Cause and Effect Essay Outline Template


Now let’s dive into a research paper outline. Unlike a typical essay, a research paper presents a thorough and detailed study on a specific topic. However, it shares the same foundation with an essay in terms of structuring the ideas logically and coherently. The outline for a research paper includes an introduction, a series of topic points that cover various aspects of the main topic, and a conclusion.


This outline is meant to be a starting place. You can add as much or as little detail as you like – whatever works for you! You can also work in any order you like. I always plan and write my introductions last, but you can plan it first.

Here’s an outline format that you can use to plan your essay. Remember, start with your thesis statement! For each major point, you might have more than two pieces of evidence. That’s fine! Just add more sub-points on your outline.

5 Paragraph Cause and Effect Essay Outline

Then plan your background information or context. This provides a little more information about your topic before your thesis. For example, in an essay about the lasting effects of the New Deal, your context will tell readers what the New Deal is and how it was put in place. In a persuasive essay about why the minimum wage should be raised, your context will state what the minimum wage is and how long it’s been at that rate.

Since outlining is an exercise in dividing larger topics into smaller ones, you'll obviously have to break each one into at least two parts. This is why, if you have an A, you must have a B listed, a 1 requires a 2, and so on. This can help you to see which parts of your paper might be too skimpy. For example, if you can only come up with one detail to support a main heading, there's probably not enough information to turn that idea into a paragraph.

To create an outline, first, jot down as many ideas on your topic as possible without regard to order. Next, group related ideas together under themes or major headings. Remember, an outline shows the divisions of your essay. Main ideas are designated by Roman numerals I, II, III, IV, V and so on. Supporting ideas branching off from the main idea are designated by capital letters A, B, C, D, etc. Subdivisions of these supporting ideas are marked by Arabic numerals 1, 2, 3, 4, etc. Minor ideas are designated by lower case letters a, b, c, etc.

In this blog, you will learn about how to create an outline for your essay. We have broken down the process in an easy-to-understand way for your ease.


Cause and Effect Essay Outline Sample

An outline is a list of the topics covered in your essay. Many students imagine this is just one more time-consuming step forced on them by their cruel instructors, so they usually write the outline after they write the essay. However, if done before you begin to write, an outline is a time-saving tool that shows you visually whether your essay will flow logically and be long enough to fulfill your instructor's page requirement. It can also help you focus your paper and can reveal the need for further expansion or limitation of your topic.

Cause and Effect Essay Outline Examples

For this example, the topic is "Why The School Year Should be Shorter". This essay will use logic and reason to demonstrate that a shorter school year could provide various benefits for students, teachers, and school districts.

Cause and Effect Essay Outline on Divorce

In the following section, we will explore an example of an expository essay. An expository essay aims to explain or describe a topic using logic. It presents a balanced analysis of a topic based on facts—with no references to the writer’s opinions or emotions.

Cause and Effect Essay Outline on Global Warming

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Smoking Cause and Effect Essay Outline

Now go all the way back up to I-A. Your topic sentence should be as narrow as possible while covering the entire essay. What key words do you want to use? Plug them in. Your thesis statement is simply a summary of the points in your body paragraphs stated in the same order.

Obesity Cause and Effect Essay Outline

Now drop down to the conclusion. Is your essay long and/or complicated enough that you need to repeat your ideas? If not, skip IV-A. Think about what you might say for IV-B. For a basic essay, a one-sentence conclusion is often just fine.