This document provides information on writing a topic outline. It explains that a topic outline arranges ideas hierarchically and shows the structure of a paper. A topic outline uses words or phrases to identify subtopics and show how they relate to the overall topic. It also notes that outlines follow a parallel structure and act as a blueprint for writing the paper. The document provides an example of a topic outline structure and factors to consider like paper length and complexity. It emphasizes that an effective outline includes all necessary parts in a logical sequence. In the end, it includes an example topic outline and references for additional information.