Essay Outline: How to Write It & Templates for Different Types

What Is an Outline for an Essay?

What is an essay outline? It is a good question, and we are excited to answer it. In simple terms, it is how your essay will be structured and what things it might feature. You can include the following items in your structure:

• Your general topic
• Thesis statement
• A number of paragraphs
• Topic and concluding sentences for each paragraph
• Resources or evidence used in your body paragraphs.

Trust us, following this list and ideas will save you a lot of time and help you in crafting a very good article.

Why Do You Need an Outline of an Essay?

Outline for an essay is crucial for several reasons. So here’s a quick list of why you’re writing and why research requires a good essay structure example. It helps you:  

• Develop a logical and well-thought-out piece.
• Convince your readers that you’re making a valid point.
• Save some time.
• Don’t get lost in all the evidence and ideas you have for your paper.
• Consider purchasing a college essay for sale in case this is too difficult.

Basic Outline for an Essay: Template

For starters, we wanted to give you an essay outline template. It is an effective way to make sure you have all the required points of a good article. By keeping everything organized, you will get our highest mark and develop a believable argument. But, of course, here is the template and enumeration of all the sections you need:  

1. Introduction
   1. Hook
   2. Background
   3. Thesis statement
2. Main body (~3 paragraphs)
   1. First point
      1. First piece of evidence
      2. Second piece of evidence
   2. Second point
      1. First piece of evidence
      2. Second piece of evidence
3. Conclusion
   1. Summary or so-called synthesis
   2. Importance of topic
   3. Strong closing statement

How to Write an Essay Outline

How to write an outline for an essay? That's a $1 million question that we will answer today. You should understand from the very beginning that writing or mapping out your structure will take some time. But don't let this fact discourage you because it will be worth it in the end. However, we have also prepared several tips for you in order to ease the process even more:

• Research a topic before you actually start writing.
• Consider a type of article you're writing and pick an appropriate structure.
• Start outlining from the very beginning.
• Write down your thesis and make sure it is bulletproof.
• Provide some evidence you will use to support your argument.

Essay Outline Template

Our outline for the essay template will differ depending on the type of essay you will be writing. Interestingly enough, there are many types of academic essays you can consider.

You can write an argumentative, persuasive one or a common narrative, or even an expository essay. As a result, choosing a relevant outline and structure will help you to distinguish our mentioned types and nail the one you’ve picked. Professional essay writers at StudyCrumb might help you with that.  

Persuasive Essay Outline

We will start with how to write a persuasive essay outline and the similar one is an argumentative essay outline. You can find the structure itself down below. But we wanted to remind you of several things. Students often forget to cite their sources. So it is rather a good idea to include not only the evidence but citations and sources when outlining.  

1. Introduction
   1. Catchy hook to engage your reader
   2. Background information on your topic
   3. Thesis statement (mention all points that will be discussed in body paragraphs)
2. Body Paragraphs
   1. Paragraph 1 with supporting evidence proving your point (+Topic Sentence)
   2. Paragraph 2 with evidence proving your point (+Topic Sentence)
   3. Paragraph 3 with evidence proving your point (+Topic Sentence)
3. Conclusion
   1. Rephrase a thesis statement
   2. Conclude all points leaving a final impression

Narrative Essay Outline

We also know how to write a narrative essay outline. This type of article tries to tell a story, and that is why it is called narrative. Our best stories will have a rising action, climax, and a falling action. But to time everything perfectly and make sure your readers are at the address of the receipt, outlining is your best friend. Besides, not to forget the information you wanted to include, our structure below will help you write a very good narrative article.

1. Introduction
   1. Scene setting
   2. Mentioning your purpose of writing
   3. Hook
2. Main body paragraph 1
   1. Rising action
3. Main body paragraph 2
   1. Climax (some epic event)
4. Main body paragraph 3
   1. Falling action (conflict resolution)
5. Conclusion
   1. Moral of your story or possible lessons

Expository Essay Outline

An expository essay outline is very close to our previous options. It includes the same points. So you also start with an introduction, follow with three body paragraphs and finalize everything with a conclusion. Trust us: the process of writing will be much easier with such structure. Hence, our key for a good essay is right here:  

1. Introduction Paragraph
   1. Hook
   2. Topic background
   3. Thesis statement
2. Body (~3 Paragraphs)
   1. Topic sentence
   2. Supporting explanation
   3. Supporting example that backs up your topic sentence and explanation
   4. Summarizing or concluding statement
3. Conclusion
   1. Rephrase your thesis
   2. Summarize and connect your key points
   3. Leave a final impression with recommendations

Informative Essay Outline

Outline for an informative essay follows an already well-known structure. Don’t forget that your body paragraphs should have lots of details and relevant information. Each claim must be supported. Therefore, every article has a specific order that cannot be broken. If you don’t follow the structure, your argument may not be as strong as the ones following the given order.

1. Introduction Paragraph
   1. Hook
   2. Topic background (general information)
   3. Thesis statement
2. Body (~3 Paragraphs)
   1. Topic sentence
   2. Supporting pieces of evidence
   3. Transition and concluding statement
3. Conclusion
   1. Rephrase your thesis
   2. Summarize and connect your key points
   3. Leave a final impression with recommendations or future developments

Compare and Contrast Essay Outline

Compare and contrast essay outline will definitely be useful. A lot of colleges and schools like this type of essay because this is a good practice of analytical skills. It is natural because you have a lot of information and evidence. Besides, you're comparing different items, and tracking them might be a challenge for everyone. Out of all essays, this one, above all, needs a good structure. So make sure you understand the difference between your subjects, include evidence, and focus on your thesis statement:  

1. Introduction
   1. Hook
   2. Topic background (general information)
   3. Thesis statement
2. 3 Body Paragraphs
   1. Topic sentence 1
   2. Subject 1: Detail 1
   3. Subject 2: Detail 1
3. Conclusion
   1. Rephrase your thesis
   2. Summarize and connect your key points
   3. Leave a final impression with recommendations or future developments

Rhetorical Analysis Essay Outline

Your rhetorical analysis essay outline is our last one, so we hope you’re happy. Just like you always do, include evidence to support your argument and do research before the actual writing. In our rhetorical analysis, you have to highlight the strategies and approaches the author used in their text. Therefore, the good idea is to use quotations from the text.

1. Introduction
   1. Hook
   2. General information
   3. Thesis statement
2. 3 Body Paragraphs
   1. Used rhetorical strategies
   2. How well the strategy works in this example? Provide quotes from the text
   3. Reasons behind picking these approaches and not any other
   4. Reasons behind picking these approaches and not any other
3. Conclusion
   1. Rephrase your thesis
   2. Summarize and connect your key points
   3. Leave a final impression with recommendations or future developments

Outline Example for Essay

So far, we have told you about the stages you should follow to make up a plan for your future essay. It is more convenient to have an outline essay example in front. This will help to create an effective plan and then compile a really good writing piece based on it. The main thing is to include as much information as possible into your plan; our outline template for essay will help you with this task. Don't forget to buy essay now if you're still not sure whether you'll be doing this task. 

Final Thoughts on Writing an Essay Outline

Awesome job because now you know how to quickly write an essay outline. A quick reminder before we wrap this up. You create an outline or write down the structure to keep track of all the information. Don’t forget that different types of academic papers and articles require their respective structures. So save this guide in order not to lose them.