Photography

A chapter outline can be a very useful tool. It can help you to organize material in a way that is easy to comprehend. An outline can also be really useful in helping you to find the main points of the chapter. Outlines can help you study for tests. Sometimes, an instructor might assign an outline to be completed for a grade. Whether the outline is for personal use or an assignment, you can take steps to make an organized and useful outline.

Skim the material. An outline is a useful way to help you summarize information. Your first step to understanding the chapter is to read the material. Skimming means to read quickly and somewhat superficially.^[1]

• Focus on key terms. Many textbooks will put these significant words in bold print to help you quickly locate them.
• Do not spend too much time trying to read each word. On your first read through, scan the information to get a sense of what the chapter is about.
• Skim the chapter, reading the introduction and conclusion. Also read the first sentence or two of each paragraph. You are trying to figure out what the main points of the chapter are.

Format your outline. Once you understand the basic concept of the chapter, it is time to prepare your outline. Most outlines are formatted using a combination of numbers and letters. Typically, the main points are denoted with roman numerals, and the sub points are marked with letters.^[2]

• For example, if you are writing an outline for a chapter about the American Civil War, you want to start by organizing your outline with the main points.
• It might be something such as: I. The Origins of the Conflict II. Significant Battles III. Impact on the North IV. Impact on the South V. Reconstruction.
• Once you have your main points, you can add sub points. For I. The Origins of the Conflict, you could add A. Slavery B. State's Rights
• Make sure that the points of the outline are based on the main points of the chapter. You could consider using the subheadings of the outline as your main points.

Write the outline. Your outline will include additional components. After you have a format, you can work on writing the introduction. The introduction for your outline should be one paragraph long.^[3]

• The most important thing to include in your introduction is the thesis statement. The thesis is the argument, or main point, of the chapter.
• For example, the thesis in the chapter on the Civil War might be, "The Civil War was a victory for the North because of more material resources, such as metals, and a larger population base."
• Rewrite the thesis in your own words, and include it in your introduction. Your introduction should also give a brief overview of the significant points in the chapter.
• The introduction should be at the beginning of the outline. Once that is finished, you can fill in the numerals and numbers with your main points.

Annotate your outline. An effective outline will be succinct. You do not need to rewrite the entire chapter. However, you will want to add enough information to each of your points to give you a clear idea of what you are trying to comprehend.

• An annotation is a comment or explanation. Include an annotation for each of your sub points.
• For example, you could annotate I. The Origins of the Conflict, A. Slavery, by saying something like, "The South was resistant to reforming society without 4 million slaves. This was also an ideological cause of the war.
• The annotations should provide enough information to be useful, but not enough to overwhelm you when you are trying to review your outline. 2-3 sentences is about the right length.