Reverse outlines
Once you have completed a draft of an assignment, or a section of it, you can make an outline or skeleton to help revise and restructure the text.
An outline helps you to stand back and take an overview of your whole assignment.   It makes you think about how parts of a text are related and can help to test if you are moving the overall argument on.  An outline can also help you see if each paragraph is focused and clear.
Reverse outlining in action
This is a variation of a method first proposed by Rachael Cayley (2011).  This version involves printing out a text and using sticky notes.  You should adapt the method to suit your own preferences and may wish to read the original blog post (link in the reference at the end of this document).
Steps 1 to 4 help you find out what you’ve got – it won’t be perfect!
1.	Print out your draft text with a wide margin.
2.	Write in the topic(s) of each paragraph in this left-hand column.  You might find at this point that the topic isn’t clear – ask yourself why not.  Or you might find there are too many topics in a complex paragraph and it needs to be split.
3.	Number each topic.
4.	Write each of the topics on a sticky note.
Next steps
You can move your sticky notes around to get the best order for your line of reasoning.  You can cut and paste your paragraphs to try out your new order (actually using your printout or on a copy of your electronic document).
If you decide to move your paragraphs around, you should be prepared to rewrite extensively.  You will need to:
•	Check the flow;
•	Check signposting;
•	Check links made.
Reading your revised text aloud is a useful technique to hear if your changes work.
Reference: Cayley, R (2011) ‘Reverse Outlines’, Explorations of Style [online blog] (downloaded from: https://explorationsofstyle.com/2011/02/09/reverse-outlines/   21 April 2020).
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