5 Step 5 | Annotated Bibliographies & Simple Outlining

Annotated Bibliographies  

An annotated bibliography is a list of sources on a particular topic that includes a summary of what each source is about. It is an ongoing writing project that you will be “building” as you discover new pieces of evidence for your research project. The goal is to skim an article quickly but well enough to determine what the resource is about.

Here is an example of an entry from an annotated bibliography in MLA style:

Parsons, Matt. “Protecting Children on the Electronic Frontier:  A Law Enforcement Challenge.” FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin 69.10 (2000): 22-26.

This article is about an educational program used by the U.S. Navy to educate people in the Navy and their families about some of the things that are potentially dangerous to children about the Internet. Parsons says that the educational program has been effective.

Annotated bibliography entries have two parts. The top of the entry is the citation. It is the part that starts “Parsons, Matt’” and that lists information like the name of the writer, where the evidence appeared, the date of publication, and other publishing information. The second part of the entry is a summary of the evidence cited.

A good, annotated bibliography summary provides enough information in a sentence or two to help you and others understand what the research is about in a neutral and non-opinionated way.  Personal opinions do not belong in an annotated bibliography. This is a chance to display your understanding of the research presented in the article. Keep your summary short and do not use the abstract of the article.

If you have completed an annotated bibliography, then you know what each article is about and how they will support your argument. Now It can be useful to help you produce an outline. An outline is where you will become more detailed on how to incorporate each article into your paper.

Simple Outlining

It is necessary to begin constructing your outline, which is a way for you to compile the information you have gathered in an organized and linear way. An outline can be bare bones or very detailed; it just depends on the information that you have and your personal writing process.  You will see an  example of simple outlining in the next step. However, you should begin the process of a simple outline during this step.

Quick Note: By now, you’re working thesis should be a thesis. You should have a firm grasp on the question you seek to answer from all the prep work you have done.

Information Adapted  from : Sourcing, summarizing, and synthesizing:  Skills for effective research writing | Wendy L. McBride | University of Arkansas CC BY-NC-SA 4.0