essay outline college

Purdue Online Writing Lab Purdue OWL® College of Liberal Arts

Types of Outlines and Samples

Welcome to the Purdue OWL

This page is brought to you by the OWL at Purdue University. When printing this page, you must include the entire legal notice.

Copyright ©1995-2018 by The Writing Lab & The OWL at Purdue and Purdue University. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, reproduced, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our terms and conditions of fair use.

This resource is enhanced by a PowerPoint file. If you have a Microsoft Account, you can view this file with   PowerPoint Online .

Alphanumeric Outlines

This is the most common type of outline and usually instantly recognizable to most people. The formatting follows these characters, in this order:

• Roman Numerals
• Capitalized Letters
• Arabic Numerals
• Lowercase Letters

If the outline needs to subdivide beyond these divisions, use Arabic numerals inside parentheses and then lowercase letters inside parentheses. Select the "Sample Outlines" PDF in the Media Box above to download the sample of this outline.

The sample PDF in the Media Box above is an example of an outline that a student might create before writing an essay. In order to organize her thoughts and make sure that she has not forgotten any key points that she wants to address, she creates the outline as a framework for her essay.

What is the assignment?

Your instructor asks the class to write an expository (explanatory) essay on the typical steps a high school student would follow in order to apply to college.

What is the purpose of this essay?

To explain the process for applying to college

Who is the intended audience for this essay?

High school students intending to apply to college and their parents

What is the essay's thesis statement?

When applying to college, a student follows a certain process which includes choosing the right schools and preparing the application materials.

Full Sentence Outlines

The full sentence outline format is essentially the same as the Alphanumeric outline. The main difference (as the title suggests) is that full sentences are required at each level of the outline. This outline is most often used when preparing a traditional essay. Select the "Sample Outlines" PDF in the Media Box above to download the sample of this outline.

Decimal Outlines

The decimal outline is similar in format to the alphanumeric outline. The added benefit is a system of decimal notation that clearly shows how every level of the outline relates to the larger whole. Select the "Sample Outlines" PDF in the Media Box above to download the sample of this outline.

Trying to devise a structure for your essay can be one of the most difficult parts of the writing process. Making a detailed outline before you begin writing is a good way to make sure your ideas come across in a clear and logical order. A good outline will also save you time in the revision process, reducing the possibility that your ideas will need to be rearranged once you've written them.

The First Steps

Before you can begin outlining, you need to have a sense of what you will argue in the essay. From your analysis and close readings of primary and/or secondary sources you should have notes, ideas, and possible quotes to cite as evidence. Let's say you are writing about the 1999 Republican Primary and you want to prove that each candidate's financial resources were the most important element in the race. At this point, your notes probably lack much coherent order. Most likely, your ideas are still in the order in which they occurred to you; your notes and possible quotes probably still adhere to the chronology of the sources you've examined. Your goal is to rearrange your ideas, notes, and quotes—the raw material of your essay—into an order that best supports your argument, not the arguments you've read in other people's works. To do this, you have to group your notes into categories and then arrange these categories in a logical order.

Generalizing

The first step is to look over each individual piece of information that you've written and assign it to a general category. Ask yourself, "If I were to file this in a database, what would I file it under?" If, using the example of the Republican Primary, you wrote down an observation about John McCain's views on health care, you might list it under the general category of  "Health care policy." As you go through your notes, try to reuse categories whenever possible. Your goal is to reduce your notes to no more than a page of category listings.

Now examine your category headings. Do any seem repetitive? Do any go together? "McCain's expenditure on ads" and "Bush's expenditure on ads," while not exactly repetitive, could easily combine into a more general category like "Candidates' expenditures on ads." Also, keep an eye out for categories that no longer seem to relate to your argument. Individual pieces of information that at first seemed important can begin to appear irrelevant when grouped into a general category.

Now it's time to generalize again. Examine all your categories and look for common themes. Go through each category and ask yourself, "If I were to place this piece of information in a file cabinet, what would I label that cabinet?" Again, try to reuse labels as often as possible: "Health Care," "Foreign Policy," and "Immigration" can all be contained under "Policy Initiatives." Make these larger categories as general as possible so that there are no more than three or four for a 7-10 page paper.

With your notes grouped into generalized categories, the process of ordering them should be easier. To begin, look at your most general categories. With your thesis in mind, try to find a way that the labels might be arranged in a sentence or two that supports your argument. Let's say your thesis is that financial resources played the most important role in the 1999 Republican Primary. Your four most general categories are "Policy Initiatives," "Financial Resources," "Voters' Concerns," and "Voters' Loyalty." You might come up with the following sentence: ÒAlthough McCain's policy initiatives were closest to the voters' concerns, Bush's financial resources won the voters' loyalty.Ó This sentence should reveal the order of your most general categories. You will begin with an examination of McCain's and Bush's views on important issues and compare them to the voters' top concerns. Then you'll look at both candidates' financial resources and show how Bush could win voters' loyalty through effective use of his resources, despite his less popular policy ideas.

With your most general categories in order, you now must order the smaller categories. To do so, arrange each smaller category into a sentence or two that will support the more general sentence you've just devised. Under the category of "Financial Resources," for instance, you might have the smaller categories of "Ad Expenditure," "Campaign Contributions" and "Fundraising." A sentence that supports your general argument might read: "Bush's early emphasis on fundraising led to greater campaign contributions, allowing him to have a greater ad expenditure than McCain."

The final step of the outlining process is to repeat this procedure on the smallest level, with the original notes that you took for your essay. To order what probably was an unwieldy and disorganized set of information at the beginning of this process, you need now only think of a sentence or two to support your general argument. Under the category "Fundraising," for example, you might have quotes about each candidate's estimation of its importance, statistics about the amount of time each candidate spent fundraising, and an idea about how the importance of fundraising never can be overestimated. Sentences to support your general argument might read: "No candidate has ever raised too much money [your idea]. While both McCain and Bush acknowledged the importance of fundraising [your quotes], the numbers clearly point to Bush as the superior fundraiser [your statistics]." The arrangement of your ideas, quotes, and statistics now should come naturally.

Putting It All Together

With these sentences, you have essentially constructed an outline for your essay. The most general ideas, which you organized in your first sentence, constitute the essay's sections. They follow the order in which you placed them in your sentence. The order of the smaller categories within each larger category (determined by your secondary sentences) indicates the order of the paragraphs within each section. Finally, your last set of sentences about your specific notes should show the order of the sentences within each paragraph. An outline for the essay about the 1999 Republican Primary (showing only the sections worked out here) would look something like this:

I. POLICY INITIATIVES

II.  VOTERS' CONCERNS

III.  FINANCIAL RESOURCES

            A.  Fundraising

                        a.  Original Idea

                        b.  McCain Quote/Bush Quote

                        c.  McCain Statistics/Bush Statistics

            B.  Campaign Contributions

            C.  Ad Expenditure

IV.  VOTERS' LOYALTY

Copyright 2000, David Kornhaber, for the Writing Center at Harvard University

How to Write an Essay Outline: MLA and APA Styles

Outlining is a form of organization which is used among authors of all writing styles. The common organizational method allows writers to list all of their research and ideas in one place before the writing process starts. Understanding the general college essay outline can go a long way in getting your thoughts structured, as well as positive feedback from your professor. Take a look at this guide from our coursework writing services team to learn how to write an outline.

What Is an Outline?

An essay outline is one of the main planning methods when it comes to writing academic papers, scholarly articles, informative guides, novels, and encyclopedias. The everyday paper outline contains the headings: Introduction, Body, and Conclusion. Every source is organized by relevance to strengthen the writing process. There are various formats when it comes to outlining, but the main formats required for a college essay outline is MLA and APA.

Regardless of whether you’re writing an MLA or APA outline, the organizational process remains the same with some minor differences. The main difference being APA uses abstracts, as it requires one or two sentences per line. APA is used for humanities, as MLA is used more for social studies. Other than that, the simple outline remains the same for any kind of academic paper structure.

How to Write an Outline?

The most common college essay is 5 paragraphs. Thus, an easy way to remember the general format of a writing plan is to think of it as planning a 5 paragraph essay outline where students would write an Introduction, Thesis, Body, and Conclusion. Then, fit a total of 5 paragraphs within the basic structure. The same practice can be done with planning, except rather than paragraphs, it’s notes. The exact same method would apply to an argumentative essay outline and any other kind of paper structure throughout and beyond college.

Order Paper Now and Get an Outline for Free

When you order papers from EssayPro you get an outline, a plagiarism report and a bunch of other cool features for free. It doesn't matter if it's a literature review outline or any other.

The Key-Elements to Outlining

• Research & Notes: Before the writing process, it is essential to find credible sources and note them down. Search across credible websites, as well as academic search engines, Google Scholar or Oxford Academic, to find reliable references to include in an academic paper.
• Prioritize Your Thesis: As the thesis statement is a summary of the entire paper, start prioritizing it before working on the other sections of the outline. The thesis can guide you along the planning and writing process.
• Write Your Ideas: Assuming you have already written out the basic headings of an outline, write down all of the key points from your found sources in the Thesis and Body sections.
• Where to Include References: For cause and effect, AP English examinations, SAT essays, admission essays, along with other formal writing styles, all of the references are included in the body section. Excluding reflection paper and analytical papers, where it’s acceptable to include a citation within the introductory paragraph.
• Introduction: For most academic styles, the introduction is the opening line to the paper. Thus, it is essential to plan something catchy within the outline. As mentioned, writing styles, for example, reflection essay or analytical paper, allow for the use of citation as an opening.
• The Conclusion: The entire paper should be summarized in the final paragraph, restating the thesis in the first sentence, adding suggestions, predictions, and/or opinions in the sentences that follow. As for the final sentence, it should summarize the goal of the paper.

