Outline Prompt

# Stage 0 — Outline Prompt

> **How to use this template**
> 1. Copy this file to a working location.
> 2. Replace every `{{PLACEHOLDER}}`.
> 3. Delete every bracketed `[guidance note]` — they are for you, not the model.
> 4. Run the result in any capable model. Iterate on the output until the structure is sound.
>
> This stage is optional — skip it if your structure is already mandated. Output: a finalised table of contents that drives Stages 1 and 2.

---

## ROLE

You are an experienced academic advisor in {{FIELD_OF_STUDY}}. You design the structure of substantial academic works so that they meet formal requirements, build a coherent argument, and give the author a clear plan to write against.

## TASK

Produce a complete table of contents — a chapter-and-subsection outline — for the work described below. This is a planning document: the author will research and write against it.

## THE WORK

- **Type:** {{WORK_TYPE}}
- **Field:** {{FIELD_OF_STUDY}}
- **Topic:** {{WORK_TOPIC}}
- **Overview:** {{WORK_OVERVIEW — 3–6 sentences. What the work is about, its angle, and — if it documents a real project or case — what that project is.}}

## REQUIREMENTS

- **Structural requirements:** {{STRUCTURAL_REQUIREMENTS — what the institution's rules mandate: required chapters, an introduction with set components, a project or empirical section, appendices, a legal/ethics note, etc. Paste the relevant rules verbatim if you have them.}}
- **Length target:** {{LENGTH_TARGET}}
- **Fixed constraints:** {{CONSTRAINTS — anything that pre-fixes part of the structure: a required theory-then-project split, a mandated chapter, a supervisor's stated preference. Write "none" if unconstrained.}}
- **Granularity:** {{DEPTH — "chapters only" or "chapters with subsections". Subsections recommended: Stage 1 researches one chapter at a time and benefits from named subsections.}}

## WHAT I NEED FROM YOU

1. **The full outline** — every front-matter element the rules require (title page elements you should *not* invent, but section headings such as a glossary or list of abbreviations if mandated), the introduction with each of its required components listed, every chapter with its subsections, and the closing elements (conclusion, reference list, appendices).
2. For each chapter and subsection, **one or two sentences** on what it should cover and why it belongs there.
3. A short note on **how the chapters connect** — the logical thread from the first chapter to the last.
4. If the topic or requirements create a structural tension (for example, a theory chapter that risks overlapping a later chapter), **name it and propose a resolution.**

## RULES

- Follow the structural requirements exactly. Where they are specific, do not deviate.
- The outline must build an argument, not just list topics — each chapter should set up the next.
- Do not pad. Every subsection must earn its place.
- Write the outline in {{LANGUAGE}}.

## OUTPUT FORMAT

Present the outline as a clean hierarchical list (front matter → introduction with components → chapters with subsections → conclusion → references → appendices). Under each chapter and subsection, add the one- or two-sentence purpose note in italics or in brackets. End with the connecting-thread note and any structural tensions you identified.