#Outline definition manuals

Specialized applications of outlines also exist. An outline without prefixes is called a 'bare outline'. A decimal outline uses only numbers as prefixes. An alphanumerical outline uses alternating letters and numbers to identify entries. Many outlines include a numerical or alphanumerical prefix preceding each entry in the outline, to provide a specific path for each item, to aid in referring to and discussing the entries listed.

Outlines are further differentiated by the index prefixing used, or lack thereof. Topic outlines list the subtopics of a subject, arranged in levels, and while they can be used to plan a composition, they are most often used as a summary, such as in the form of a table of contents or the topic list in a college course's syllabus. It is a list used to organize the facts or points to be covered, and their order of presentation, by section. The outlines described in this article are lists, and come in several varieties.Ī sentence outline is a tool for composing a document, such as an essay, a paper, a book, or even an encyclopedia.

It is not to be confused with the general context of the term 'outline', which a summary or overview of a subject, presented verbally or written in prose (for example, The Outline of History is not an outline of the type presented below). An outline may be used as a drafting tool of a document, or as a summary of the content of a document or of the knowledge in an entire field.

#Outline definition manuals

If an organizational level in an outline is to be sub-divided, it shall have at least two subcategories, although one subcategory is acceptable on the third and fourth levels, as advised by major style manuals in current use. Each item in an outline may be divided into additional sub-items. An outline is used to present the main points (in sentences) or topics ( terms) of a given subject. For the Wikipedia outline lists, see Wikipedia:OutlinesĪn outline, also called a hierarchical outline, is a list arranged to show hierarchical relationships and is a type of tree structure.