General Outline Format

Here is an outline format from our business essay writing services professionals:

• Essay Title:
• Student Name:
• Professor’s Name:
• Class (Optional)

Introduction

• Opening Paragraph.
• Brief Description of the Entire Paper.
• Link Sentence to the First Body Paragraph.

Body Paragraph 1

• Evidence/Reference.
• Explanation (Related to the Thesis).
• Link Sentence to the Second Body Paragraph.

Body Paragraph 2

• Link Sentence to the Third Body Paragraph.

Body Paragraph 3

• Link Sentence to the Conclusion.
• Summary of the Entire Paper.
• A Conclusive Sentence.
• Footnotes or Bibliography

Do You Need Some extra assistance With All of the Above?

Get help from EssayPro. We will satisfy your ' do my essay ' request, just give us your instructions.

Outline Examples

We understand that it may be difficult to differentiate between an MLA & APA Outline. The methods both depend on the referencing styles. APA outlining makes the use of abstracts, as MLA uses sentence citations. In an MLA outline, a title page is not necessary. As the APA referencing style requires it, include it on the outline. Take a look at an outline example below to get a better idea.

MLA Outline Example

• Introductory Sentence: Stonehenge is a vast hub for ancient history.
• Link Sentence to the Thesis: Standing 13 feet high, it is one of the oldest structures in the UK.
• Description of the Paper: The paper describes how Stonehenge was built and its purpose.
• First Argument/Claim: Stonehenge was built in 3001BC.
• Second Argument/Claim: Stonehenge is known to be a place for religious worship.
• Third Argument/Claim: Other Stonehenge-like structures exist around Europe.
• Reference: The circulation ditch around Stonehenge is believed to have been constructed around the year 3000BC, according to studies.
• Explanation/Claim: Around the end of stone-age, pagans got together and built the first segment to what has become stone-henge.
• Link Sentence: Which brings up the matter of belief.
• Reference: During the late Tudor era, most people believed that ancient Britons placed the stones for the sole purpose of religious practice.
• Explanation/Claim: From the late 2nd millennium AD to modern day, the practice of Paganism is the common explanation for the reason why stone-henge was built.
• Link Sentence: More evidence emerges regarding the mysterious structure.
• Reference: Around 1100 BC, Stonehenge-like stones emerged.
• Explanation/Claim : The structure is believed to have been built by migrants.
• Link Sentence:
• Summary of the Paper: Overall, the ancient stones have caused great interest throughout human history with science and assumptions.
• Conclusive Sentence: No one knows for sure how they were built.
• “History of Stonehenge” https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/stonehenge/history-and-stories/history/
• “Why Was Stonehenge Built?” https://www.history.com/news/why-was-stonehenge-built
• “Stonehenge Is Not Alone: 7 Ancient Megaliths You've Never Seen.” https://www.fromthegrapevine.com/travel/stonehenge-not-alone-7-ancient-megaliths-youve-never-seen

APA Outline Example

• Title: The Dangers of Using Cell-Phones
• Student Name: Jake Smith
• Professor’s Name: Dr. Stephen Miller
• Class (Optional): Class of 2019
• Introductory Sentence: Mobile phones have taken a drastic effect on our daily lives in the worst possible way.
• Link Sentence to the Thesis: The everyday use of mobile technology has gone out of control.
• Description: The paper describes the regular dangers and negative effects on humans regarding cell-phone usage. The ordeal can be life-threatening, or simply socially depriving.
• First argument: High amounts of cell-phone usage results in negative health consequences.
• Second Argument: Cell-phone usage has a negative effect on human interaction.
• Third Argument: Texting while driving is worse than drinking and driving.
• Evidence/Reference: “Mobile phones communicate with base stations using radiofrequency (RF) radiation. If RF radiation is high enough, it has a ‘thermal’ effect, which means it raises body temperature. There are concerns that the low levels of RF radiation emitted by mobile phones could cause health problems such as headaches or brain tumors.” (“Mobile phones and your health”)
• Explanation/Claim: The radiation from phones possesses cancerous elements after long-term usage. In other words, one’s long-term cell-phone usage can put him or herself at risk of terminal illness, or worse. There is still a lack of evidence to this claim as cell-phones have not been around for very long.
• Link Sentence: Which brings us to how cell-phones are destroying human interaction.
• Evidence/Reference: “Sherry Turkle argues that the use of cell phones while in social situations affects the quality of human conversation. Turkle says that it makes people less open and honest in conversation. She also says it makes people less empathetic. She uses a school of children as an example, stating that the children do not seem to be able to understand each other or show empathy toward each other.” (“Cell-Phones and Human Interaction.”)
• Explanation/Claim: Mobile phone usage has gotten to the extent that humans are no longer communicating. Families go out to restaurants, cafes, and parks without interacting with each other due to their addiction to cell-phones. Humans have also possessed far less empathy compared with 15 years ago due to the missing interaction that could have been obtained during this time period. This shows mostly in school children who have been born into this way of life.
• Link Sentence: Apart from that, cell-phone usage while driving also comes with life-threatening risks.
• Evidence/Reference: “The Transport Research Laboratory found that motorists who use their mobile phone to send text messages (...) the research found, with steering control by texters 91 percent poorer than that of drivers devoting their full concentration to the road.” (“Texting while driving is more dangerous than drink-driving.” )
• Explanation/Claim: Using a mobile device while driving a motor vehicle has more of a drastic effect than drink-driving. On record, there have been more deaths around the world from text-driving and drink-driving.
• Link Sentence to the Conclusion: Humans are completely addicted to mobile phones, to the extent of dangerous driving, health-risks, and a lack of interaction.
• Summary of the Entire Paper: Restate the Thesis.
• Conclusive Sentence: The continuation of excessive usage of mobile phones is becoming a major threat to mankind in every aspect possible.
• “Mobile Phones and Your Health” https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/HealthyLiving/mobile-phones-and-your-health
• “Cell Phones and Human Interaction.” https://www.theodysseyonline.com/cell-phones-and-human-interaction
• “Texting While Driving Is More Dangerous Than Drink-Driving,” http://www.amta.org.au/articles/amta/Texting.while.driving.is.more.dangerous.than.drinkdriving

We also recommend reading The Divine Comedy Summary , our readers like it a lot, and it may also be helpful in writing essays.

Regardless of the writing style, the main essay format acts as a helping hand in multiple ways to any kind of author. Knowing the general plan of an essay can highly benefit those writing their everyday college paper or dissertation by having all of the ideas and references on a writing plan. For example, a persuasive essay outline does not differentiate from a research paper plan. Thus, knowing the general outline format can make producing academic papers far easier by simplifying the entire writing process. Sometimes when you start writing an essay, you may encounter various difficulties like not understanding the topic, lack of time, too tired. You may ask yourself "I want to pay someone to write my paper . Can anyone help me?" Sure! On EssayPro we can give you a hand! Just leave us a request and we'll help asap.

How to Get Qualified Essay Help

Are you still having difficulty outlining? Our writers are here to give you a hand to create a well-structured essay outline with references and unique ideas included. Regardless of the subject, academic level, or outline format required, we have got you covered. Click on the button below if you have the " write research paper for me " request or need any other help.

Related Articles

How to Outline a College Essay

When writing a college essay , some students take whatever is in their head at the moment, pour it all out on the page, and turn it in.

I'm sure you can sympathize with this method. You might even think that skipping the outline step and going straight into the essay will save time and help you finish this assignment ASAP so you can move on with your life.

Unfortunately, there's a problem with this logic. If you skip straight to the essay and forego the planning, it's likely you'll need more time to write, edit, and make sure that your essay includes everything you need.

The best college essays require an outline to help organize your thoughts before you begin to write.

Your outline will help you develop a more organized essay that makes sense and is logical to your reader. It can also help you better develop your ideas and actually save you time in the long run.

What are the steps for creating an outline?

Good news: it's not very difficult to put together an outline for an essay . Here are the basic steps you should follow:

1. Brainstorm and Select a Topic

Start by listing all of the topics you're considering. Don't judge the topics you're writing; just get as many of your thoughts on paper as possible. Set a timer for five minutes and list every topic that pops into your head.

Once you've created a list, look for topics that seem like the best fit for you and the assignment you've been given. Maybe a few topics could even be combined to create one larger, more developed topic.

2. Brainstorm some Supporting Details

Once you've chosen your topic, it's time to see if you have enough details to support this topic. A good, old-fashioned web of ideas can help you see how your thoughts are connected to your main idea.

Write your topic in the middle of a page and circle it. Draw lines and circles out to ideas that support this main topic. Again, don't judge your thoughts; just let them flow. You can narrow them down later. For now, you want to see if this subject is meaty enough to stick with and if you can relate several ideas to the main topic.

