In this article
In 30 seconds
- 01Ordering your ideas before writing or studying saves rewriting pages and shows what depends on what.
- 02The Structure suggests a chapter outline, a concept tree or an overview chart based on your topic or your notes.
- 03It is a working proposal: adjust it to your course, your institution and what you already know.
01Why put things in order before writing or studying?
When we start on the first page, the structure emerges as we go and usually changes several times. Ordering the ideas first lets you see what is missing, what is superfluous and what depends on what before you spend hours writing or studying.
Depending on what you need, that order can take three forms:
- A chapter outline, to write a long piece of work, such as a thesis, a report or a book.
- A concept tree, to learn or teach a topic in the order in which one idea supports the next.
- An overview chart, to sum up at a glance how a topic divides and what characterizes each part.
- Write your starting point
- Choose the type of outline
- Build the structure
- Read the detail of each part
- Review the warnings
02How to use The Structure in 5 steps
Write your starting point
Enter your topic or thesis title, or paste the notes you already have. The more context you give, the more precise the result.
Choose the type of outline
Pick Chapter outline, Concept tree or Overview chart, depending on whether you are going to write, study or summarize.
Build the structure
Press Build. In about a minute you will have a complete, organized proposal.
Read the detail of each part
In the outline you will see what goes into each chapter, which questions it must answer and what order to write them in. In the tree, the levels, what needs what and the study path. In the chart, the criterion and examples for each part.
Review the warnings
The section Watch out for this points out common mistakes in work of that kind and how to avoid them. Then adjust the proposal to the requirements of your institution or course.
A well-ordered topic is already half understood.
03Example: one topic, three outlines
A university lecturer is preparing an introductory logic course for first-year students. This is how she can make use of each type of outline:
| What she chooses | What she gets | What it helps her do |
|---|---|---|
| Chapter outline | The units of the course, with what goes into each and the order in which to prepare them. | Write the syllabus and the course notes. |
| Concept tree | That it is best to teach what a proposition is before connectives, and connectives before truth tables. | Sequence the lessons without leaving gaps. |
| Overview chart | The branches of logic, with the criterion that distinguishes them and some examples. | Give students an overview on the first day. |
| Watch out for this | The risk of introducing formal notation before the idea is understood. | Begin each topic with examples from everyday language. |
04Tips to get the most out of it
- Paste your notes, even if they are messy. The tool works better with what you already know about the topic than with a bare title.
- Follow the writing order, not the outline order. They almost never match: the introduction, for example, is usually written last.
- Combine the outlines. Use the tree to understand a topic and the chapter outline to write about it.
- Use it with your students. Ask them to compare their own outline with the one the tool suggests and to justify the differences.
Frequently asked questions
What teachers ask most often.
Which outline should I choose?
The chapter outline is for writing a long piece of work, the concept tree for learning or teaching a topic in order, and the overview chart for summing it up at a glance.
Can I use it for my thesis?
Yes. The chapter outline suggests the chapters, what should go into each and the order in which to write them. Always adjust it to your institution’s rules.
Is it useful for preparing a course?
Yes. The concept tree shows what to teach before what, and the overview chart gives students a general view of the topic.
Are the outlines I build saved?
Yes. They are kept in Your structures, inside the tool itself, so you can return to them whenever you like.
