How to create a mind map

Mind maps are a great way to plan your work and to get organised. They can help you to understand how the ideas in your essays, reports and other assessments connect together. On this page, you'll find tips for creating a mind map.

There are three steps to mind mapping.

Step 1: Brainstorm

A brainstorm is a thinking process commonly used in study and work situations. It can be done individually or in a group.

How to brainstorm

• Use a piece of paper to write down everything you can think of about a particular topic.
• Write the name of the topic in the centre of the page.
• Do not try to organise the information at all - the purpose is to get it out and onto the page.
• Use key words or phrases to write your ideas.
• Always use the paper horizontally as this way you can fit more information.

Example

Step 2: Organise the information

Organise the information in the brainstorm by identifying the main categories and linking the other information to those as follows:

• circle the main categories
• connect sub-points to main categories
• use colours and visuals where helpful.

Example

Step 3: Complete the mind map

Rewrite the information under headings and sub-points to make the mind map easy to read. In this example the use of graphics and colours helps clarify the mind map.

Example

Example

Here is an example of how you might structure a mind map for an essay topic.

Images on this page by RMIT, licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0