Question 1

What is an essay outline and why does it help?

Accepted Answer

An essay outline is a structured plan mapping your thesis statement and the argument each body paragraph will make — before you write any prose. Planning first prevents the most common essay problems: structural drift (paragraphs that cover topics rather than advance sub-claims), missing analysis (presenting evidence without explaining what it proves), and weak conclusions (which summarise instead of synthesise). Research on the writing process (Flower & Hayes, 1981) shows that expert writers spend significantly more time planning than novice writers, and produce more coherent first drafts as a result.

Question 2

How many paragraphs should my essay have?

Accepted Answer

A useful rule of thumb is one body paragraph per 250 words of target length. So a 1,000-word essay typically has 3–4 body paragraphs; a 2,000-word essay has 5–7; a 3,000-word essay has 8–10. The planner calculates this for you based on the word count you enter. Each paragraph should make one distinct sub-claim supported by evidence — not cover a general topic area.

Question 3

Can I use this planner for dissertations and longer pieces?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The planner works for any length of academic writing from a 500-word coursework response to a full dissertation chapter. For dissertations, use it to plan individual chapters rather than the whole dissertation at once. The Postgraduate level setting adds a "theoretical framework" field to the introduction card and a "contribution" field to the conclusion card, which are standard elements of dissertation-level writing.

Question 4

Does my plan save automatically?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Your essay plan saves automatically to your browser's localStorage as you type. It will still be there when you close and reopen the page on the same device and browser. Your data never leaves your device — nothing is sent to any server. Use "Copy as text" or "Print" to save a permanent external copy.

Essay Structure Planner