Organize your concept explanation effectively for your readers.

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Once you have drafted a working thesis, you may want to devise a tentative outline drawing on your invention and research notes. An effective outline for a concept explanation should be divided into separate topics that are conceptually parallel. Patricia Lyu, for example, forecasts her topics in two rhetorical questions: “How does that bond develop and how does it affect romantic relationships later in life?” (par. 1) From this sentence, readers know what she will focus on. Toufexis focuses on the scientific foundations of love, and so she divides the topics she will cover into evolution, biology, and chemistry. Once you have decided on your topics, present them in a logical order (for example, from most familiar to least familiar).

Below is a simple scratch outline for an essay explaining a concept, which you may use as a starting point:

  1. Introduction: Attempts to gain readers’ interest in the concept, but may not name the concept immediately.
  2. Thesis: This part is usually a single sentence that identifies the concept. But it may be several sentences, including a brief definition, an example, or another strategy to clarify the focus. It may also include a forecast listing the topics that will be addressed later.
  3. Topic 1: For each topic, note the explanatory strategies you will use, the source materials you will include, and any visuals you already have or need
  4. Topic 2: to find.
  5. Topic 3 (etc.):
  6. Conclusion: Might summarize information, give advice about how to use or apply the information, or speculate about the future of the concept.

Use your outline to guide your drafting, but do not feel tied to it. You may figure out a better way to sequence your topics as you write.