The purpose of this is to co-ordinate the brainstorming into a conscious plan that will for the backbone of the essay. Once this is done, the writer then begins to research their paper and fill in the details. Though the plan does not need to be followed to the letter, it should serve as a guide to the writer. The more time and care spent preparing the plan, the easier the actual writing of the paper is.

Topic The general focus of the paper

Scope What is required of you in the final product

Brainstorming List everything you know about the topic and then list the questions that need
answering before you can write your essay.

Sources Where will you find the answers to your questions - be as specific as possible.

Essay Writing - Outline

The purpose of the outline is to give a detailed skeleton to the essay. The outline is the product of the plan and the research. The outline is the last step before the rough draft. Each outline should be complete and when done will serve as a guide when putting together your essay. As with the plan, if you put good effort and thought into your outline, you will find the composing of your essay very easy.

Thesis The thesis is a statement that is to be shown by your essay, the statement of purpose.

Organizing Theme This is the guide for placement of your paragraphs in your essay. A chronological organizing theme means that things will be presented in your essay in the order that they occurred. A cultural organizing theme means that things will be grouped in your essay by culture, from here you may want to have a secondary organizing theme such as order of importance to indicate how they will be organized within each culture.

Supporting Statements There should be one statement, in sentence form, for each main supporting idea for your thesis. Each one of these should have support of its own that will likely include citation of specific works. The secondary support does not need to be in sentence form; however, you should have the appropriate documentation for all works cited.

ie. Thesis: Ms. Frizzel is a very hard worker.
Support: 1. Ms. Frizzel regularly has her marking done the next day.
- marking takes time (Bates, 1999, p. 31)
- students get quick feedback
- she discusses work while students remember it
- she is always available to discuss her marking

2. Ms. Frizzel has been published for her thoughts on education.
- she writes essays and articles about education
- "this author is well read and his views are well thought and presented in a manner accessible to all academic readers." - Macleans, "New writers that make a difference," (Thompson, June 1995, pages 39 - 47).
- She has been published 40 times
- Writing articles, books and essays takes a lot of work