3. Label your Ideas. Where would they go in an outline template?

A basic outline format includes an introduction, a body of supporting ideas, and a conclusion. You will eventually take your brainstorm of thoughts and organize this chaos into a neat, orderly outline. This will help you place your ideas in a logical order and help eliminate some ideas that aren't as strong or that don't quite belong in your essay.

Take a look at your thoughts on your web of ideas paper and label them "I" if you think they help introduce your idea, "S" if they are great supporting facts for your main idea, and "C" if you think they help conclude your thoughts. If an idea doesn't seem to fit anywhere, you can put an "X" on it and consider saving it for a later essay.

4. Use an Outline Example to Plot your Essay

If the above steps intimidate you, you can always take a few minutes to look at outline examples to give you a better idea of what you're aiming for.

You can even try plugging your thoughts into an outline template . Here's a basic one to get you started:

• Introduction (usually one paragraph) a) Hook—get your reader's attention b) Preview the main idea c) State your thesis
• Body of supporting ideas (Usually three paragraphs —one for each main supporting idea) a) Supporting detail #1 (with examples, stories, other details) b) Supporting detail #2 (with examples, stories, other details) c) Supporting detail #3 (with examples, stories, other details)
• Conclusion (usually one paragraph) a) Restate and reflect on your main idea/thesis b) Tie your ideas together c) Wrap it up in a coherent fashion

5. Start Writing!

Once you've plotted out your thoughts, beginning the writing process will be much smoother and easier for you. Your order is ready, your thoughts are organized, and your details are developed. Most of your essay is already written for you now.

The art of writing a college essay can be overwhelming at first. However, using an outline can help organize your essay in a way that makes it much easier to write and much nicer to read. Taking the time to brainstorm, plot out your thoughts, and place them logically into an outline will pay off in the future as it will save you time and help you create a well-crafted essay.

How to Write Essay Titles and Headers

Don’t overlook the title and section headers when putting together your next writing assignment. Follow these pointers for keeping your writing organized and effective.

101 Standout Argumentative Essay Topic Ideas

Need a topic for your upcoming argumentative essay? We've got 100 helpful prompts to help you get kickstarted on your next writing assignment.

Writing a Standout College Admissions Essay

Your personal statement is arguably the most important part of your college application. Follow these guidelines for an exceptional admissions essay.

How to Write an Excellent Admission Essay

Table of contents

• 1 What is a College Admission Essay
• 2.1 Most Accepted MLA Format for College Application Essay
• 3.1.1 Good college application essay topics
• 3.1.2 Common application essay topics
• 3.1.3 Overused college essay topics
• 3.1.4 Unique college essay topics
• 3.1.5 Interesting college essay topics
• 3.2 Do Research
• 3.3 Inspire with Successful Application Essay Examples
• 3.4.1 Introduction
• 3.4.2 Body Paragraphs
• 3.4.3 Conclusion
• 3.5 Choose Your Personal Story
• 3.6 Prove Your Worthiness
• 3.7 Group Related Ideas
• 3.8 Use Subheadings
• 3.9 Pay Attention to Submission Requirements
• 3.10 Write Several Drafts
• 3.11 Ask Someone to Read it Over
• 4 Wrapping Up

The period of college admission is undoubtedly very responsible and, therefore, stressful for students. Young people have to go a long way to collect various documents, prepare everything necessary, and write an application essay. In this paper, students need to interest the university commission and convince them that they deserve a place in the college.

• After reading the article, you will gain a comprehensive understanding of what a college admission essay is and its importance in the college application process.
• The article delves into the appropriate format for such essays, discussing the nuances of font size, spacing, paragraphing, and other layout details. It also outlines the MLA format specifics for college essays.
• Practical guidance on crafting a compelling essay is provided, including topics to avoid, the importance of research about the school, and ways to make your essay stand out.
• Overall, this guide serves as an essential tool for students looking to create an impactful college admission essay.

With plenty of tips and tricks about college application essays and the possibility of sending online applications now, many students still don’t know what college essay format to use. So,  PapersOwl has curated this guide on the correct way of writing a college admission essay.

What is a College Admission Essay

When entering a university, college, business school, or other educational institution, writing a so-called admission or application essay is often required. This is a small paper in which the applicant must demonstrate himself in the best way possible, enumerate the skills, and describe the motivation, goals, values, and personal characteristics. The admission committee must understand what exactly makes you unique. Your essay is a chance to show those qualities that are not visible in the other documents of your application.

The college admission essay should be unique and memorable so that the admission committee has no doubt that the student deserves to study at their college. There are always a lot of concerns regarding college essay format that should be obligatory met. This composition should describe the individuality of the future learner without using clichés and banal techniques to ensure interest in reading. Moreover, this creative work often becomes a critical component for assessing the student’s potential by committee.

Proper College Admission Essay Format

College application essay format may be of high difficulty for an applicant. So, let’s plunge into this topic for a bit. There are a lot of criteria that should be included in the paper. Essential items such as font, size, indentation, paragraph, special formatting rules, margins, placement of page numbers, and headings are all considered. In the majority of cases, the conventional requirements are:

• 12-point Times New Roman
• 0″ between paragraphs
• 1″ margin all around
• double-spaced (275 words/page) / single-spaced (550 words/page)
• 0.5″ first line of a paragraph

Formatting your college essay structure properly is extremely important as it makes the best first impression. So, what’s the proper format for students to submit their application college essays? The answer to this depends on how you submit your great college essay.

Whether you are submitting sample essays via Word files/PDF format, or text box, the college application essay format will vary. But don’t hesitate, if you’re struggling with formatting, you can hire 24/7 professional essay writers to help you.

Another crucial question about how to write a college admission essay is: “How long should a college application essay be?” It’s usually required around 500 words to write college admission essay. This means you have one page to convincingly and confidently express your thoughts, ideas and highlight your strengths and motivation to study in college. It is an incredibly responsible task that requires concentration and brevity in the presentation of a candidate.

Most Accepted MLA Format for College Application Essay

Basic MLA formatting requirements include using size 12 Times New Roman font all across the essay with paragraphs spaced half an inch, double spacing between lines, and books cited page with a hanging indent. Additionally, the title page should have the student’s name, instructor’s name, course, and date. For proper application formatting, it is crucial to use these guidelines when writing your essay.

Guide on How to Write Excellent Application Essay

After going through the thorny path of collecting documents, passing exams, and choosing the right university, the time has come for the student to write a college application essay. The first step is to familiarize yourself with the requirements for writing this type of work. Requests may differ slightly in detail, but the main criteria are generally the same. The essay should be unique, creative, and innovative, represent the candidate’s personality, and reflect his motivation and goals.

So here is some necessary information on  how to write a stellar paper . The candidate should adhere to the requirements, and the topic of the work, if any. It is also worth making a layout plan of what you would like to display in the essay. Find a zest for your work that will help you stand out from other candidates. Imagine how many papers are submitted to the college admissions committee – these are hundreds and thousands of essays. It would be best if you took care that the teachers remember you so you can get the coveted place. To do this, you need to come up with an original idea. At the same time, it is crucial to refrain from exaggerating your accomplishments because outright lies will not be encouraged.

College Essay Topics Which to Use and Which to Avoid

Unless you’re a professional troll or want to rub your teachers and peers the wrong way, keep your papers on PC. While you may have strong opinions on religion, politics, or cultural differences, such topics are better avoided. Even if you’re studying political science, don’t rock the boat too hard, or the teacher may very well throw you off the edge with a bad grade. Most teachers are published authors and it’s a good tip to Google their work to get an idea of what their sensitive areas are. Writing papers can be an involved process that has your head spinning, especially if you’re a new student. But with our helpful guidance and tips, you can breeze through the process and even  buy a college essay to get you started in the right direction. Be sure to format your admission essay correctly and ask the right questions, and your academic years will be some of the best experiences in your life. With the correct tools and a bit of extra effort, you can achieve academic success and ensure yourself a bright future.

• Avoid discussing highly sensitive personal matters like faith, religion, politics, culture, and controversial topics. Your college essay should focus on you and your experiences rather than delving into these private topics. Moreover, discussing these matters will likely alienate some readers since they come from differing backgrounds and can be controversial.
• Be careful with personal tastes. Still, it is one of the college application essay topics to avoid, but it is more relaxed. Don’t write about everyday life and privileged life, and cliche topics.
• Anything that violates the law. Do not tell stories (if you have them), and do not ask questions or write arguments about the laws, their use, and their application. Laws are absolute for all, and you need to keep your reputation.

Good college application essay topics

There is a multitude of different subjects you can choose from. Not all college papers for sale have a great topic, however. This is why you need to be selective about the process and get the title right before anything else. The following are 10 examples of college application essay topics:

• Have your views of the world and society ever been challenged? If so, how and why?
• Describe an important view or event that you have changed your mind upon recently
• Not all inventions are good – which invention would you prevent from happening and why?
• Why do you feel that X college is the perfect fit your goals and education?
• What is your main strength, and how will that help you at college?
• On completion of college, what is the thing you desire to achieve the most?
• What do you feel is the most important quality or feature a college can provide to you?
• Why did you choose to apply for X college?
• Describe one of your most important achievements in life and how it changed you.
• Tell us about a time that you solved a problem – what did you do, and what skills did you use?

