Southern New Hampshire University
ENG 123 4-1 Study Notes Creating an Outline
Now that you have decided on a topic, it is time to use outlining to move toward an essay form.
An outline uses symbols and formatting to organize ideas in an essay (or other writing pieces).
On this page, you will learn more about how to construct a standard outline. You must use an
outline to plan your ideas before you even write because it will save you a lot of time as you
continue with the writing process. Students who carefully outline their essays before writing tend
to write much better final drafts.
It is important to remember that outlining is still part of the prewriting process. You can—and
probably should—play around with your outline to try different ways of organizing the
information in your essay. There is no one right way to do it, but you might find that some
structures lend themselves better than others based on your topic. For example, if you are writing
about an obstacle that you have overcome, it might make sense to do it chronologically. On the
other hand, if you are writing about the best advice that you have ever received, you may want to
think about the different areas in which the advice has helped you and structure your essay
accordingly.
Remember to work opposing viewpoints into your outline. Think about a good placement for the
opposing viewpoints. Be purposeful about introducing these points and consider how you might
also discredit opposing views, thus strengthening your own.
The most common convention in outlining is to use alternating symbols (including roman
numerals, capital letters, numbers, and lowercase letters) to show which parts are your main
points and which ones are the points that support them. If you feel this type of outline would help
you organize your essay, follow the steps below.
1. Use Roman numerals (e.g., I, II, III, IV, V) for the components of your outline.
Remember that the components of a persuasive essay are the introduction, body
paragraphs, and conclusion. Therefore, each of these sections would be given a Roman
numeral. For example, the top-level outline of an essay with an introduction, four body
paragraphs, and a conclusion would look like this example:
I. Introduction
II. Body Paragraph 1
III. Body Paragraph 2
IV. Body Paragraph 3
V. Body Paragraph 4 with opposing position
VI. Conclusion
2. Within each component, use capital letters (e.g., A, B, C) for the main points that you
wish to make. These letters are both written below the Roman numeral and indented
(usually one tab space) from the left (indenting helps make the structure of your outline
visible at a glance).
3. Use numbers (e.g., 1, 2, 3, 4) within each main point to provide supporting points.
Examples of supporting points include examples, reasons, and elaborations. These
numbers should be indented under the capital letter that they follow.
4. Sometimes, a supporting point will have its own supporting point(s). For these points, use
lowercase letters (e.g., a, b, c) and indent under the number. Here is an example that
might be part of the first body paragraph.
5. If your sub-supporting points have supporting points of their own, use lowercase Roman
numerals (e.g., i, ii, iii), and indent them under the lowercase letter.
