Outlines
An outline allows you to map out the structure of your paper in an ordered fashion. This is helpful when you have a large amount of information, such as many source quotes and paraphrases, and you need to organize your ideas or see the relationships.
3 main types of outlines
1. Topic Outline
An ordered list of brief phrases or single words that are numbered or lettered to show the order and relative importance of your ideas. Note: Do not outline your introduction or conclusion, only your body paragraphs.
Example:
2. Sentence Outline
An ordered list in which each topic and subtopic is expressed in a single, complete sentence.
Example:
3. Documented Sentence Outline
A sentence outline which incorporates parenthetical citation for information in the outline which comes from Note Cards. It follows the same format for a sentence outline.
It is ultimately up to your teacher if you create an outline and what type of outline you use. However, this is a good skill to learn for future writing assignments, including college-level writing.