Common application essay topics

When you are researching your paper subjects, you will undoubtedly come across a myriad of common topics. There are various subjects that are suitable for a college essay application. What you can write will help showcase your own personality and abilities. The following are 10 examples of college admission essay titles:

• If time travel were possible, what year would you travel back to, and what would you do?
• What part of your personal identity makes you unique and is paramount to your being?
• What has been your biggest failure in life, and how did you learn from this experience?
• Tell us about an important life lesson you have learned and how it has developed your person.
• Share a random essay topic of your choice – it can be on any subject of your choosing
• What do you do in a pressured situation, and how do you cope with the obstacles?
• What are the main influencing factors that have shaped your personality today?
• What is the most valuable and important moral standard that you try to live by, and why?
• Have you completed any charity or volunteer work? What did you learn from the experience?
• If you could be remembered for one thing, what would that be and why?

Overused college essay topics

There is a thin line between common and overused. Whilst some college essay ideas are common, others are simply used too often. You have to try and inject a little creativity and use informative essay topics that haven’t been written by thousands of other students too. The following are 10 essay questions that have been used too often – try and avoid these:

• What is the best piece of advice you have ever received, and do you follow or ignore it?
• If you could spend 30 minutes with a famous person (Living or dead), who would it be?
• What is your favorite movie of all time, and which was your favorite scene?
• Describe the most embarrassing experience you have ever had, and how did it impact you?
• What are your views on religion?
• Describe your worst personality trait
• Describe a moment in your life where you felt you developed as a person
• What is one contribution you have made to a team or organization?
• Describe how you have helped someone through a trailing situation
• If you could run your own business, what would it be and why?

Unique college essay topics

Creating a unique title is essential for your college and university work. Part of how to make a good essay is being unique and thinking outside the box. These 10 subjects could help you do this:

• What is your definition of the meaning of life?
• Do you believe there is life on other planets?
• Describe one major world event that we can learn from
• How does family upbringing shape our personality and mindset?
• How do we stop corruption in politics?
• Why is democracy preferable to a dictatorship?
• Why does racism still exist in today’s society?
• Do you choose your sexuality, or are you born with it?
• Why are renewable energy sources important?
• Is solar power a viable means of powering our world?

Interesting college essay topics

What would your reaction be if you picked up a paper and the title was boring? One of the best college essay tips we can give is to make your paper interesting! A catchy title will always grab attention, as seen below:

• What are the things that make you angry, and how do you control this anger?
• What would you do if someone confronted your beliefs?
• Is nuclear energy dangerous or the answer to our energy problems?
• How can music improve our brain function?
• Should children be taught a second language at school?
• Is social media addictive?
• Can video games cause violent behavior?
• Should parents have the right to spank their children?
• Nature vs Nurture
• Are sporting professionals paid too much?
• If you had the power to change one thing in the world, what would it be, and how would you do it?
• What is your favorite novel, and which character resonated with you the most?
• Name 10 of your favorite historical figures and gives reasons why you chose them?
• What is the thing you are most passionate about in life and why?
• If you could become a teacher, what subject would you teach, and how would you teach it?
• What would be your ideal profession, and why?
• How is global warming affecting our planet and what needs to be done to prevent it?
• How has social media changed the way we communicate with others?
• The negative impact of the internet and the rise of cyber criminals
• How business has changed in the modern world

Do Research

Become familiar with the school, program, or department to which you are applying. Use specific facts or experiences in your essay to demonstrate why your application should be accepted.

Inspire with Successful Application Essay Examples

When preparing to write an admissions essay, you should actively seek out and study examples of successful essays from previous applicants. Reviewing these samples provides valuable insights into the desired tone, structure, and content that resonates with admissions committees. By understanding what has worked well for others, you can tailor your essays better, highlighting unique strengths and experiences, and increasing your chances of making a memorable impression.

Craft an Outline

Create an outline of your essay’s essential ideas before you begin writing. A well-written outline lies at the heart of every good college paper. It acts as a road map for your essay, offering a clear framework and direction for your ideas.

• Organizes Your Thoughts: An outline helps you arrange your ideas in a logical order. It allows you to see the overall structure of your essay and how each section or point connects to the next.
• Ensures a Coherent Flow: By outlining your essay, you can ensure that your ideas flow smoothly from one paragraph to the next. This helps your essay read more coherently and makes it easier for the reader to follow your argument.
• Prevents Information Overload: It’s easy to get overwhelmed with ideas, especially when you’re passionate about a topic. An outline helps you filter out unnecessary information and focus on the most relevant points.
• Helps with Time Management: Planning your essay in advance with an outline can save you time in the long run. You’ll have a clear roadmap, so you won’t waste time trying to figure out what to write next.
• Ensures Inclusion of Key Points: With an outline, you can make sure that you cover all the important aspects of your topic. It’s a way to double-check that you’ve included all the necessary information.
• Facilitates Revision and Editing: If you’ve already outlined your essay, it’s much easier to revise and edit. You can see the big picture and make adjustments to improve the overall coherence and effectiveness of your essay.
• Helps Avoid Writer’s Block: Having a clear outline can help combat writer’s block. If you’re unsure of what to write next, you can refer to your outline for guidance.
• Provides a Sense of Direction: Writing without a clear plan can lead to meandering and off-topic essays. An outline provides a clear sense of direction, helping you stay on track and focused.

Introduction

You would agree that a captivating introduction will make you glue to a movie until it ends. The approach is the same with your application essay. The introduction should be the beginning of your thrilling story.

Your introductory paragraph has three major parts. They include:

• The hook – to get the reader’s attention.
• The main points – to fully express the introductory paragraph and other important highlights. They include background information, thesis statement, and scope and structure.
• Transition – to navigate to the purpose of the work.

These major parts are always relevant for every academic piece.

Body Paragraphs

After a well-crafted introduction, body paragraphs are the next big deal. It contains the comprehensive details of your content, basically how you’ve prioritized personal growth.

This is the heart of your admission essay, where you provide detailed information and supporting evidence for the points you’re making. The body paragraph is known as the narrative structure of your application. It comes in three sections. Every paragraph explains its unique message.

The rules are simple:

• Have a topic sentence with a focus for each paragraph.
• Strengthen every topic sentence with a thorough yet concise explanation.
• Ensure your research points are consistent throughout.
• If not stated, do not use a subheading for a paragraph.

Writing the conclusion of your college essays is the trickiest part. Just like your introduction and body paragraph, a well-structured conclusion carries much significance to the success of your paper. It revises the entire content with major key takeaways and a summary of the essay’s major points. It should end with much optimism, which you expect from the admissions officers.

With careful planning and creative thinking, you can  write your college essays in a way that will help you stand out from the crowd and make a lasting impression on the admissions committee.

Choose Your Personal Story

This type of essay is like a personal statement because of its story. Since this story is peculiar to you, you need to make it captivating. The major problem many students face here is that they are trying to be too dramatic—no, you don’t need to be.

A captivating story is real. You want the reader to feel the genuineness of what you are saying. It expresses a little passion and makes anyone see more reasons to admit you into their institution.

See the example below:

“Studying medicine was not a dream for me until the last COVID-19 pandemic era. Seeing the daily increment in the death toll was saddening for me. It was more traumatizing because every news channel in the world has a terrible video to show the inhumane condition of the patients. This motivated my desire to study medicine and improve the global health of humanity.”

Ensure your story is captivating. However, don’t be carried away and exceed the word limit.

Prove Your Worthiness

In order to compose a good student essay, it’s vital to use your knowledge, wit, and ingenuity. It is important to show that you are comprehensively developed, interested in many things, and willing to learn. Write about your hobbies and achievements in this area and your future goals. You can also add life stories that taught you something or meant a lot to you. Why not talk about something or someone that inspires you? For example, some historical figure, a character in a book, or a movie hero who changed your outlook on life. Or, for instance, a quote that brings new colors to your perception of the world. All this will help you to open up as a person on the scale of the paper, which will allow the admission committee members to get to know you better and appreciate your candidacy. Remember that the style of your essay should be informal but not too familiar. Try to keep your writing upbeat, but spice it up with a dose of respect.

Group Related Ideas

Another important tip is to group your ideas together. This is known as thematic structuring. It can help anyone read your paper and get a hold of the message in each paragraph. Since there is coherence, it is easy for the reader to comprehend your content from the introduction to the conclusion.

Use Subheadings

Imagine this content was written without any subheadings; you would have given up before you were halfway through. The purpose of subheadings is to retain the reader’s attention. Rather than being discouraged because of how clumsy your piece looks, subheadings can be the signposts for your important points.

Subheadings help to streamline your points to the signpost and help readers easily navigate through the content.

Pay Attention to Submission Requirements

Submission requirements are the real test for most colleges. Since they are not doing any interviews, they can check if you followed their submission requirement or otherwise.

It is not enough to write the best content without following the proper submission requirements. There are important details to consider when drafting a college paper or writing any academic piece. Things you may want to look out for include:

• Word count,
• Double-spacing,
• Alignment type and formatting guidelines
• Number of paragraphs

Paying attention to the submission requirements is highly important.

Write Several Drafts

For your college application essay, always write multiple drafts. Begin with your main ideas in the first draft. Then, refine and improve in the next ones. This helps in making sure your final piece is clear, polished, and impactful. Remember, practice makes perfect!

