Creating and using writing outlines/A sample outline

An Example Outline

Imagine you are writing a journal article about the effect of an invasive plant species in North American grasslands, having completed an experiment to see whether planting other native species could help reduce the spread of the most invasive species. Your writing outline might look something like this (red numbers indicate summary material that can be plugged in/cited here in your writing):

1) Introduction

a) Background information about the spread of the ‘invasive species’ of interest

i) Biological information (style of growth, lifespan etc) 1, 5, 7

ii) Range 2, 5

iii) How long has it been in these grasslands? 3, 12

iv) Rate of spread? 4, 6, 8

b) Negative effects of this invasive species

i) Out-competes native species (some endangered) 9, 10, 11, 14

ii) Increases likelihood of wildfires 12, 13

iii) Inedible to grazing animals (cattle) 6, 11, 15

iv) Economic cost to conservationists controlling its spread 16

c) Current management options and hopes for the future

i)Fertiliser 14, 17

ii)Plant other species to compete with it 18, 19, 22

iii) Mowing 20, 21

iv)Could we use native species to compete with it and prevent its spread?

2) Methods

i)Study sites

ii)Experimental set-up

iii)Statistical analyses used

3) Results

i)Tested native species reduces its spread by 60% in dry conditions

ii)Tested native species reduced its spread by 15% in wet conditions

iii)Success of native species increases if it is sown earlier in the year

4) Discussion

i)Compare results of this species with other native species tested by others 18, 19, 22

ii)How might conservation plans be designed to use this native species? 16, 23

iii) Predictions for economic saving that could be made if invasive spread was reduced by 15-60%

iv) Suggestions for future research

v) Limitations of study