Reverse Outlining and Markup Worksheet
Part I: Reverse Outline
Reverse outlining is a process that can help identify problems with your claims, the structure of your paper, and the organization of your paragraphs. It is a way of revealing how you organized your thoughts while you wrote. If you are concerned that your paper might not be saying what you think it is saying, that your main ideas aren’t really coming across, or that your paper might seem scattered or incoherent, a reverse outline is a great way to begin the revision process.
Using a copy of your draft, follow the instructions below. Once you have completed the mark-up, answer the reflection questions in Part II.
How to perform a mark-up and generate a reverse outline:
Task 1: Underline your main claim/thesis statement, including the statement of relevance (the so what), and underline it everywhere in the paper you restate or refer to your argument and/or explicitly develop the ‘so what’.
NOTE: Typically, you may not specifically be restating your thesis, but your paragraphs are developing the idea of the thesis is greater detail.
Purpose: By tracing your argument through your paper, you can see how you are (or are not) developing and advancing that argument.
Task 2: In the margin, write down the topic and purpose of each paragraph. Try to use as few words as possible. Essentially, you are trying to turn your essay into a series of bullet points.
Purpose When revising your own work, these notes should allow you to check if each paragraph is focused and clear
Task 3: In the margin, write down how the paragraph topic advances the overall argument of your paper. Again, be brief.
Purpose: These notes allow you to follow the logic of the essay, analyzing how (if) your topics develop your argument and how they connect to each other.
Part II: Reflection Questions
After you have completed your mark-up, complete these reflection questions about the product of your mark-up.
Using your marginal notes, consider:
- How are your paragraphs organized? What is your logic behind your choice to unfold your information in this order? Is that logically clearly written into the intro and topic sentences.
- How do (or don’t) your paragraphs relate to your main claim? How do (or don’t) they help develop and support it?
- How do you guide your reader through the argument?
- How do your paragraphs relate to each other logically? Is this connection clear?
- Using this reverse outline, what are some issues to tackle in revision
Part III: Effective Use of Evidence Mark-Up
- Underline your main claim and everywhere in the paper where it reappears (this may be a roll over from Part 1
- Bold your subclaims/topic sentences (topic sentences limit the paragraph’s focus and state its purpose)
- Italicize your evidence use (images, examples, direct quotations, and paraphrase)
- Put your analysis/ reasons for using the evidence in a different color (these sections might also be underlined)
Go through your marked-up draft and reflect on these questions. Consider how evidence is used in your draft and how revising your evidence use will develop/change your argument.
- What does your markup reveal about your uses of evidence and reasons?
- Is there a balance between reason making and evidence use?
- No matter if summarized, paraphrased, or directly quoted, is this evidence effectively explained and discussed? How can this engagement be improved? Is the evidence cited?
- How are details from class readings employed to support your analysis/ reasons for using examples or making a claim?
- Are there instances of a floating quotation where you do not explain or engage with the quotation? If so, how does this impact the expression of your point?
- How does the evidence contribute to developing the argument? Are there places where there can be a stronger connection between the evidence and the argument?
- If there are paragraphs without reasons marked, include a sentence that is a reason (connect the reason to the topic sentence).