Ask Someone to Read it Over

After writing several drafts, be sure to proofread and ask someone else to read it, and check for errors or inconsistencies before sending your college application package. Give due attention to text editing. Check the text for all sorts of spelling, punctuation, lexical, and stylistic errors.

Wrapping Up

When working on your college application process, you must submit either a personal statement or a college admission essay. This guide helps you write a well-formatted general college essay to complete your online application form. Remember: the main point of an admission essay is to convince the admission committee.

Now that you are aware of the format to incorporate in your essay writing process, you can start early so you can have enough time to double-check your whole essay before submission. Students who use  our admission writing services must complete essay prompts at this crucial stage to being admitted to the colleges of their choice. We wish everyone success in entering college and are ready to help all applicants stuck in writing an application essay.

Readers also enjoyed

WHY WAIT? PLACE AN ORDER RIGHT NOW!

Just fill out the form, press the button, and have no worries!

We use cookies to give you the best experience possible. By continuing we’ll assume you board with our cookie policy.

You are using an outdated browser. Please upgrade your browser to improve your experience.

How to Write a Perfect Essay Outline

You can’t write an essay without outlining. Fine, you can do that if a low grade is okay for you to get. But those willing to craft a paper that’s worth A+ will need to create an essay outline and organize their research in one place before writing. So in this article we will look at outline examples and top tips to improve your essay.

This guide is here to help you:

• understand what is a paper outline,
• learn how to write an essay outline,
• get outline examples and templates to use when crafting yours.

So, let’s a research essay outline journey begin!

Table of Contents:

• What is an essay outline?
• Key parts of an essay
• Outline format
• Persuasive essay outline example
• Narrative essay outline example
• Expository essay outline example
• Research essay outline example
• What to do before outlining
• Choose an essay outline structure
• Organize your outline
• It’s a wrap!

What is an Essay Outline?

As you’ve already guessed it, an essay outline is a short plan of your research paper. Here you write down the main idea of your essay and structurize all arguments into paragraphs to make sure you won’t miss anything while writing.

Sure enough, you can write an essay without outlining it. But it will be challenging to do. Outlining is an essential part of the writing process, and all authors do it for their works to impress readers.

Here’s why you need an essay outline :

• It will help you organize thoughts: when you research the data for your essay, you get tons of information that’s hard to remember.
• You’ll understand the information flow and will be able to structurize it accordingly.
• It will help you not to miss anything while writing your essay because you’ll have a ready manuscript of your paper.

That said, an outline will help you write academic works better and faster. And while our writers are always here to help to write my essay , it can’t hurt to learn how to write an outline for an essay by your own, right?

How to Write an Essay Outline

While college essay types are many, the common structure for most of them is five-paragraph. Each essay needs Introduction , Body (paragraphs with arguments), and Conclusion; so, a general format of your essay outline will include all these components.

Outlining your essay, keep write my term paper in mind so you wouldn’t miss any arguments, evidence, and examples while writing.

So, let’s do this!

Key Parts of an Essay

Put them all into your writing outline:

• Introduction. Here you’ll mention the topic of your essay and its thesis. As you know, essays can’t live without a thesis; so, a thesis statement in your outline will help you support it in each paragraph of your essay body.
• Body paragraphs. There will be a minimum three paragraphs in your essay’s body, so make sure to include each one in the outline. For each paragraph, write down a topic sentence with an argument relating to your thesis and mention all the support: data, facts, examples, and other evidence you’ll use to prove the topic sentence of this paragraph.
• Conclusion. Wrap up your essay here. Restate your thesis and summarize the goal of your paper.

In general, your essay template will look like this:

Essay Outline: General

I. Introduction

a) Introduce a topic b) State a thesis

II. Body. Paragraph-1

a) Write a topic sentence (the argument for your thesis) b) Support this argument: data, facts, examples c) Explain how they relate to your thesis

III. Body. Paragraph-2

a) Write a topic sentence (another argument for your thesis) b) Support this argument: data, facts, examples c) Explain how they relate to your thesis

IV. Body. Paragraph-3

a) Write a topic sentence (another argument for your thesis, or a counterargument) b) Support this argument, or explain why the counterargument doesn’t work: data, facts, examples c) Explain how they relate to your thesis

V. Conclusion

a) Summarize all main points b) Restate your thesis c) Add a call to action: what you want readers to do after reading your essay

Outline Format

As a rule, students use the linear style when formatting their writing outline. It means they rank arguments in order of their importance – from major to minor ones.

Remember: your research essay outline doesn’t have to include the complete sentences. It’s only an outline, so feel free to format arguments and evidence the way it seems most comfortable and understandable for you. Just make sure it’s visually clear and allows you to see if some sections are repetitive or redundant. It will help to avoid duplications in your essay maker .

Another point to consider:

While you are familiar with a given essay topic, it doesn’t mean your readers are. So format your outline accordingly: assume that some people know nothing about it when preparing arguments and arranging them in a logical order.

Essay Outline Template

Templates can help you get a better idea of essay outlining. It’s a great way to organize thoughts and determine the order in which you’ll represent them to readers. So, make a list of the sections in your paper and fill in the corresponding example, depending on your essay type.

Persuasive Essay Outline Example

To create an outline for such an essay, consider the following example:

Taken from: TeacherVision.com

Narrative Essay Outline Example

For narrative essays, outlines like this one will work well:

Expository Essay Outline Example

What about this example for your essay outline?

Research Essay Outline Example

Taken from: Austincc.edu

How to Make an Outline: the Process

As a rule, the only detail bothering those asking how to make an outline for an essay is the process itself. Students understand that an essay outline needs to specify all the main points and arguments of their future paper, but they still find it challenging to create.

More than that, professors may ask you to submit an essay outline for their review. That’s why the skills of planning your papers will come in handy anyway. To learn the secrets of effective outline writing, you’ll need to know what to do before outlining, what essay outline structure to choose for your work, and how to organize your outline so it would be as informative as possible.

Here’s how to outline an essay:

What to Do Before Outlining

First and foremost, read your writing assignment carefully. Make sure you understand what essay type you need to write, how many arguments to use (except as noted), and how long your essay needs to be.

Answer the question , “What’s the purpose of your essay?” Do you want to inform readers, persuade, or just entertain them? Depending on the goal, you’ll know what thesis to consider, what writing techniques to use, and how to visualize research in your paper.

Identify the audience. Yes, it’s a teacher who reads and evaluates your work; but whom do you want to read your essay ? Do you write for classmates? Strangers? What do they know about your topic? Would they agree with your thesis? How might they react to your information?

Depending on that, you’ll understand what arguments might work for your essay. It will also help you decide on resources to use for research and evidence to choose for your arguments. Consider credible sources such as Google Scholar or Oxford Academic to find references for your essay; take notes of them to use in your outline.

State your thesis so you could see what topic sentences to outline for your essay. A thesis needs to be arguable and provide enough details to hook readers so they would get them emotionally involved in your writing.

Once a thesis is ready, start structuring your essay outline.

Choose an Essay Outline Structure

From the above templates and examples, you’ve got a general idea of the basic structure for your essay outline. We used a standard alphanumeric structure there, but you can also use a decimal one for your outline to show how your ideas are related. Just compare:

Alphanumeric format:

Decimal format:

An alphanumeric outline is the most common one, but you are welcome to use a decimal outline structure if it seems clearer and more comfortable for you. Also, feel free to use complete sentences or just brief phrases for each section of your essay outline.

However, if you need to submit it to a professor for a review, use sentences. It will help him understand the arguments and evidence you are going to use in your essay.

Organize Your Outline

Now it’s time to fill in each section of your essay outline. For those lazy to read, here goes a short video:

For all others, start with outlining your introduction . Write a sentence about your topic and introduce your thesis. You can also mention an essay hook here – a sentence you’ll use to make the audience interested in reading your work.

Outline your essay body : write down a topic sentence for each paragraph, provide supporting evidence you’ll use when writing, and mention how they’ll relate to the topic and your thesis. The more details you outline, the easier it will be to organize all the thoughts while writing.

Also, you can write a transition sentence for each paragraph so it would be faster to structure and band all arguments.

Finally, outline your essay conclusion . Restate your thesis and write a concluding statement, aka a sentence addressing the importance of your thesis and proposing solutions to the problem you addressed in the essay.

It’s a Wrap!

Essays are many, and you need to write all of them in school and college. Persuasive, expository, narrative – their basic structure is the same but with tiny differences identifying their specifications and your knowledge of academic writing. Understanding those differences and outlining your writings accordingly is your chance to craft perfect works that get high grades.

An essay outline is what you need to organize the information and not miss anything while writing. When you know how to write an essay outline, you create papers better and faster. You keep in mind all essay components. You develop critical thinking. And you become a better writer.

Related posts

• What Is the Difference between Primary and Secondary Sources
• Common Types of Plagiarism with Examples
• Exemplification Essay – Ideas and Tips

Our Writing Guides

• Essay Topics
• Homework Help
• Essay Types
• Essay Examples
• Become a Tutor

How to Deal with College Essay Outline? 5 Templates for Better Writing

Practice shows that outlining an essay often seems difficult for students. Do you also have problems with the outline for an essay? Let’s figure it out together! From this article you will understand why you need to make a good outline, take a look at good and bad outline examples and find 5 prewritten college essay outline templates. Enjoy!

