Research Writing: Organize Your Plan

Lesson Plan - Get It!

Audio:

What Is a Final Outline—and Why Does It Matter?

Think of your outline like a building blueprint. Without one, you’d end up with a roof on the floor and a staircase in the kitchen.

In your final outline, you organize the best information from your note cards into a structured format. It shows how your paper will flow—from intro to body to conclusion—and includes the exact evidence (with in-text citations!) you plan to use.

You should have already created a preliminary outline listing your introduction, three body subtopics, and conclusion. Now, it’s time to upgrade that rough sketch into a sentence outline—where each point is written in a complete sentence and includes a citation.

What Does a Final Outline Look Like?

It should have the following elements.

Begin with your thesis statement.

Be organized into five main sections (Intro, Topic 1, Topic 2, Topic 3, Conclusion).

Include complete sentences under each heading.

Show clear support for your thesis.

Contain MLA-style in-text citations for each fact, quote, or paraphrased idea.

Here’s a tiny sample.

1. Introduction
   1. The Challenger disaster shocked the nation in 1986 (Martin 11).
   2. Public trust in NASA plummeted in the aftermath (“NASA and the People” 3).
   3. Thesis: The Challenger disaster drastically changed public opinion of NASA, reduced short-term funding, and forced long-term changes in space safety protocols.

Using Your Note Cards to Build the Outline

You already did the hard work—now it’s time to put it in order.

1. Sort your note cards into piles: intro, topic 1, topic 2, topic 3, and conclusion.

2. Review each pile and choose the best cards to support your thesis.

3. Arrange the info logically—how can you clearly lead your reader through the material?

4. Write your outline as complete sentences. Each point should express a full idea and end with an in-text citation.

How to Use In-Text Citations (MLA Style)

Citations are required for every fact, quote, or paraphrased idea that isn’t common knowledge. Here’s how to do it.

Put the author’s last name and the page number in parentheses at the end of the sentence.

Example: NASA’s approval ratings fell by more than 25% after the explosion (Smith 16).

No author? Use the article title in quotation marks instead.

Example: Public support did not return to pre-disaster levels until years later (“NASA and the People” 3).

The citation goes before the period at the end of the sentence. Never use a comma inside the parentheses.

You don’t need to cite widely known facts (like “The Challenger exploded in 1986”), but you must source anything more specific.

Topic Outline vs. Sentence Outline

You should have already created a topic outline (just keywords and main ideas). Now, you’re turning it into a sentence outline with complete sentences that are fully organized.

Here’s a side-by-side comparison.

A Few Final Tips Before You Outline

Don’t worry if your intro and conclusion feel short right now—they’ll grow as you write.

Use only one sentence per bullet point (Roman numeral, capital letter, or number).

Double-check your note cards for missing citations.

Keep your outline neat—this is the map you’ll follow for your entire draft.

Ready to Test Your Skills?

Head to the Got It? section to review your outline knowledge and try organizing information on your own!