Developing an Essay Outline
Using the Essay Notes Worksheet, you're now ready to plan your essay. The following example shows one way in which your essay might develop. NOTE: This example assumes the essay writer has already completed some additional preliminary research, and is keeping the notes from that research on his or her computer.
I. Topic Question and Thesis Statement to Be Used in Essay Introduction
Topic Question:
What's the big deal about chronic fatigue syndrome when a lot of people are sleep-deprived and tired in today's busy society?
Thesis Statement:
When an illness affects more than a million people in this country, it becomes important to improve public awareness so they realize that “fatigue” means more than just being tired.
II. Essay Arguments
A. Paragraph 1:
1. Supporting Point 1
Definition of the syndrome (and the names by which it is known) Write definition so that it includes the reasons why CFS is a significant illness, including details about the devastating lifestyle changes that accompany a diagnosis
2. Evidence (that supports the thesis statement) for Supporting Point 1:
Notes from
B. Paragraph 2:
1. Supporting Point 2
How fatigue is more than just being tired:
How the chronic fatigue in CFS differs from the symptom of chronic fatigue in other illnesses, such as chronic depression
Muscle weakness (How when someone with CFS walks a block, it's comparable to how an untrained, healthy person would feel after running a marathon. Brief explanation of lactic acid release in muscles.)
Fatigue comparable to how somebody feels on chemo
Cognitive skills impairment
Headache, flu-like, and other ongoing symptoms
Related and associated illnesses (CFS patients often also cope with fibromyalgia, multiple chemical sensitivities, heightened allergic symptoms, migraines, irritable bowel syndrome, etc.)
2. Evidence (that supports the thesis statement) for Supporting Point 2
Doctor interviews (word/essays/cfs/research/med_prof_interviews.doc)
Centers for Disease Control info (word/essays/cfs/research/cdc.doc)
Anecdotal patient info (word/essays/cfs/research/cfs_patient_online.doc, word/essays/cfs/research/cfs_patient_interviews.doc)
Notes from
Symptoms (word/essays/cfs/research/cfs_symptoms.doc)
Related illnesses (word/essays/cfs/research/cfs_other_illnesses.doc)
C. Paragraph 3:
1. Supporting Point 3
Importance of patient, caregiver, and medical provider education “You don't look sick”
2. Evidence (that supports the thesis statement) for Supporting Point 3
Notes from
Controversial or uninformed media quotes and rebuttals to those quotes (word/essays/cfs/research/cfs_controversy.doc)
III. Conclusion
As simple as it may seem, it's important for someone coping with a devastating illness to know that he or she has a support group that does not trivialize the symptoms of that illness. Such respect is necessary for the patient to maintain the self-esteem necessary …
Be sure the research you include in your essay is that which supports your thesis. “In a January 2002 press release Surgeon General Dr. David Satcher put the number of people diagnosed with CFS at 1 million” — an interesting fact, but a statistic of that nature should only be in your essay if it is necessary to support one of your arguments.
At this point, the outline is only a working outline. The example above includes more things under each point than could obviously be covered in one paragraph. What's important at the time you complete your outline is to get what you know thus far down on paper. (This also helps your subconscious go to work on essay development problems you may be encountering.) You may need to add or delete points later, depending on the overall length of the essay and the space necessary to develop each argument.
Be sure to allow enough space in the outline so that you can insert the transition sentences you'll use to move from one point to the next. Also keep in mind that you'll need to be able to reiterate your main points. The more that you can “see” taking place on your outline, the easier it will be to transform that outline into the first draft of your essay. This outline “map” is necessary for you to conscientiously impose structure around your ideas and avoid an essay that's rambling and ineffective. Eventually, your outline should stand on its own, with the ideas in a logical order. Then, as you add content around your main points, choose each word so that it supports and reinforces the logic of your outline. Ideally, your outline (and eventually your essay) should build to where it ends with an insightful thought in the conclusion; the evidence presented in your essay supports that insight.
As you revise your outline, arrange the evidence in chronological order or in order of importance. Writing your transition sentences will help you figure out how best to organize that evidence. It's important that it's clear in your essay why one point follows another. Chapter 12 provides further information on developing your outline and effective outline formats.