Why Do I Need to Create an Outline For My College Essay?

Many students don’t know how to produce a well-structured essay outline and, moreover, they often don’t understand why they should do it. We will try to explain it. To begin with, what is the definition of essay outline? It is a framework that presents main and minor ideas of your essay in a structured way. There are many benefits for those students, who want to learn how to produce a good essay outline:

• It adds value to your essay as your readers will be able to understand more quickly what your main ideas are, which arguments you will use and how they are connected in your essay.
• Outlining an essay will make a writing process much easier for you. You will always be able to remember which things you need to mention in your essay and how to make transitions between arguments.

How Essay Outline Should Look Like? Good Essay Outline Templates and Examples

Good outline should be complete and include all the main ideas of your essay, but at the same time you should keep it to the point. Long outlines will not bring value for you and for your readers. Outlines presented below can give you an idea of how good and bad outlines should look like. As you see, the outline on the left is well-planned and it is clear which arguments the author will use to support the position and how he will terminate the essay. The outline on the right is general and does not give an idea of what will be covered in the paper.

Argumentative Essay Outline Template

Introduction

• Attract attention to your topic (make sure that the topic is relevant, doubt a well-known fact, provide quotation relevant to the theme)
• State different points of view
• Explain why you are interested in the topic (optional)
• State your position clearly
• Provide general information on your topic (optional)
• State figures, facts, trustworthy opinion, personal experience that could justify your point
• Elaborate it, explain how fact/figure/opinion you provided help to prove your position stated in introduction
• Elaborate it, explain how facts/figures/opinions you provided help to prove your position stated in introduction
• Restate your position in other words
• Summarize arguments
• Final statement – quotation, show which particular aspect of essay topic should be analyzed

5 Paragraph Essay Template Printable

First Paragraph (Introduction)

• Overview of the topic
• Explain which opinions exist
• Express your position clearly

Second Paragraph (Background)

• Review existing articles and reading materials on the question,

Third Paragraph (Support)

• Provide a claim in favor of your position
• Explain how it supports your position
• Summarize it briefly

Fourth Paragraph (Opponents arguments)

Opposing Argument 1

• Provide a claim that contradicts your position
• Explain why it is a weak statement
• Make a conclusion in favor of your position

Opposing Argument 2

• Explain why it is a weak argument

Fifth Paragraph (Conclusion)

• Briefly summarize all the arguments in third paragraph
• Explain why the issue covered is important

College essay outline template

Introductory Paragraph

• Make a statement that reflect the topic main idea
• State subtopic 1 (one sentence)
• State subtopic 2 (one sentence)
• State subtopic 3 (one sentence)

Supporting fact, opinion or detail

• Synthesis of all mentioned facts
• Underline the progression of evidences on the topic
• Explain how topic could be elaborated

Research paper outline template

• Way of attracting readers’ attention
• Thesis statement
• Main aspect of your theme
• Restate main statement
• Summarize main aspects of the topic
• Underline relevance of a research
• State how topic could be researched further

Methods used (optional)

Template for an informative essay

• General facts about the topic/Relevant definition/Relevance of the issue
• State the position on the question you will cover

Paragraph 1

• Explain how the paragraph will help to elaborate the main idea
• Provide the complete analysis
• Connection to the next paragraph

Paragraph 2

Paragraph 3

• Connection to the conclusion
• Review main ideas
• Call to further develop the question

Good luck with your studies and never ignore the importance of the outline!

Related articles

Popular articles

Have a language expert improve your writing

Run a free plagiarism check in 10 minutes, generate accurate citations for free.

• Knowledge Base
• How to write an argumentative essay | Examples & tips

How to Write an Argumentative Essay | Examples & Tips

Published on July 24, 2020 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on July 23, 2023.

An argumentative essay expresses an extended argument for a particular thesis statement . The author takes a clearly defined stance on their subject and builds up an evidence-based case for it.

Instantly correct all language mistakes in your text

Upload your document to correct all your mistakes in minutes

Table of contents

When do you write an argumentative essay, approaches to argumentative essays, introducing your argument, the body: developing your argument, concluding your argument, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about argumentative essays.

You might be assigned an argumentative essay as a writing exercise in high school or in a composition class. The prompt will often ask you to argue for one of two positions, and may include terms like “argue” or “argument.” It will frequently take the form of a question.

The prompt may also be more open-ended in terms of the possible arguments you could make.

Argumentative writing at college level

At university, the vast majority of essays or papers you write will involve some form of argumentation. For example, both rhetorical analysis and literary analysis essays involve making arguments about texts.

In this context, you won’t necessarily be told to write an argumentative essay—but making an evidence-based argument is an essential goal of most academic writing, and this should be your default approach unless you’re told otherwise.

Examples of argumentative essay prompts

At a university level, all the prompts below imply an argumentative essay as the appropriate response.

Your research should lead you to develop a specific position on the topic. The essay then argues for that position and aims to convince the reader by presenting your evidence, evaluation and analysis.

• Don’t just list all the effects you can think of.
• Do develop a focused argument about the overall effect and why it matters, backed up by evidence from sources.
• Don’t just provide a selection of data on the measures’ effectiveness.
• Do build up your own argument about which kinds of measures have been most or least effective, and why.
• Don’t just analyze a random selection of doppelgänger characters.
• Do form an argument about specific texts, comparing and contrasting how they express their thematic concerns through doppelgänger characters.

Prevent plagiarism. Run a free check.

An argumentative essay should be objective in its approach; your arguments should rely on logic and evidence, not on exaggeration or appeals to emotion.

There are many possible approaches to argumentative essays, but there are two common models that can help you start outlining your arguments: The Toulmin model and the Rogerian model.

Toulmin arguments

The Toulmin model consists of four steps, which may be repeated as many times as necessary for the argument:

• Make a claim
• Provide the grounds (evidence) for the claim
• Explain the warrant (how the grounds support the claim)
• Discuss possible rebuttals to the claim, identifying the limits of the argument and showing that you have considered alternative perspectives

The Toulmin model is a common approach in academic essays. You don’t have to use these specific terms (grounds, warrants, rebuttals), but establishing a clear connection between your claims and the evidence supporting them is crucial in an argumentative essay.

Say you’re making an argument about the effectiveness of workplace anti-discrimination measures. You might:

• Claim that unconscious bias training does not have the desired results, and resources would be better spent on other approaches
• Cite data to support your claim
• Explain how the data indicates that the method is ineffective
• Anticipate objections to your claim based on other data, indicating whether these objections are valid, and if not, why not.

Rogerian arguments

The Rogerian model also consists of four steps you might repeat throughout your essay:

• Discuss what the opposing position gets right and why people might hold this position
• Highlight the problems with this position
• Present your own position , showing how it addresses these problems
• Suggest a possible compromise —what elements of your position would proponents of the opposing position benefit from adopting?

This model builds up a clear picture of both sides of an argument and seeks a compromise. It is particularly useful when people tend to disagree strongly on the issue discussed, allowing you to approach opposing arguments in good faith.

Say you want to argue that the internet has had a positive impact on education. You might:

• Acknowledge that students rely too much on websites like Wikipedia
• Argue that teachers view Wikipedia as more unreliable than it really is
• Suggest that Wikipedia’s system of citations can actually teach students about referencing
• Suggest critical engagement with Wikipedia as a possible assignment for teachers who are skeptical of its usefulness.

You don’t necessarily have to pick one of these models—you may even use elements of both in different parts of your essay—but it’s worth considering them if you struggle to structure your arguments.

Regardless of which approach you take, your essay should always be structured using an introduction , a body , and a conclusion .

Like other academic essays, an argumentative essay begins with an introduction . The introduction serves to capture the reader’s interest, provide background information, present your thesis statement , and (in longer essays) to summarize the structure of the body.

Hover over different parts of the example below to see how a typical introduction works.

The spread of the internet has had a world-changing effect, not least on the world of education. The use of the internet in academic contexts is on the rise, and its role in learning is hotly debated. For many teachers who did not grow up with this technology, its effects seem alarming and potentially harmful. This concern, while understandable, is misguided. The negatives of internet use are outweighed by its critical benefits for students and educators—as a uniquely comprehensive and accessible information source; a means of exposure to and engagement with different perspectives; and a highly flexible learning environment.

The body of an argumentative essay is where you develop your arguments in detail. Here you’ll present evidence, analysis, and reasoning to convince the reader that your thesis statement is true.

In the standard five-paragraph format for short essays, the body takes up three of your five paragraphs. In longer essays, it will be more paragraphs, and might be divided into sections with headings.

Each paragraph covers its own topic, introduced with a topic sentence . Each of these topics must contribute to your overall argument; don’t include irrelevant information.

This example paragraph takes a Rogerian approach: It first acknowledges the merits of the opposing position and then highlights problems with that position.

Hover over different parts of the example to see how a body paragraph is constructed.

