How to write an outline for an APA format paper

Creating an outline can be a great way for you to organize your thoughts and paper structure prior to working on your first draft. While APA style rules do not specify how to properly format an outline, there are some helpful practices you should adhere to when creating one. This article will help you create an outline that you can use to write your next APA format paper.

For help writing your essay, research paper, or other project, check out these writing tips.

Steps to Creating an APA style outline

Brainstorm

Start by writing down your first attempt at a title, some of your main points, and create your title page. It is also helpful to write down the assignment/prompt, or have it nearby. This will help you orient the rest of your outline and ensure that everything that follows is in alignment with the overall paper topic.

Here are some helpful questions to ask yourself while brainstorming:

• What is my assignment? Are there specific requirements, or is it an open-ended research paper?
• What is the purpose of this paper? Is it a compare and contrast essay, a literature review, an argument paper, etc.?
• Who is the intended audience? What will they care about the most?
• What is my main idea? What point am I trying to make?

Organize

After writing down your main points, you will want to group related points together, and use these groups to create sections in your paper. Each section should have a point that references back to your thesis statement or main idea.

Label 

Once you have grouped your ideas together, label them with subheadings. This will help you later when you are researching sources that apply to each of the points you cover in your paper.  

List sources

You will want to use your groups to focus on specific research areas related to your topic. List each source that you are considering using as evidence within each group.  

Key takeaways  

• Making an outline before you start writing is a helpful way to ensure your paper is compelling and relevant to your assignment.  
• You can get started making an outline for your paper by brainstorming and asking yourself questions about your assignment.  
• You can use your outline as a place to store sources that you would like to include as evidence in your paper.  

Published August 26, 2021.