提纲是写作计划或演讲的计划或摘要。提纲通常采用列表的形式，分为标题和副标题，区分要点和支持点。大多数文字处理程序都包含一个大纲功能，允许编写者自动格式化大纲。提纲可以是非正式的，也可以是正式的。

非正式大纲

"The working outline (or scratch outline or informal outline) is a private affair—fluid, subject to constant revision, made without attention to form, and destined for the wastebasket. But enough working outlines have been retrieved from wastebaskets that something can be said about them...A working outline usually begins with a few phrases and some descriptive details or examples. From them grow fragmentary statements, tentative generalizations, hypotheses. One or two of these take on prominence, shaping into the main ideas that seem worth developing. New examples bring to mind new ideas, and these find a place in the list of phrases, canceling out some of the original ones. The writer keeps adding and subtracting, juggling and shifting, until he has his key points in an order that makes sense to him. He scribbles a sentence, works in a transition, adds examples...By then, if he has kept expanding and correcting it, his outline comes close to being a rough summary of the essay itself."

–Wilma R.Ebbitt和David R.Ebbitt，“英语写作指南和索引”

将大纲用作草稿

"Outlining might not be very useful if writers are required to produce a rigid plan before actually writing. But when an outline is viewed as a kind of draft, subject to change, evolving as the actual writing takes place, then it can be a powerful tool for writing. Architects often produce multiple sketches of plans, trying out different approaches to a building, and they adapt their plans as a building goes up, sometimes substantially (it is fortunately much easier for writers to start over or make basic changes)." 

–Steven Lynn，“修辞与写作：导论”

后选秀

"You might prefer...to construct an outline after, rather than before, writing a rough draft. This lets you create a draft without restricting the free flow of ideas and helps you rewrite by determining where you need to fill in, cut out, or reorganize. You may discover where your line of reasoning is not logical; you may also reconsider whether you should arrange your reasons from the most important to the least or vice versa in order to create a more persuasive effect. Ultimately, outlining after the first draft can prove useful in producing subsequent drafts and a polished final effort."

–Gary Goshgarian，“辩论修辞和读者”

主题句提纲

“最常见的提纲有两种：简短的主题提纲和冗长的句子提纲。主题提纲由反映您主要发展方法的简短短语组成。主题提纲对于信件、电子邮件或备忘录等简短文档特别有用……对于大型写作项目，首先创建主题提纲，然后使用它作为创建句子大纲的基础。句子大纲将每个想法总结成一个完整的句子，可能成为草稿中段落的主题句。如果你的大部分笔记可以形成草稿中段落的主题句，你可以相对确定你的文档将组织得很好。”

——杰拉尔德·J·阿尔雷德和查尔斯·T·布鲁沙。“技术写作手册。”

正式大纲

一些老师要求学生在论文中附上正式的大纲。以下是用于构建正式大纲的常用格式：

我（主要议题）

A. (subtopics of I) B. 1. (subtopics of B) 2. a. (subtopics of 2) b. i. (subtopics of b) ii.

请注意，子主题缩进，以便相同类型的所有字母或数字直接显示在另一个字母或数字下面。无论使用短语（在主题大纲中）还是完整的句子（在句子大纲中），主题和副标题在形式上都应该是平行的。确保所有项目至少有两个子主题或根本没有子主题。

垂直轮廓示例

"To outline your material vertically, write your thesis at the head of the page and then use headings and indented subheadings: Thesis: Though many things make me want to score goals, I love scoring most of all because it momentarily gives me a sense of power. I. Common reasons for wanting to score goals A. Help team B. Gain glory C. Hear cheers of crowd II. My reasons for wanting to score goals A. Feel relaxed 1. Know I'm going to score a goal 2. Move smoothly, not awkwardly 3. Get relief from pressure to do well B. See world in freeze-frame 1. See puck going into goal 2. See other players and crowd C. Feel momentary sense of power 1. Do better than goalie 2. Take ultimate mind trip 3. Conquer anxiety 4. Return to Earth after a moment "Besides listing points in order of rising importance, this outline groups them under headings that show their relation to each other and to the thesis."

–James A.W.Heffernan等人，《写作：大学手册》

来源

• 《技术写作手册》。贝德福德/圣马丁麦克米伦学习，2019年。
• 科伊尔、威廉和乔·劳。研究论文。沃兹沃思/圣吉学习，2013年。
• 《英语写作指南和索引》。哈珀·柯林斯，1982年。
• 《对话：辩论、修辞和读者》。皮尔森，2015年。
• 海夫南，詹姆斯·A·W.等人，《写作，大学手册》。W.W.诺顿，2001年。
• 《修辞与写作：导论》。剑桥大学出版社，2010年。