Turn your research notes into a usable outline.

An outline is a map of an argument or explanation. It works best when the material is organized before the writing begins. This exercise starts with your own notes and uses an AI tool to suggest an arrangement you can review.

Prepare a small source pack

Collect notes from the material you actually read. For each note, save the source, the relevant date and the point it supports. Keep copied quotations separate from your own summaries.

Define the reader’s question

Write the central question in one sentence. Explain who the reader is and what they should understand by the end. This helps you decide which notes belong in the outline and which can wait for another article.

Ask for an arrangement

Provide the notes and ask for a proposed outline. Require each section to identify the notes it uses. Tell the tool to flag gaps rather than filling them with invented facts.

Organize these numbered notes into an outline.
Start with the reader's central question.
For every section, list the note numbers it uses.
Flag any missing evidence.
Do not add facts that are absent from the notes.

Check the sequence yourself

Read the outline without the original notes. Does each section build on the previous one? Then compare it with the source pack. Remove duplication, check unsupported transitions and decide whether the opening matches the actual evidence.

The finished outline should tell you what to write, what supports it and what still needs research. Only then move to a draft.