Have you considered publishing your own novel or poem collection? Perhaps are you a college student working on your thesis paper? Or a high school student making a project analysis for your chemistry class? Maybe you know someone who loves recording a journal about a wide array of self-help books? Or are you a book reviewer who consciously analyzes and criticizes a certain material? These things commonly require the use of an outline. However, it appears to be a challenging task to deal with. That’s why we are bringing you free chapter outline samples you can download to guide you in your work or activity.

10+ Chapter Outline Samples

1. Lesson Plan Outline Template

lesson plan outline template1

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  • Google Docs
  • Pages
  • MS Word

Size: A4 & US

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2. Outline of the Chapter Plan

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  • PDF

Size: 61 KB

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3. Dissertation Outline Template

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  • PDF

Size: 160 KB

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4. Chapter Outline of Sub Project Plan

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  • PDF

Size: 62 KB

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5. Annotated Chapter Outline Template

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  • PDF

Size: 209 KB

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6. Chapter Outline Template

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  • PDF

Size: 235 KB

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7. Chapter Outline Format Template

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  • PDF

Size: 1 MB

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8. Sample Study Outline Template

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  • PDF

Size: 736 KB

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9. Chapter Outline Note Template

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  • PDF

Size: 179 KB

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10. Simple Chapter Outline Template

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  • PDF

Size: 148 KB

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11. Grades 1-5 Chapter Outline

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  • PDF

Size: 406 KB

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What is a Chapter Outline?

A chapter outline is basically an organized overview of a particular chapter from various reading materials or written documents which include textbooks, non-fiction books, handbooks and manuals, novels, thesis papers, exam papers, research reports, etc. It helps a person to have a glimpse and get the full picture of the specific material given.

Also, it is a useful tool for authors and writers in organizing their ideas and concepts, significant in envisioning the flow and outcome of their projects. Plus, students and readers frequently use this part in finding the highlighted points of the chapter, necessary for learning and absorbing the content of their materials.

How to Write a Chapter Outline?

The book “Writing Bestselling Children’s Books” explained that having a chapter outline is like being inside a safety net, it is something to turn to if you feel that your writing is losing focus or momentum because you don’t quite know where you’re traveling. It’s fine and normal to be cautious of excessive planning, but you must remember that you are the one who controls the outline, not itself. So, we provide in this section some useful tips that you should consider in writing a chapter outline:

1. Brainstorm all of the ideas and topics of the chapter

An article written by Julie Neidlinger of CoSchedule recommended using word association as it works better as a technique to get creative juices  flowing when you don’t want to bother with over-thinking how words are connected. You can do this by starting with a word or two, and writing down the first words that come to your mind. Avoid overthinking the process. Let yourself be surprised at the words that pop into your head, particularly as you get warmed up.

2. Write your ideas down on by mind-mapping or clustering

Based on an article published by Lumen Learning suggested the use of mind-mapping or clustering. These methods can help you become knowledgeable about different ways in thinking about a subject. To do this, write your general subject down in the middle of a piece of paper. After that, take a whole sheet of paper as you quickly jot down ideas connected to that subject. If an idea generates other ideas, link them together using lines and circles to form a cluster of ideas. Creating lines and circles in this process shows visually how your ideas are relevant to one another and to the main subject.

3. Review your ideas and link similar ideas together

Reevaluate what you have written in your draft about your book project. Contemplate what specific ideas or concepts that are necessary and related to your work. It’s like refining the words you collected from the start and taking only the essential bits of information, leaving the random and excess parts behind.

4. Decide on the overall theme

Assess your perspective about your work. Identify the subject revealed in the material. C.S. Lakin, an author, editor and the one behind the Live Write Thrive blog, often calls the theme “the heart of a story.” Consider this: What should be the theme fulfilled in order to become the heart of a story? So, think deeply and carefully decide what your overall theme will be according to the information you gathered.

FAQs

What is the purpose of writing a chapter outline?

Writing a chapter outline gives you a road map, provides structure, assists you in detecting errors in logic and helps you write in convenient chunks with outstanding clarity. Moreover, you can see how this process is similar to demonstrating PowerPoint presentations. This analogy came from the book “How to Write a Non-fiction Book in 60 Days.” When conducting presentations or doing any public speaking, having a PowerPoint presentation helps you to deliver important points to the audience. The points in your presentation are not your speech. But as the framework of your talk, they keep you on track. So, creating a well-detailed PowerPoint presentation is like writing your chapter outline that fully supports your writing.

What should I consider in writing a chapter outline?

Here are the main elements to consider:

  • Gathering important information
  • Skimming your material and focusing in key terms
  • Creating a format Headings and subheadings
  • Introduction
  • Annotation
  • Body
  • Conclusion
  • Title

What are the benefits of using a chapter outline?

It is a beneficial tool in planning and organizing written ideas concerning a topic or thesis into a logical order. Outlines align and classify general topics, subtopics, and supporting details. For example, webtoon artists use outlines when writing and digitally illustrating their comics in order to know which scene to include in what order.

How do you write an outline for a story?

First of all, summarize your short story. Next, determine your character’s theme and significance to your story. The third step is to identify your story’s theme or concept. Fourth, outline your short story at a five-star quality. Lastly, outline each section of your main outline in detail.

Take note that every textbook, novel, or any literature out there varies from one another and may need a slightly altered outlining process.  So, if you are an aspiring author or novelist, you may need to send your publisher a chapter by chapter outline of your book. This is an important part of helping the publishers have a look at your entire book without the need of reading the full content of your work. Therefore, we are glad to provide you with some downloadable and printable chapter outline samples here in various formats. Simply click the templates in this article and start downloading now!

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