An outline is a tool used to organize written ideas about a topic or thesis into a logical order. A detailed outline will make it much easier to write your paper, because you will have done a lot of the work already!
More on Creating Outlines
When you review your outline, you will check whether you have evidence for every topic in your outline. You may find that you need to find more evidence in order to fully support your thesis.
More on Identifying Research Gaps
Once you have identified gaps in your research, you will look for sources that contain the information you need.
More on Conducting Needed Research