Essay Outline Template
Knowing how to write an essay outline template is an important step towards creating an outstanding essay paper. With a properly written essay outline, you can easily draft a good plan for the paper. Read on for tips on how to come up with a good essay template. Besides, you will also find sample essay outline templates for motivation in writing a good one.
A template for an essay outline is basically a worksheet or plan showing how your paper will be organized from beginning to the end. It highlights the main areas that will be addressed in every section of the essay.
In order for you to deliver a successful college or university essay, there are crucial elements to be considered. In fact, the task begins by crafting an outline template to show how the final essay will be presented. A good essay outline template will enable you to easily decide what is going to be in the essay before writing.
A good template for an essay outline can also assist you in re-organizing your ideas in order to come up with a unique essay paper.
The plan will also save you time in research since you will have determined what is to be included in the essay. In this way, your paper will have proper structure with points organized in logical order. A well-crafted essay outline template will also save you time in writing since you do not have to think of what to write.
Tips on how to draft an essay outline template
It is always advisable that you take some time crafting the essay outline template because it always determines how the final paper will be.
Before you think of how the outline will be written, it is important that you properly understand the topic of the paper. You have to analyze and organize your thoughts in order to decide what should be covered in the essay.
The best way to approach an essay outline is to view the essay as a five-part project. Basically, essays are usually divided in three sections, introduction, body paragraphs and conclusion. Going by this approach, you will need to have one paragraph for the introduction, three for the body and a final concluding paragraph.
In crafting a template for an essay outline, you should note that every section of the paper plays a significant role which must be clearly brought out in the draft.
An essay usually begins with an introduction which gives readers an overview of the subject of discussion, and also your thesis. Therefore, it important that you take an approach to establish how the essay will be introduced, including the main claim.
Remember that the outline should present your actual thoughts for the paper, so always be keen and very clear. Only list what is important and necessary for writing the essay.
Your outline template should clearly indicate how you plan to present the general view of the subject and thesis. In fact, the thesis should have a space reserved for it since it has to be written in the outline of the paper.
After establishing the direction to pursue in introducing the essay, you should move onto organizing points for the body paragraphs. The template outline should show how your key points supporting the thesis will be organized based on the number of paragraphs.
If you are pursuing the five-part approach, it implies you should have three paragraphs or key points for the body. A good outline should indicate how the main elements of the discussion will be handled. It is advisable that you list the main points starting with the strongest.
The main points for the paragraphs are listed as topic sentences in the outline. A topic sentence precisely describes the main idea that will be discussed in the paragraph. For instance, if your essay will have three body paragraphs, you should include three topic sentences in the outline template.
The template should also show the evidences or examples that you will use in discussing every paragraph of the essay. In most cases, you should list at least two or three. However, this may sometimes vary based on the topic of the paper.
It is also important that you show how the every paragraph will be evaluated based on the given examples or evidences. This can include a final sentence to tie up the paragraph into a compelling point.
The essay outline template should also show how the conclusion of the essay will be presented. The final part of an essay paper should re-state the thesis, highlight the key points of discussion and point on to any further studies about the topic.
The elements of the conclusion should be clearly highlighted in the template so that when you come to writing, it is easy finalizing the argument.
Steps on how to create an essay outline template
A properly crafted essay outline template has to vividly show the parts of the paper and how each will be handled. In this way, you will be able to get proper guidance on how to easily write the essay. At the beginning of the outline template, you can indicate the topic of the essay. However, it can as well be written after finishing the paper.
The following are simple steps on how to organize your outline template for an outstanding essay paper.
The three main parts of the essay; intro, body and conclusion should be clearly marked as subtitles or subheadings in the outline template.
Introduction
Clearly indicate the lead and any other aspect that you would like to cover in the first part of the essay. You do not have to write a full sentence but simply give pointers.
It is also important that you indicate where the thesis will appear, preferably in the last bit of the introduction paragraph.
Body paragraphs
This is where you are required to point out the topic sentences. In order to enhance clarity, you can simply list the topic sentences in numerical order or using bullets.
Under every topic sentence, you should also indicate the examples or evidences that will be used in supporting the point being discussed in the paragraph. These should also be listed in numerical order, in the way that each will be addressed.
In this section, you can also make provision for a final statement or link that will be used in wrapping up the discussion in the paragraph and giving the lead to the next paragraph. This is used in showing the significance or importance of the argument in a paragraph, with regards to the essay.
You can try out the T.E.E.L approach in planning the body paragraphs of the essay. T.E.E.L stands for Topic sentence, Example, Explanation and Link.
Conclusion
How you plan to end the essay is also important and should be shown in the outline template. In this section, you can simply highlight how the main argument of the paper will be re-stated. Besides, it is also important to point out how the ideas expressed in the paper will be put into perspective so that readers are able to get the concept as intended.
Considering the importance of an outline template in writing an essay, it is advisable that you carefully go through the draft to ensure that it portrays your intentions.
Examples of essay outline templates
Reading samples of essay outlines is also another easier way through which you can easily know how to create a good essay outline template. The following are some examples that you can look at for great motivation in writing templates for essay outlines.
Example 1
Sample template for an essay outline
- Introduction
General info about the topic, reason for readers to be interested, context etc.
Thesis Statement:
- Topic Sentence 1:
- Support
- Detail/ example/ data/ explanation
- Detail/ example
- Detail/ Example
- Support
- Detail/ Example
- Detail/ Example
- Detail/ Example
Support
- Detail/ Example
- Detail/ Example
- Detail/ Example
Transition
- Topic Sentence 2…
Simply follow the link to read the rest of the above sample outline template.
Example 2
Outline format for a 5-paragraph essay
Title………………………………………………………………………………………..
- Introduction
- Background information (interesting facts, statistics, rhetorical questions)
- ……………………………………………………………………
- …………………………………………………………………..
Thesis Statement
…………………………………………………………………………….
…………………………………………………………………………….
Main Idea or Aspect #1
- Supporting idea 1
- Example/ detail
- Example / Detail
- Supporting idea #2
- Example/ Detail
- Example/ Detail
- Main Idea or Aspect #2…
Read the whole sample outline here.
Example 3
Sample outline template
Paper Topic…………………………………………………… Audience………………………
- Introduction
Possible ideas for the introduction
……………………………………………………………….
………………………………………………………………..
Thesis Statement
………………………………………………………………..
…………………………………………………………………
- Body
Main Point: ……………………………………………………………..
Examples/ Details/ Explanation
- ……………………………………………….
- ………………………………………………
- ………………………………………………
Main Point: ……………………………………………………………….
- ………………………………………………..
- ……………………………………………….
- ……………………………………………….
Main Point: ………………………………………………………………….
- ……………………………………………………..
- ……………………………………………………..
- ……………………………………………………..
(Find the whole sample by simply following this link )
In case you need help on how to create a good essay outline template, simply talk to us. We have professionals who are always ready to assist you with all the stages of your essay paper writing, at any time of need. Alternatively, you can also check out our homepage for more on how to easily obtain the best online essay writing services.
References
https://www.tacoma.uw.edu/sites/default/files/global/documents/library/essay_outline_worksheet.pdf
http://students.acu.edu.au/office_of_student_success/academic_skills_unit_asu/academic_reading_and_writing/academic_writing/essay_structure
http://www.thestudygurus.com/files/products/ESK/%5BTSG%5D%20Essay%20Plan%20Template.pdf
http://ergo.slv.vic.gov.au/teachers/student-templates-essay-writing