How to Make an Outline for an Informative Essay

An informative essay requires the writer to research a topic and present useful information to the reader. It does not lend itself to extravagantly creative or spurious writing efforts. If you wish to write an effective informative essay, you need a way to organize the relevant information your research reveals so you can easily insert it into your essay. Outlining your essay is an effective way to organize the main points of each paragraph.

Research your topic thoroughly and take notes. As you take notes, circle or highlight topics that you believe are important enough to include in your essay.

Write a Roman numeral “I” on the first line of a sheet of paper and then write the word “Introduction.” Write your thesis statement in a bullet point under this line. This means that your introduction will include your thesis statement and then expound upon it in the course of the essay.

Write a Roman numeral “II” and the words “Paragraph one” on the next line. Write your opening sentence on the next line and a few key details on the following lines, one detail per line. Continue this process until you have outlined each paragraph in your essay; just start each paragraph with the next Roman numeral in proper order.

Outline your conclusion by writing the next numeral in order and the word “Conclusion” beside it. On the next line, rewrite your thesis statement. The conclusion will summarize the information provided and explain how it supports your thesis statement.