Read and follow this page, but delete it before printing and/or submitting your outline.

Follow the sample outline for your chosen scheme and incorporate all required components and labels. Follow all Outline Guide rules!

Adjustment Rule: These are guides, so adjust appropriately for your paper’s purpose and topic. Outlines should not be intricate. They are intended to provide you direction, so your essay is coherent. You may choose to write yours in sentences or by idea.

Subordination Rule: Outlines indicate what ideas are subordinate (supporting or dependent) to larger concepts. Roman numerals indicate introduction, main points, and conclusion — the largest units. You must subordinate beyond Roman numerals to at least the second degree. Roman numeral level is not sufficient — even for intro and conclusion.

Second Degree Rule: Capital letters are the second degree of subordination and are indented. These are the ideas that contribute to your larger units, dividing them into explanations and details.

Further Degrees Rule The third degree of subordination is Arabic numbers (1, 2, 3…) and is further indented. This degree supports the second degree (A, B, C…) If you need more detail, use lower case letters (a, b, c) and indent further.

Indention Rule: Did you notice that the second, third, and fourth degrees all state to indent further? Do so! If you don’t, you will have to redo your entire outline. If your information wraps to the next line, you must indent that line too (it’s called a hanging indent). Look at each of these bullets. Each wrapped line aligns under the first word, not the bullet. Your outline should look the same.

Placement Rule: Your ideas go at the second degree (A, B, C etc.). Support from your reading and research goes at the third (1, 2, 3) or fourth (a, b, c) degree. Never put quotations or paraphrases above the third degree.

Support Rule: You must show where you will include support, but you don’t have to write out the entire paraphrase or quotation. If you type your outline, you may want to include quotations though so you can copy and paste them later into your draft.

Math Rule: Because they divide the larger units, each degree of subordination must have at least one mate. For example, if you have an A, you must also have at least a B. Think math here — you can’t divide something into only one part!

Bolded Items Rule: Anything typed in bold must appear in your outline. If the bolded item is in parentheses, then you must have that item, but you must phrase it appropriately for your topic and purpose.

HEY! Don’t ignore this big, bolded message:

Write your thesis above outline. As you write outline, write “thesis” at the 2nd degree in a logical location.

Remember to delete this instruction page before printing.

Delete these instructions and type your name here (Highlight instructional text and start typing).

Outline Scheme: Type scheme name here. (Highlight instructional text and start typing)

Thesis: Type thesis here. Write the word thesis where you will insert it in outline. (Highlight instructional text and start typing)

Introduction

Type an idea from Impact Sheet here

Address Prompt and mention author and title if analyzing or responding to a source

Type Words Here

Reason, explanation, or example (Delete and type over these words, and do so for every degree that follows).

Support

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Optional (Delete if not using. Delete any optional degrees that you don’t use.)

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Conclusion

Wrap-Up

Idea from Impact Sheet

Delete all sections you do not use. Do not leave anything that states, “optional” or “Type Words Here.” Clean up your outline so it includes just what you need, not any instructional text.