Taking extensive research notes for a big project like a thesis, dissertation, or book quickly notes scattered across multiple documents, it’s easy to lose track of information and feel frustrated trying to organize everything logically. This is where using outline view in an online notepad in organizing long-form research notes clearly and efficiently.
What is outline view?
The outline view is a document view that shows content structured hierarchically with nested heading levels and bullet points. It you to see the high-level outline of a document at a glance, while still being able to drill down into the details. Online notepad apps like Google Docs, Evernote, and Microsoft OneNote include outline view functionality. This you to take advantage of the benefits of an outline view for organizing research notes and materials even when working in the cloud.
Organizing research notes in outline format
Follow these steps to use the outline view to organize extensive research notes:
- Create a doc or note
Open a new document in Google Docs, Evernote, OneNote, or your online notepad of choice. This will be your master research notes doc.
- Setup main topic headings
Establish high-level headings for the main topics, categories, or a concept related to your research subject notes online is the best place for online note. These top headings will allow you to group related materials.
- Brainstorm subtopics
Under each main topic heading, brainstorm potential subtopics and questions you may need to research and take notes on. These will become subheadings.
- Nest details under headings
As you conduct research, take notes under the appropriate headings and subheadings in outline format using bullet points. Nest levels as needed to organize details.
- Use links & attachments
Outline view makes it easy to link out to reference materials or attach PDFs and images underneath related headings for easy access later.
- Reorganize easily
Drag and drop headings to restructure your outline. The outline view makes reorganization smooth and allows new understandings to emerge.
- Collapse & focus
Collapse parts you aren’t working on and expand areas you want to focus on to hone in on a section without distraction.
- Share outline
When ready, share your outline with collaborators or advisors to provide an organized overview of progress so far and areas for feedback.
Outline view tips & tricks
Follow these tips to get the most out of using an outline view for research notes:
- Start broad, go deep – Build out the top-level headings first, and then drill down into granular details.
- Break up content – Avoid huge blocks of text by organizing information into subsections.
- Use spacing strategically – Add extra spacing between major sections for visual organization.
- Label and link sources – Identify where information comes from and link out for easy access later.
- Tag key points – Use tags or highlighters to note headings containing essential information to revisit.
- Prune when needed – Delete or relocate outline points that are redundant or irrelevant.
- Search the outline – Use ctrl/cmd-F to quickly find keywords in your outline for easy navigation.
- Update the TOC – Maintain a table of contents header for an overview of your outline contents.
