A writing outline helps you organize your paper before you begin to write. Your writing outline lists all the points you will make in your paper and lists them in the order in which you will make them. In many cases, your writing outline will be a tighter version of your research outline. See Creating a Research Outline.

To create a useful writing outline:

• Review all your notes, and make sure you have enough material to write a paper of the required length on your theme.
• Check all the headings that you placed at the top of your note cards. Does each heading have a place in your theme? If not, then set it aside. See Sample Note Card.
• You need enough notes to support at least three basic points about your theme. If your research base is weak, you are not yet ready to write. The writing stage of a research project must be built on a solid research foundation. If you have questions concerning research, see HOW TO RESEARCH A HISTORY TOPIC.

• Organize your points into three categories: introduction, body, and conclusion. Your introduction and conclusion clearly begin and end your paper. The key to a good writing outline is finding the right order of subjects for the body of your paper.
• The body of your paper is where you present your research findings. You organize these findings in a way that makes it easy for readers to understand your findings. Even more important, the body of your paper contains all of the points you need to support your conclusion.
• There are many ways to organize the body of a paper. Choose the one that best fits your theme and your research. For examples of writing outlines, see A Student's Guide to History, eighth edition, pages 110-113.)