Creating an Analytical Outline

An analytical outline explains the structure and content of an article by outlining the article in a way that shows the logical relationship of different arguments and claims in the article to the author’s thesis.

For assignment requirements, evaluation criteria, and article choices, see Analytical Outline Assignment.

Thesis

The very first thing you should identify is the thesis of the piece. Read it through one time, and see if you can figure out the thesis that unites the whole piece. The thesis is the main claim of the article.

A claim:

A thesis always asserts something about something else. For this reason, a thesis will always be a complete sentence, meaning that it has a subject and a (finite) main verb and expresses a complete thought.

Examples of a thesis:

• Extended pre-trial detention is unjust.
• Judges should always follow the literal interpretation of the text.
• Law depends in an important way on morality.
• Law does not depend in an important way on morality.
• etc.

One way to determine whether the thesis you have identified is a claim is to ask: could this thesis I have identified be true or false? If the answer is “yes,” then it is a claim.

If the thesis could not be true or false, that is likely because it is a question, a fragment, a topic, or something else that falls short of being a claim. In that case, you will need to try again to identify the thesis.

The following cannot be a thesis, because they are not claims.

• What is the most just way to punish criminals?
• The thesis of this article is about criminals and punishment.
• The thesis of this article is whether God can be the foundation of law.

Determining whether a claim is the MAIN claim

The thesis is just the most important, or main, claim that the author makes in the article. The thesis should, in a sense, explain all of the content in the article, while at the same time not going beyond what is discussed in the article.

Major supporting arguments

After you have identified a thesis, go through and identify the major arguments the author uses to support the thesis.

Major supporting arguments are the most important arguments the author uses to support the thesis. In many cases, there will be one major argument in each of the titled sections of an essay. In other cases, there may not be sections and so you will have to find another way to determine which arguments are the major ones.

An argument supports a thesis if it provides a reason for thinking that the thesis is true. When you provide a supporting argument, it should be clear to any reader (even one who hasn’t read the article) that the argument—if valid—would support what you have identified as the thesis. If it is unclear how it relates to the overall thesis, you have a problem: either you have not identified the thesis, or you have not identified the main claim of the section.

Objections and sub-arguments

Not all important arguments will be major arguments. Some of the most important arguments in an essay come in the form of responses to objections or sub-arguments. 

A sub-argument is just an additional argument used to support a major argument. It should be placed underneath the major argument to show that it supports it.

An objection is a reason for thinking that a claim is untrue or that an argument fails. Philosophers often follow a major argument with an objection. For example, maybe the article argues that all bicycles have two wheels. After explaining several arguments, the author might consider the objection that some bicycles are missing a wheel, or have had a wheel removed so that it can be changed. The author can argue for the original point by responding convincingly to the objection: for example, the author might respond by distinguishing between cycles that were designed to be used with two wheels, and those that were designed to be used with one or three.  Objections are often sub-arguments, but they can also be major supporting arguments.