There are two types of outlines, full sentence and topical. MLA recommends full sentence outlines; however, students should check with their instructors to see which type the instructor prefers. Each type has its advantages.

Since the headings in full sentence outlines are complete sentences, these sentences often serve as the topic sentences and sub-topic sentences of the paper. Also, full sentence outlines sometimes more clearly indicate the connections between points on the outline and the thesis. Sentence outlines should use complete sentences, use the same verb tense, and end with a period.

Topical outlines use single words or short phrases as points on the outline. The primary advantage of a good topical outline is that it can allow the reader to quickly and easily identify the logical connections of ideas in a paper.

Outlines should never be a mixture of topics and sentences.

Thesis

The outline should include a single sentence thesis statement. Sometimes students are tempted to include their entire introduction on the outline. This should not be done. In an argument essay, the thesis statement is typically the point being argued or the conclusion reached in the essay.

Format

Outlines are written in hierarchical structure; that is, the points on the outline refelct the coordination of parallel ideas (points on the outline on the same level) and the subordination of supporting ideas (points on the outline at lower levels).

Formal outlines begin with major points identified by Roman numerals, major sub points identified by capital letters, and minor subpoints identified by small Arabic numerals. The levels alternate numbers and letters: I, A, 1, a, i, and so on.

The following is an example of how an outline might be organized. Of course, there could be more points in the outline; sub-points could be developed in more detail, and there could even be third or fourth level points. The deeper an outline goes, the longer the paper must be.

Other Guidelines

The outline should focus only on the body of the essay. The introduction and conclusion are not usually included as points on the outline. If they are included in the outline, they appear as separate paragraphs on either side of the outline of the body of the essay.

The points in the outline should be specific and concrete

Items at each level must be parallel, both in idea and grammatically

• For instance, an example of faulty parallelism of ideas would be to have an outline where under I. Dogs, were the subheadings A. German Shepherds, B. Collies, C. Ugly. Ugly is not parallel to German shepherds and collies.
• An example of faulty parallelism of grammar would be headings like A. Franklin as inventor, B. Franklin as scientist, C. Politics. (To be grammatically parallel, the third point should be C. Franklin as politician)
• Parallel levels and headings line up with each other (Roman numerals are directly in line with other Roman numerals, capital letters with capital letters, and so on)
• Levels in descending order are labled Roman Numerals (I, II, III . . . ), Capital letters (A, B, C . . .), Small cardinal numbers (1, 2, 3), Small letters (a, b, c . . .), small Roman numerals (i, ii, iii . . .)
• Each level must have at least two sublevels; that is, if there is a Roman numeral I there must at least be a Roman numeral II. If there is an A, there must at least be a B, and so on.

Not every point on an outline needs to be developed in the same depth. For instance, under A., you might have three subpoints, 1., 2., and 3., while under B., you might not have any subpoints.

The first word of each entry in a topical outline should be capitalized.

An outline reflects the logical divisions of a paper, not the physical divisions. In other words, an outline does not reflect every paragraph or sentence in a paper. Instead, the outline identifies the major ideas developed in the paper. As a result, an outline is never physically longer than the paper it outlines. Points on an outline indicate material developed at some depth in the paper.