An
outline, also called a
hierarchical outline, is a list arranged to show
hierarchical relationships and is a type of
tree structure. It is used to present the main points or topics of a given subject, often used as a rough draft or summary of the content of a document. Preparation of an outline is an intermediate step in the process of writing a scholarly
research paper,
literature review,
thesis or
dissertation. A special kind of outline (integrated outline) incorporates scholarly sources into the outline before the writing begins.
