Write a title for your outline. Your completed essay should have a title, and your outline can use that same title or something similar to it.
Start the outline with your thesis statement. Your thesis gives the outline focus, which lets your readers know what the main idea is going to be throughout your outline. The thesis represents your introduction.
Write your first topic sentence for your first body paragraph, which is your first main heading. This first heading should be marked with a Roman numeral one.
Present your subhead in one sentence. Your subhead will briefly state the example you want to use in the first body paragraph, which acts as a topic sentence for that paragraph. Mark your subheading with an “A,” indented under Roman numeral one.
Provide details marked in numerical order. These numbered details will be indented under subhead “A,” which will give the specific points you want to discuss through your example. You must have at least two points to list in your details.
Mark additional information on details with lower case letters, indented under the numbered details. Not all of your numbered details will require additional information; however, if you have a complex or lengthy paper to write, additional information will be helpful to remind you what points you are going to make in your essay.
Follow the previous steps with the rest of your outline. Keep the same format by adding additional topic sentences for each paragraph, marked under Roman numerals. Follow with more lettered subheadings, adding numbered details and additional information as described in the previous steps.