The thematic outline provides a general overview of the conceptual scheme of the encyclopedia, listing the titles of each entry. Published works, no matter how rich or expansive, appear in a single category.

The outline is divided into twelve parts: Genres; Historical Events; Language, Learning, and the Arts; Places; Politics, Economy, and Society; Publishing; Race and Ethnicity; Religious Beliefs and Groups; Science and Technology; Sexuality and Gender; Slavery; and Social and Philosophical Values/Concepts.