How to Create an Outline for an Argumentative Paper

Last Updated: September 15, 2021

Having difficulty starting that argumentative paper? Creating an outline can be a useful strategy for organizing your thoughts. An outline will provide you with an overview of the order and logic that an effective argument must follow.

Part 1

Part 1 of 2:

Preparation

1
Start with the Thesis. Your thesis is the central argument of the paper. Every following sentence must be written with the intention of supporting this idea.
- An effective thesis should attempt to elicit a strong response from the reader. A reader should not finish the introductory paragraph and think, “So what?”
- Be prepared to change your thesis as often as possible. As you generate new ideas and make new logical connections, the scope of your paper will likely change and as a result so should your thesis.
2
Brainstorm. List anything that you believe is related to the argument, including quotes from primary and secondary sources.

Advertisement
3
Group related ideas together. Take a look at the list of ideas you’ve generated and begin to organize them into groups.
- A sound argumentative essay will have a hierarchy of ideas that follows a logical progression. When grouping your ideas, keep in mind how each group relates to the others.

Part 2

Part 2 of 2:

Creating the Outline and Proper Labeling

1
Begin with Roman numeral I. Each section’s heading should start with a capitalized Roman numeral (I., II., III., etc.) and contain the topic of that paragraph.
- Label subheadings with capitalized letters (A, B, C, etc.). Secondary subheadings begin with lowercase numerals (i., ii., iii., etc.) and tertiary subheadings begin with lowercase letters (a., b., c., etc.).
2
Introductory Paragraph: The Introductory Paragraph should start general and end specific.
- The very first sentence can be anything from a question or an observation, as long as it gets the reader’s attention. The following sentences must then narrow the topic down to a very specific point: the thesis.
- As you narrow the topic down, you must of course mention the primary text which your paper is concerned with. If necessary, you may also mention a secondary source that you feel is important to your central argument.
3
Body paragraphs: Body paragraphs contain the substance of your argument.
- In a standard 5 paragraph essay, you will have 3 body paragraphs to develop your argument. Each body paragraph must explore a distinct idea that supports your thesis and include evidence from the text and or secondary sources.
- For a fully developed argumentative essay, you may include counter-arguments to your thesis and subsequent refutations.
4
Conclusion: A proper conclusion should provide a sense of closure while also leaving the topic open to further exploration.
- Do not simply restate the thesis. Your conclusion should return to the thesis with a deeper understanding as a result of the arguments and evidence of the body paragraphs.

Sample Outlines

Sample Argumentative Research Paper Outline

Sample Argumentative Analysis Paper Outline

Sample Argumentative Essay Outline

Community Q&A

Question

Do I write the words I, me, my, or myself?

Community Answer

Those are all first point of view key words. If the subject involves your thoughts, then you should write them.