by Lucy E. Zahnle

Created on: October 23, 2009

Research can often be the easiest part of writing an article. Before you can actually write your article, you are faced with the daunting task of organizing the information you have found and deciding what to use and what to omit. Creating an outline is one way to organize your research and ideas. An outline is a plan, a blueprint, for your paper. It helps you to plan your document so that you include everything you intended to talk about, presenting your information in the most effective way.

The best way to begin writing your outline is by reviewing your research and deciding what message your piece will convey. Once you have settled on your message, create a complete sentence that clearly states the point you want to make. This sentence will serve as the thesis statement for your article. Creating a thesis statement for the article, just as you would for a research paper or an essay, then crafting an outline to support the thesis statement will help you write a clearer, better organized piece.

If you have a good thesis statement, it will be easier to write a good outline. When you create an outline, you are arranging your information in a way that will be most effective in proving your thesis statement and getting rid of information that does not apply to your thesis statement.

Once you have crafted your message and decided what information you want to include, you need to format your outline. Outlines can vary from a simple, informal list of points that your paper will cover to a formal outline, complete with headings and subheadings. The more detailed your outline is, the easier you will find it to write your article, so it is more efficient to use a formal outline for extremely detailed, difficult, or important articles.

A formal outline is composed of a series of headings. The first level heading in a series provides a major point the article will cover. The second level headings present supporting information for the major point. Third level and fourth level headings provide important details that bolster the information presented under the second level headings. Although you must include the primary and secondary headings in any outline, you can use as many or as few subheadings beyond the second level as you require to organize your information efficiently. To craft a formal outline with four levels, use the base pattern below. If you want a shorter, less detailed outline, use fewer levels.

I. Heading 1

A. Major Supporting Point 1

a. Minor Supporting

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