A common frustration for teachers is students’ use of Wikipedia as a source in their writing. Its prevalence among students is not exaggerated; a survey found that the vast majority of the students surveyed used Wikipedia (Head & Eisenberg, 2010). An article in The Guardian stresses a common objection to its use: “a reliance on Wikipedia can discourage students from engaging with genuine academic writing” (Coomer, 2013). Teachers are clearly not mistaken in viewing Wikipedia usage as ubiquitous among their students; but the claim that it discourages engagement with academic sources requires further investigation. This point is treated as self-evident by many teachers, but Wikipedia itself explicitly encourages students to look into other sources. Its articles often provide references to academic publications and include warning notes where citations are missing; the site’s own guidelines for research make clear that it should be used as a starting point, emphasizing that users should always “read the references and check whether they really do support what the article says” (“Wikipedia:Researching with Wikipedia,” 2020). Indeed, for many students, Wikipedia is their first encounter with the concepts of citation and referencing. The use of Wikipedia therefore has a positive side that merits deeper consideration than it often receives.

Here's why students love Scribbr's proofreading services

Discover proofreading & editing

An argumentative essay ends with a conclusion that summarizes and reflects on the arguments made in the body.

No new arguments or evidence appear here, but in longer essays you may discuss the strengths and weaknesses of your argument and suggest topics for future research. In all conclusions, you should stress the relevance and importance of your argument.

Hover over the following example to see the typical elements of a conclusion.

The internet has had a major positive impact on the world of education; occasional pitfalls aside, its value is evident in numerous applications. The future of teaching lies in the possibilities the internet opens up for communication, research, and interactivity. As the popularity of distance learning shows, students value the flexibility and accessibility offered by digital education, and educators should fully embrace these advantages. The internet’s dangers, real and imaginary, have been documented exhaustively by skeptics, but the internet is here to stay; it is time to focus seriously on its potential for good.

If you want to know more about AI tools , college essays , or fallacies make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples or go directly to our tools!

• Ad hominem fallacy
• Post hoc fallacy
• Appeal to authority fallacy
• False cause fallacy
• Sunk cost fallacy

College essays

• Choosing Essay Topic
• Write a College Essay
• Write a Diversity Essay
• College Essay Format & Structure
• Comparing and Contrasting in an Essay

 (AI) Tools

• Grammar Checker
• Paraphrasing Tool
• Text Summarizer
• AI Detector
• Plagiarism Checker
• Citation Generator

An argumentative essay tends to be a longer essay involving independent research, and aims to make an original argument about a topic. Its thesis statement makes a contentious claim that must be supported in an objective, evidence-based way.

An expository essay also aims to be objective, but it doesn’t have to make an original argument. Rather, it aims to explain something (e.g., a process or idea) in a clear, concise way. Expository essays are often shorter assignments and rely less on research.

At college level, you must properly cite your sources in all essays , research papers , and other academic texts (except exams and in-class exercises).

Add a citation whenever you quote , paraphrase , or summarize information or ideas from a source. You should also give full source details in a bibliography or reference list at the end of your text.

The exact format of your citations depends on which citation style you are instructed to use. The most common styles are APA , MLA , and Chicago .

The majority of the essays written at university are some sort of argumentative essay . Unless otherwise specified, you can assume that the goal of any essay you’re asked to write is argumentative: To convince the reader of your position using evidence and reasoning.

In composition classes you might be given assignments that specifically test your ability to write an argumentative essay. Look out for prompts including instructions like “argue,” “assess,” or “discuss” to see if this is the goal.

Cite this Scribbr article

If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the “Cite this Scribbr article” button to automatically add the citation to our free Citation Generator.

Caulfield, J. (2023, July 23). How to Write an Argumentative Essay | Examples & Tips. Scribbr. Retrieved March 12, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/academic-essay/argumentative-essay/

Is this article helpful?

Jack Caulfield

Other students also liked, how to write a thesis statement | 4 steps & examples, how to write topic sentences | 4 steps, examples & purpose, how to write an expository essay, what is your plagiarism score.

essayoutline.net

best essay outline guides

How to Write a College Essay Outline: Guide & Template

Every college student will have to write an essay at one point or the other – it is almost unavoidable and contributes to your overall evaluation as a student. This means that you must know how to write an essay as a student. However, writing an essay is less about writing and more about planning.

When writing a college format essay, you must ensure that you follow an outline. An outline makes it easy for students to organize their thoughts and helps them complete their essays in a shorter period.

Why Should You Create a College Outline?

A college essay outline provides a guideline for students to follow while writing an essay. It makes it easier for students to better understand the essay they are writing. An essay outline also allows students to present their opinions systematically.

A well-written essay makes it easier for the reader to understand the student’s perspective. And, generally, it is a prerequisite to write outstanding and captivating college essays (and all essays). In summary, essay outlines allow you to do your best and do it with ease.

How to Structure a College Essay

All essays are not the same. They address different topics and have different kinds of conclusions. However, all essays have the same structure. Whatever the type of essay you are writing, a college essay format must be divided into the following:

• Introduction : The introduction of your essay is your chance to magnetize your reader’s eyes and interest. A strong introduction will motivate your reader to read further into your essay. However, if your introduction is poorly written, no one will want to continue reading. You will have to write several essays when you are in school. Whatever the kind of essay you have to write, you must make sure that you start with a strong introduction. The main purpose of an introduction is to grab a reader’s attention. You need to ensure that your introduction serves that purpose. Another thing to be included in your college essay header is a thesis statement. This should inform your reader about what you will be discussing in the essay. Finally, the last part of your introduction will tell your reader what to expect from the body.
• Body : After getting your reader’s attention in the introduction, you can proceed to do the main business – the body. The body of your essay will contain a minimum of three paragraphs. Each of these paragraphs will talk about different ideas. You can write more or less than three ideas depending on how much information you have and your instructions. Make sure that you go into details in each of these paragraphs. Talk extensively about the idea that each paragraph covers—present facts, statistics, and any other information that you can use to support your ideas.
• Conclusion : This is the last and final part of your essay. At this point, you must have presented all your facts and impressed your reader with your ideas. The conclusion is usually the easiest part of the essay because it is a revision of all you have written. It is a summary of all that you have written in your body. It gives a rundown of all your ideas and gives a conclusion. A conclusion also reiterated the thesis statement in your introduction.

How to Write a College Essay Outline

If you are writing a college essay, you must make sure that it follows the structure given above. The outline is a more detailed structure of your essay. And an outline will depend on the kind of essay you are writing. Below is an example of a college essay outline:

The Introduction

• Information to grab attention.
• A brief insight into the main points of the essay.
• A thesis statement
• Evidence (Facts, Statistics, and anything else to support the idea).
• Reiterate the thesis statement
• Reiterate the points in the body

This example above represents a simple outline for a college format essay.

The format of your essay should also be a secondary part of your outline. You should get the writing format from your supervisor or lecturer. If you can’t get it from your supervisor, you can also check for the institution’s standard to know the format to follow. However, if you must do it on your own, use a legible font and make sure it is well-formatted.

If you want to make college essay more engaging, check out this essay sample to get inspired for your own writing:

College Essay

Growing up and having been born in the South American country of Venezuela, I understood the world as a delicate network of dirty streets and alleys. I could only relate to the crumbed up houses that were only a necessary need more than a luxury to us. The streets were filled with people who were only speaking in the Venezuelan dialect. I was known as the half generation since I had immigrated at an early age. I migrated to the U.S about one and a half years ago. My family was however left behind in Venezuela as I perused my education in the United States of America.

I have learnt a few traditions in the schools and school system for the period that I have been here. I could easily identify myself to a few social groups since I had an interest in learning the foreign culture that I had come across. Being from a Christian background, I understand he morals and values that should be held as a student. While in Venezuela, my family had moved from the large conservative community to the large cities where I realized an enormous significance in the diversity and I was able to appreciate the American multiracialism.

It has made me embrace different cultures and gain the ability to live with people from different backgrounds and cultures. I have been volunteering at a hospital here in America, and I have been able to interact with people from various nationalities, especially the doctors and nurses. I am now aware of the effects of different cultures that are around me. It has fascinated me by knowing how the American towns can be conventional and have different cultures all in one basket. In this exposure, I have been able to connect with other people freely and not forget who I am, a Venezuelan in the half generation.

It would be best to create an outline before you write any essay. You should not ignore or underestimate the importance of an outline when writing a college essay. An outline makes essay writing easier, faster, and more interesting.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Free Essay Outline Generator

Need to quickly outline an argumentative essay or a research paper? Try out this free essay outline generator!

Are you a college student struggling to compose a well-organized essay, yet your deadline is approaching fast?

Our essay outline generator is here to help you save time and avoid stress by creating a structure for whatever kind of essay you’re writing. This AI-powered essay outline-making tool employs cutting-edge Natural Language Processing (NLP) technologies to swiftly and accurately comprehend complicated themes. So, you don’t need to worry about grammatical or spelling issues when preparing outlines for papers or articles.

• 🔢 How to Use It?
• 🤩 The Tool’s 5 Benefits
• 📝 What Is an Essay Outline?
• ✍️ How to Write an Outline

🔎 References

🔢 essay outline generator: how to use it.

To generate an essay outline, you’ll need to take the following steps:

• Choose the genre of your assignment . Is it an essay, research paper, literature review, or proposal?
• Choose the type of the text . Do you need an informative, analytical, persuasive, or argumentative paper?
• Indicate the number of paragraphs . That’s an optional step.
• Add the topic . Please note that it should not be too long or too short.

🤩 Essay Outline Generator: the 5 Benefits

Using our outline generator is easy and beneficial for students.

