What should a content outline primarily focus on?

A content outline is structured to emphasize the hierarchy of main ideas and supporting details, making it an essential tool for organizing thoughts prior to writing. This focus allows the writer to clearly delineate the primary concepts or arguments to be addressed throughout the document while also identifying the supporting points that substantiate those main ideas.

By establishing this hierarchy, the outline acts as a roadmap for the writing process, ensuring that the final document maintains a logical flow and cohesiveness. It enables the writer to see how various elements relate to one another, thereby aiding in the arrangement of information and prioritization of topics.

The other choices, while relevant to the overall writing process, do not align with the primary purpose of a content outline. Visual appeal relates to design aspects of a document, grammar and spelling errors pertain to proofreading and editing, and formatting styles concern the aesthetic and regulatory standards of a document. While these elements are important in technical writing, they do not reflect the primary focus of a content outline, which centers on organizing ideas effectively.