Writing a Formal Outline

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Writing a Formal Outline

• Prepared by
• Emanuel Hughley Jr.
• Assistant Professor of English and Journalism
  Cuyahoga Community College
• Eastern Campus
• Highland Hills, Ohio

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Introduction

• A paradigm (preliminary outline) will help you
  take notes and draft mini paper.
• More detailed outline is needed to complete your
  rough draft of full paper.
• Formal outline classifies the issues you will
  cover in your paper in clear, logical categories .

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Topics of Discussion

• Standard outline symbols
• Formal topic outline
• Formal sentence outline

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Standard outline symbols

• Mark major headings with Roman numerals
• Mark first degree subheadings with capital
  letters.
• Mark second degree headings with Arabic numerals.
• Mark third degree subheading with lower case
  letters.

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Standard outline symbols

• I. Major topic heading
• A. Subheading 1st degree.
• 1. Subheading 2nd degree
• 2. Subheading 2nd degree
• a. Subheading 3rd degree
• b. Subheading 3rd degree
• B. Subheading 1st degree

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Standard outline symbols

• Alternative format is decimal outline.
• This outline uses Arabic numbers

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Standard outline symbols

• 1. Major topic heading
• 1.1. Subheading 1st degree.
• 1.1.1 Subheading 2nd degree
• 1.1.2. Subheading 2nd degree
• 1.1.3. Subheading 3rd degree
• 1.1.1.1. Subheading 3rd degree
• 2. Subheading 1st degree

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Formal topic outline

• II. TVs effects on children
• A. Vocabulary development
• B. Reading ability
• C. Visual arts appreciation
• D. Writing efficiency

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Formal topic outline

• III. The senses
• A. Receptors to detect light
• 1. Rods of the retina
• 2. Cones of the retina

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Formal topic outline

• Outlines should have parallel structure.
• All divisions should be of the same grammatical
  format.
• Remember Formal outline classifies the issues
  you will cover in your paper in clear, logical
  categories.
• Outlines help you keep your topic in focus.