Outlines for Essays, Research Papers, Term Papers, and More

Every good piece of writing starts with an outline. Whether you are aware of it or not, when you start writing your brain needs a direction to go in before you can even begin.

At the very least you need to know what you want to say: the topic of the essay, or the argument you wish to make.

For short essays or papers only one page in length, you may not need much of an outline. Yet you would still need to know who you are writing for and what you are writing about. Otherwise you could end up with a nonsensical piece of writing!

This article will provide for you examples of some outlines you can use for essays and term papers.

You can also use these essay outline templates to improve your writing and become more organized.

All academic or scholarly term papers, essays, and research papers will follow a general format. This format may already be familiar to you. The format involves a structure that includes an introduction, a body, and a conclusion. Following this structure is the best way for you to improve your writing and get better grades on the papers you submit in class.

The simplest version of this outline is as follows:

I. Introduction

II. Body

III. Conclusion

However, you need to expand this outline to fill in the blanks and add the details that make your essay informative.

The following template can be used and adapted to suit any essay or term paper you provide in any given situation:

I. Introduction

A. Hook statement such as statistics, an alarming fact, or a quote that captures the mood of your essay.

B. Information leading up to the main idea or thesis statement.

C. Thesis statement: the main idea or gist of the paper. What do you believe about the subject? What do you want to say?

II. First Body Paragraph (or Section)

A. Start with a topic sentence that tells the reader what you will say in this paragraph.

B. Provide evidence to support your claim in the form of quotes or paraphrases from source material.

C. Close this paragraph with a sentence that cleverly links this to the next body paragraph (or body section in a longer paper).

III. Second Body Paragraph 

A. Start with a topic sentence that tells the reader what you will say in this paragraph.

B. Provide evidence to support your claim in the form of quotes or paraphrases from source material.

C. Close this paragraph with a sentence that cleverly links this to the next body paragraph (or body section in a longer paper).

IV. Third Body Paragraph

A. Start with a topic sentence that tells the reader what you will say in this paragraph.

B. Provide evidence to support your claim in the form of quotes or paraphrases from source material.

C. Close this paragraph with a sentence that cleverly links this to the next body paragraph (or body section in a longer paper).

V. Conclusion

A. Now you re-state your thesis, with different wording than you used in the introduction.

B. Summarize the main points you used throughout the essay—which could mean rewording the topic sentences of each of the body paragraphs.

C. Close with a final statement that may involve a call to action in a persuasive essay or a tight finishing sentence that wraps it all up for the reader.

Note that you can use this outline format or template for papers of any length. You would just expand each section, while still keeping to the overall structure above with an introduction, a body, and a conclusion.