1. Summary Chapter 3: Expanding Your Rough Outline with Evidence
By: Jackeline Martinez Rodriguez
ENGL 231

2. Expanding Your Outline
After reading about your topic, writing a thesis statement, and listing sporting points (in our outline) for your research paper, your information in your sources have a new role.
You will select specific information from your article/notes as evidence.

3. Guidelines for Choosing Effective Evidence1
Choose information that you understand easily and can explain clearly.
Think about whether you understand each idea well enough to explain it in your own words. 2
Choose ideas that are directly related to the point you are making.
Sometimes, it is tempting to include interesting details that relate to your topic in a general way but don’t help to explain your specific main points. 3
Choose a variety of types of evidence.
Writers support their ideas with several types of evidence.

4. A Variety of Evidence
Einstein Evidence
Example Evidence
Shows that other scholars or thinkers on the topic have come to the same conclusion as you.
Provide as much information as you can about the expert (P. 62)
Consists of specific examples that illustrate the point you are making.

5. A Variety of Evidence
Fact Evidence
Undocumented Evidence
Includes statistics and other objective information.
Evidence that comes from your experience and things that you know or that are commonly understood as true.

6. NOW YOU TRY
Working in pairs or in small groups, read the thesis statements found in pages
Identify the kind of evidence that is being used to support the thesis statement.

7. Creating a Detailed Outline
Now, you can put together a detailed plan for writing your paper that includes both the supporting points you want to discuss and the evidence you will use to help explain each point.
You want your plan to be detailed enough to provide a guide as you write.

8. Criteria for a Useful Outline
It begins with a thesis statement.
It includes a phrase to explain each supporting point.
It includes a notion of where you will use each piece of supporting evidence.

9. Three Outlining Methods
Traditional Outline (p. 67)
Cluster Outline (p. 68)
Grid Outline (p. 69)