Creating an outline for an informative essay should be a quick and effortless exercise to allow you to direct your time and effort where it greatly matters – research and delivering quality content. To make this possible, you should consider using the outline template we have provided. It shows you the components required in an informative essay and the order in which you should present them, allowing you to focus on the content rather than formatting. This way you can have a skeleton of the final draft of your essay and get an idea of how best to make the essay cohesive, well-structured, and easier for the reader to understand the topic fully. This template is free and ready to fill once downloaded.
How to Use This Informative Essay Outline Template
Each component of this template is thoughtfully positioned to enhance your information delivery. However, it is up to you to make sure you fill in each section with the right information so that you can realize the benefits of this simple template. Below is a look at how you can utilize each of this template’s components to create a stress-free, organized, reliable, informative essay outline.
Introduction
An introduction should get the reader excited about the topic and spark their curiosity to continue reading by contextualizing what you will discuss and capturing their attention. Upon reading the introduction, you should have an idea of the scope of your content and the key points you want to discuss. This template section has three items as follows.
- Hook – In this section, provide an attention-grabbing quote, thought-provoking question, or fact in one or two sentences.
- Background information – To fill this section; provide an overview of the topic by noting down significant statistics and introducing key concepts. This information helps the reader prepare for what to expect in the essay.
- Thesis statement – A thesis statement is the central theme that you will discuss. Be specific and state it in a sentence or two.
Body
The body is where you will divulge the information you wish to share with the readers. You should separate content into paragraphs where each paragraph addresses a specific subtopic or theme. You should organize these paragraphs in a logical and coherent manner that makes sure you deliver the central point exhaustively in this section. For each paragraph, follow the structure provided below.
- Topic sentence – At the start of each paragraph, write a topic sentence that introduces the subtopic, theme, or subtopic you will discuss in the paragraph.
- Supporting evidence and ideas – In this section, present data, examples, facts, and other proofs that expound the subtopic, theme, or idea you introduced in the topic sentence. Include citations for your sources of information to avoid plagiarism. Also, explain how the evidence relates to the subject of the essay.
- Transition – After each paragraph, provide a transition word or phrase that interlinks the paragraph to the next in the ‘transition’ field. A transition smoothly ties separate ideas together and cues the end of a specific theme or subtopic. This prevents abrupt breaks or jumps between separate themes or subtopics.
Conclusion
Use the conclusion to share your concluding remarks. This section helps the reader remember the initial objective of the essay you had identified in the thesis statement. When filling this section, restate your thesis and go over the main points you discussed in the body. Provide this information in the “restatement of thesis’ and ‘summarize key points’ sections, respectively.
References
References are necessary in an informative essay outline, as you will often be using data or information acquired from other sources. List the references you have used in your research in the appropriate citation style. To properly fill this section, arrange the references in alphabetic order from A-Z. Also, find out the specific requirements of the different citation styles such as indention and italicizing in APA.
