outline will be useful for both the author of the paper and the tutor who will read it.
Besides, an outline is often required before the paper itself will be written. The tutor will check it and highlight the mistakes that should be corrected. It is much more convenient than re-writing half of the paper as a result.
So, as you can see, a proper outline is an essential part of the paper. If you manage to create it once, you will soon notice that writing a paper without an outline turns out to be more difficult than it was before.