Outlining

Four Main Components for Effective Outlines

O Parallelism O Coordination O Subordination O Division

ParallelismO Each heading and subheading should

preserve parallel structure. If the first heading is a noun, the second heading should be a noun. Example:1. Choose Desired Colleges2. Prepare Application

O ("Choose" and "Prepare" are both verbs.)

CoordinationO All the information contained in Heading 1

should have the same significance as the information contained in Heading 2. The same goes for the subheadings (which should be less significant than the headings). Example: 1. Visit and evaluate college campuses2. Visit and evaluate college websites

1. Note important statistics2. Look for interesting classes

O (Campus and websites visits are equally significant, as are statistics and classes found on college websites.)

SubordinationO The information in the headings

should be more general, while the information in the subheadings should be more specific. Example:1. Describe an influential person in your life

1. Favorite high school teacher2. Grandparent

O (A favorite teacher and grandparent are specific examples of influential people.)

DivisionOEach heading should be divided into 2

or more parts. Example:1. Compile resume

1. List relevant coursework2. List work experience3. List volunteer experience

O(The heading "Compile resume" is divided into 3 parts.)

Why create an outline? OHelps you see how a text is

organizedO logicalO chronologicalO categorical

OShows the relationships among ideas in the writing

OHelps you distinguish main points from examples

Alphanumeric outlines O An alphanumeric outline uses Roman

numerals, capitalized letters, Arabic numerals, and lowercase letters, in that order. Each numeral or letter is followed by a period, and each item is capitalized:

Sample alphanumeric outline

Thesis statement: E-mail and internet monitoring; is it really an invasion of the employees' rights in the workplace?

I. Why do over 80% of today's companies monitor their employees? A. To prevent fraudulent activities, theft, and other workplace related violations.B. To more efficiently monitor employee productivity.C. To prevent any legal liabilities due to harassing or offensive communications.

II. What are the employees privacy right’s when it comes to EM/S (Electronic Monitoring and Surveillance) in the workplace? A. American employees have basically no legal protection from mean and snooping bosses. 1. There are no federal or State laws protecting employees2. Employees may assert privacy protection for their own personal effects.

BASIC OUTLINE  FORM  

I.  MAIN IDEAA. Subsidiary idea or supporting idea to IB. Subsidiary idea or supporting idea to I    1. Subsidiary idea to B    2. Subsidiary idea to B        a) Subsidiary idea to 2        b) Subsidiary idea to 2II.  MAIN IDEA A. Subsidiary or supporting idea to II B. Subsidiary idea to II C. Subsidiary idea to IIIII.  MAIN IDEA