Reverse Outlines

Reverse outlining: a quick way to check your draft

If your essay feels confusing, hard to follow, or not fully cohesive, a reverse outline can help. It gives you a clear picture of what each paragraph is doing so you can revise with purpose and pull everything together.

A regular outline helps you plan before you write. A reverse outline helps you review during the writing process, or after you write a full draft. It shows the structure your draft actually has, not just the structure you intended to have. By summarizing each paragraph, you can spot gaps, repetition, confusing jumps, or places where the organization does not support your main claim.

How to make a reverse outline

1. Start with a draft of your paper.
   • Reverse outlining is most helpful with a completed draft, but this technique can also help if you find yourself “stuck” during the writing and not sure how to continue writing.
2. Get ready to take notes.
   • You can write on a separate sheet of paper, in the margins, or in a new document.
   • You can also use your word processor’s comment function to complete these steps.
3. Find your thesis or main claim and label it or highlight it.
4. Review each paragraph. For each one, write keywords or a short phrase that explains its main idea or purpose.

Use the example below to see what a reverse outline can look like.

Questions to ask after you finish the reverse outline

Questions about the assignment, thesis, and support

• Do you understand what the assignment is asking you to do?
• Does your thesis or main claim respond to the assignment?
• Do you know who your intended audience is, and would that audience understand the paper?
• Are any ideas, evidence, or explanations missing? What else would help support the thesis or a paragraph’s main idea?
• Do you repeat the same idea more than once without adding anything new?
• Does the thesis prepare the reader for the content and focus of the essay?

Questions about organization and flow

• Can you explain the main point or purpose of each paragraph in one short phrase?
• Do the ideas move in an order that makes sense to a reader?
• Are any related ideas separated when they should be placed next to each other?
• Is your evidence relevant to the point it supports, and is it spread evenly throughout the paper?

Next steps for revision

• Rearrange sentences, paragraphs, or sections so the essay is easier to follow.
• Cut repeated ideas or information that does not support the thesis.
• Add missing evidence, explanation, or examples where the reader needs more support.
• Ask another person to read the draft and tell you where they felt confused or wanted more information.
• Revise again after you review your outline and feedback.

Example reverse outline

Note: You can format a reverse outline in any way that works for you (list, bullet points, etc.) This is just one example of how a reverse outline may be formatted.

Suggested revisions based on reverse outline

• Paragraph 6 includes several main ideas and should be split into multiple paragraphs for clarity
• Ideas related to homelessness appear in paragraphs 2, 3, and 8. Consider reorganizing these paragraphs to related ideas are grouped together.
• Double check that each paragraph clearly supports the thesis. If needed, revise paragraphs or adjust the thesis to reflect the essay’s actual focus.
• Paragraph 7 may not be clearly connected to the thesis. Consider revising it to strengthen the connection, adjusting the thesis to include that discussion, or removing the paragraph if it does not serve the main argument.