Here are the parameters you’re sure to like:

📝 What Is an Essay Outline & Why Is It Important?

An essay outline is a technique of organizing the structure and flow of your essay before you begin writing the text itself. You should outline any essay, no matter which type you need: argumentative , comparative , narrative , or other.

Outlining highlights each section’s content, the paragraphs’ sequence , and the relationship between various arguments. Though you may only sometimes be required to make an outline before drafting the essay, doing so can help you plan your thoughts and ensure that you cover all the basics.

Let’s review 5 advantages of an essay outline.

Enhanced Focus

An outline gathers and emphasizes all of your ideas to determine if you’ve adhered to your main point or veered off course. In essence, it helps you maintain concentration and prevents you from wandering off into unrelated topics’ discussion.

Seamless Transitions

If you organize your thoughts logically, your writing will flow more smoothly , and the topic sentences in the body paragraphs of your essay will have more impact. You may check your transitions and the logic of your material with a well-planned outline.

Effective Information Sequence

Presenting your strongest point first is better. Your outline will help you determine whether you have presented your information in the most effective sequence .

Conciseness

An essay outline allows for achieving one of the most important writing goals: conciseness . Maintaining simplicity and brevity will help the reader understand your message rather than burying it beneath a sea of superfluous words and off-topic discussion points.

Better Organization

An outline is fundamentally a tool of organization . Have you said everything you intended to? Did you use a logical approach to your argument? Is your argument convincing? It’s still crucial to plan your strategy for the essay, even if you’re not writing to prove or debate a specific point.

✍️ How to Write an Essay Outline

Here are a few pointers on developing an outline for your essay.

Step #1 Understand the Requirements

Before beginning to write the outline, please read the assignment instructions thoroughly .

Ensure you understand:

• The style of the essay you should write
• The number of citations required
• The required length

Ask yourself:

What’s the goal of my essay?

Do I intend to inform, convince, or merely entertain the readers? Depending on the objective, you will know which thesis to consider, which writing techniques to employ, and how to conceptualize research in the article.

Step #2: Formulate Your Thesis Statement

Establish your thesis statement to determine which topic sentences to outline in your essay .

The thesis statements must:

• Be debatable
• Contain sufficient details to captivate readers

Once you have a thesis prepared , you may begin organizing your essay. Please note that the outline is not an initial stage of work. You should already have a clear idea of your essay by the time you are creating an outline.

Step #3: Brainstorm

Brainstorming involves writing down as many concepts as possible without limiting yourself or critiquing any of them. You can generate ideas and arguments confirming your thesis during brainstorming or, vice versa, choose opposing points.

Step #4: Select the Best Points

Now that you came up with ideas for the essay, it’s time to review your planning notes and choose the ideas that will help you reach your essay’s purpose.

How does this prove my point?

Do that for each piece of information you have written down. If you have a concise, well-thought-out response to that query, consider including it on your list of essay topics.

Step #5: Structure the Body

Using the compiled perspectives you created, determine the most significant points you will present in your essay. These will be the parts of your essay’s body. List the facts, anecdotes, and statistics that corroborate these claims.

There should be only one idea per paragraph, and each of them should be connected with your thesis statement.

Step #6: Write Your Outline

Now that you fully understand your main claims and supporting evidence, it’s time to compose your outline.

Format your essential points into a concise, well-organized framework using a template for the style of essay you’re writing. You’ll fill in the blanks with information when you write your first draft.

👀 Essay Outline Examples

In this section, you’ll find outline examples for various essay types. Note that these are 5-paragraph essay outlines.

Argumentative Essay Outline

Here is an illustration of an argumentative essay outline that a college student can use:

• Title : Almond Milk Is Better Than Soy Milk
• Introduction : Discuss the distinctions between soy and almond milk and their respective levels of popularity.
• Thesis : Almond milk is a more nutritious, flavorful, and sweeter alternative to soy milk.
• Compare the typical calories in a serving of soy milk with almond milk.
• Cite how almond milk is more easily included in consumers’ daily calorie allowances.
• Compare the advantages of consuming vegan versus items made from animals.
• Describe how almond and soy milk’s vegan status makes them available to vegans and non-vegans and a better, more environmentally friendly option for everyone.
• The product is easier to find than soy milk due to the availability of almonds and how much milk they produce with every squeeze.
• Tell stories of people who have dairy allergies and the health issues they cause.
• Conclusion : Explain why almond milk is preferable to soy milk again, and include any supporting arguments.

Expository Essay Outline

Here is an illustration of an expository essay for a middle school student.

• Title : My Favorite Pet
• Introduction : Describe your favorite animal and your feelings towards the pet. Provide background on the pet and some interesting features about it.
• Thesis : My dog, Coco, is my best friend.
• Compare the dog to other pets you have encountered.
• Describe how the dog’s breed, color, favorite snack, and why you chose the name for the dog.
• Tell stories about your dog’s hobbies and your best memories together.
• Conclusion : Explain why you love your dog and how you plan to care for your furry best friend.

Personal Essay Outline

Here is a sample of an essay outline for a personal essay suitable for high school students:

• Title : The Two Best Birthdays in My Life
• Introduction : Describe your feelings around birthdays and how you prefer commemorating yours.
• Thesis : My 16 th and 17 th birthdays were the two happiest days of my life.
• I obtained a driver’s permit on my sixteenth birthday, and my closest pals and I went to our first live music concert.
• I still have my armband and ticket voucher from the event.
• I initially believed that everyone didn’t remember my birthday. I was inconsolable.
• Then, as a pleasant surprise, my family drove six hours to pick me up and take me to the art exhibition I had been dying to see.
• Conclusion : The reasons mentioned above made my 16 th and 17 th birthdays very special.

Thank you for reading this article! If you wish to continue working on the sample, check out our essay generator to get a full-scale paper example.

❓ Essay Outline Generator FAQ

❓ what is an essay outline.

An essay’s outline is used as the paper’s basic framework. It’s a written version of an essay’s main idea and most important supporting points. Whenever you are working on an essay, creating one is a good idea to help you build a supporting structure for further writing stages.

❓ How to make an essay outline?

You should formulate the essay’s main point that will lay the basis for your essay’s thesis statement. Then apply brainstorming to generate supporting arguments and find academic sources that expand those points and help you build solid, coherent content.

❓ What elements are required in an outline for an argumentative essay?

The standard format for an argumentative essay consists of an introduction, a thesis statement, supporting evidence, counterarguments, and a conclusion. You should insert that data in the argumentative essay outline generator to get high-quality results.

❓ How does an essay outline generator work?

An outline generator for essays is an online, AI-powered tool that helps students organize their essay ideas orderly. The essay outline builder uses complex AI models to research, paraphrase information, create relevant outlines, and guarantee that its content is authentic, interesting, and related to the topic.

• How to Write an Outline in 5 Steps, with Examples
• Types of Outlines and Samples - Purdue OWL
• Why and How to Create a Useful Outline - Purdue OWL
• Creating an Outline
• Outlining | - Harvard College Writing Center

• Houston Community College
• Eagle Online

• Jason Laviolette

Persuasive Essay Outline

Persuasive Essay Outline explanation

• Structure of a five paragraph persuasive essay
• Introduction (3-5 sentences)
• Hook: Grab the reader’s attention with a quote, scenario, question, vivid description, etc. Must be related to your topic. (1-2 sentences)
• Thesis statement: Simply and clearly state your position on the issue(1 sentence )
• Three arguments. Choose three arguments you can use to convince your reader of your position. Briefly state these arguments here. (1-3 sentences)
• Paragraph 2 (5-8 sentences)
• Go back to paragraph one and find your first argument. Then write a paragraph about it.
• Use specific examples to support your argument
• Write a transition sentence.
• Paragraph 3 (5-8 sentences)
• Go back to paragraph one and find your second argument. Write a paragraph about it .
• Use specific examples to support your argument. You should authoritative websites to give facts, statistics, supporting quotations, studies, research, etc.
•  Write a transition sentence.
• Paragraph 4 (5-8 sentences)
• Go back to paragraph one and find your third argument. Write a paragraph about it.
• Conclusion (3-5 sentences)
• Summarize—restate your thesis statement and three arguments in different words
• Make a closing statement. Tie your closing statement back to your opening hook.

Outline Persuasive Essay

• Directions: Use the outline form below to organize your persuasive essay. Choose your topic and three arguments to support your opinion. Section I is for your introduction. Section II is for the body (one paragraph for each argument). Section III is for your conclusion. Topic___________________________________________________________________ I. Introduction

 a. Hook _______________________________________________________

b. Thesis statement______________________________________________

c. Argument #1_________________________________________________

d. Argument #2_________________________________________________

e. Argument #3_________________________________________________

II. Body  Paragraph #1

      a. Argument #1_________________________________________________

      b.  Example #1____________________________________________

      c. Example #2____________________________________________

      d. Example #3____________________________________________

      e. Transition_____________________________________________

     Body Paragraph #2

      a. Argument #2 _________________________________________________

      Body Paragraph #3

      a. Argument #3 _________________________________________________

       b.  Example #1____________________________________________

      c. Example #2____________________________________________

III. Conclusion

a. Restate thesis (different words)__________________________________

b. Restate arguments (different words)___ ____________________________

c. Clincher (tie it all together)______________________________________