All You Need to Know about Reverse Outlining

Reverse Outlining

Creating and sticking to an outline does not always guarantee that an essay or a research paper is up to the mark. This is when reverse outlining is brought into the play. 

Reverse outlining is the process of creating an outline after drawing up the first draft of an essay. While outlining helps create a basic structure, reverse outlining helps assess whether or not the essay is in the intended order. It also helps check the structure, style, tone, etc. of a piece of writing to understand what needs to be changed to make it better.

Why Use a Reverse Outline

As a writing technique, reverse outlining helps:

1. Check if all the subpoints support the main idea or the thesis statement.
2. Verify whether the topic sentence is in line with the supporting sentences in each paragraph.  
3. Revise, rephrase or remove paragraphs that do not support the main claim.
4. Chunk content or remove content that isn’t relevant to the essay. 
5. Reorganize paragraphs.  
6. Identify gaps in reasoning.
7. Check if the conclusion is effective and relevant to the main argument.

An essay assignment or application essay usually follows a standard format where the first paragraph has a thesis statement and an introduction. The subsequent paragraphs support the main claim made in the thesis statement by providing necessary data or facts. The final paragraph is the conclusion paragraph which summarizes the key points made in the previous paragraphs and wraps up the essay. 

While an essay outline helps plan content for each paragraph, a reverse outline helps check if the content is logical and relevant. For example, if an essay prompt requires students to write about why swimming is the best form of exercise, then the outline of the first draft of the essay would look like this: 

Thesis statement: Swimming is the best form of exercise.

• Paragraph 1: Introduction/Thesis statement

• Paragraph 2: Swimming is a full-body workout.

• Paragraph 3: Swimming is great for cardio fitness.

• Paragraph 4: Swimming is good for people of all ages.

• Paragraph 5: Swimming helps not just the body but the mind too. 

• Paragraph 6: Conclusion (which reiterates the main claim made through the thesis statement)

The first draft would include the above points and be organized in a way that ensures a smooth transition between the paragraphs. Once the first draft is ready, it must be edited and revised. This is where reverse outlining comes in handy. A good reverse outline helps identify logical gaps, redundancies, chronology issues, etc. 

Below is a reverse outline checklist followed by a basic reverse outlining format.

Reverse Outlining Checklist

While creating a reverse outline, one can check for the following: 

1. Is the thesis statement (the last line of the first paragraph) relevant to the essay prompt? 
2. Does the topic sentence (the first sentence of each paragraph) effectively summarize a paragraph and does it relate to the thesis statement? 
3. Are there any redundant paragraphs? Can such paragraphs be eliminated or clubbed with other parts of the essay to avoid repetition? 
4. Are similar ideas grouped together in one paragraph? 
5. Are there too many ideas or points (leading to confusion and lack of clarity) in a paragraph? Is a paragraph too long? 
6. Is there any problem with the flow of ideas?
7. Is the transition between paragraphs smooth? 
8. Are there any logical fallacies?

Reverse Outlining Format

The above questions can be used to come up with a basic reverse outline that can help revise the first draft of an essay. Below is a basic reverse outline format for the aforementioned topic “Swimming Is the Best Form of Exercise.” 

Thesis statement: Swimming Is the Best Form of Exercise. 1. Paragraph 1: Introduction/Thesis statement a. ___________ (what has to be added) b. ___________ (what has to be removed) c. ___________ (additional comments)  2. Paragraph 2: Swimming is a full-body workout. a. ___________ (what has to be added) b. ___________ (what has to be removed) c. ___________ (additional comments)  3. Paragraph 3: Swimming is a great cardio workout. a. ____________ (what has to be added) b. ___________ (what has to be removed) c. ___________ (additional comments)  4. Paragraph 4: Swimming is good for people of all ages. a. ___________ (what has to be added) b.___________ (what has to be removed) c.___________ (additional comments)  5. Paragraph 5: Swimming helps not just the body but the mind too. a. ___________ (what has to be added) b. ___________ (what has to be removed) c. ___________ (additional comments)  6. Paragraph 6: Conclusion a. ___________ (what has to be added) b. ___________ (what has to be removed) c. ___________ (additional comments)

The reverse outline checklist and the reverse outline format together can help revise the first draft of an essay.  Here are some changes to improve the essay:

• Since paragraph 3 is about a cardio workout, it can be clubbed with paragraph 2 which talks about how swimming is a full-body workout. Since a full-body workout includes cardiovascular exercises, it makes sense to club it with the previous paragraph. Doing this will bring down the number of paragraphs and make the essay a standard five-paragraph essay.
• Paragraph 5 can be placed just after paragraph 2 since it talks about how swimming benefits not just the body but the mind too. Since paragraph 2 is all about the benefits of swimming to the body, talking about mental health benefits right after physical health and wellness will ensure that the content flows smoothly from one paragraph to another.

Depending on the type of essay, the checklist and format can be altered to include more questions or exclude existing questions. The essay itself can be revised by adding, removing, or editing content as necessary. 

It helps to remember that there are more ways than one to edit and revise the first draft of an essay. However, using the above-suggested reverse outlining checklist and format together can help.