A formal outline...
- is a visual listing of your paper's main concepts, broken down into main topics and supporting topics
- uses Roman numerals (I, II, III, etc.), capital letters (A, B, C, etc.), Arabic numbers (1, 2, 3, etc.), lowercase letters (a, b, c, etc.), and indentation to organize these topics and subtopics in list format
- can be written in fragments or complete sentences (An outline in complete sentences is called a sentence outline.)
When constructing a formal outline, you may want to consider these factors...
- the main topic typically represents the overall topic of a single paragraph
- main topics traditionally have no fewer than two sub-topics for supporting details
- there is no standard of length for a good outline- longer papers typically have longer outlines
When in doubt about the structure of the outline required for your assignment, please consult with your instructor and use the materials or instructions distributed in class.