An essay outline is a text representation of the essay’s thesis and key points. A good essay outline serves various purposes, such as organizing one’s thoughts before starting writing, providing a quick synopsis, and acting as a guide as one goes through the supporting paragraphs. In this blog post, learn more about how to create an essay outline.
Although each essay is different, the basic structure of the essay is the same. The first paragraph of the essay should introduce the reader to the main idea of the paper, followed by at least one body paragraph supporting the points made by the author, and then the conclusion of the essay summarizes the main points.
Introduction
Your essay’s first section is called the introduction, where you introduce the reader to the various topics you’ll be covering. It should also contain the thesis, which is the essay’s main point. The introduction should be reserved for the initial start of the topic for the essay, and outline what will be discussed. Readers should have a good idea of what the essay will be about after reading the introduction.
Body Section
Your essay should only need two or five supporting paragraphs, though it can be as many as you want. Unless your instructor has specified the number of body paragraphs that you should write, how many of them should you write?
Generally, if you’re supporting your thesis using multiple sources, you should only write one body paragraph. However, this can be a bit different for different types of essays. For instance, in an analytical essay, one body paragraph should be dedicated to each point that you make supporting your thesis. Depending on the topic, as well as the goal of the essay, the body section will likely vary in length and overall detail.
Conclusion
Your conclusion is the next section of your essay that you should complete. It should summarize all of the points that you made in the body paragraphs. It’s also where you unveil any final thoughts that you have. This will be the place to wrap up your essay and outline any important information again. This will be what readers should take away from reading the essay.