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Guidance and Example Annotated Outline

What is an Annotated Outline?

An annotated outline is a structured plan for a research paper that includes not only an outline of the main sections and sub-sections but also brief annotations that describe the purpose, content and references of each part. This tool is especially useful when writing literature reviews in the human services field, as it helps organize research, clarify arguments, and identify gaps in the existing literature.

Why Are Annotated Outlines Useful?

1. Organize Complex Information: Community care and counseling research often involves diverse populations, various service models, and complex social issues. An annotated outline helps to organize this information coherently.

2. Focus the Research: By detailing what each section of the paper will cover, this ensures that the literature review remains focused and directly related to the research question.

3. Identify Service Gaps: For areas of community care and counseling, identifying gaps in the literature often leads to recognizing areas where service delivery can be improved or where further research is needed to better serve communities/populations impacted. This is also a skill necessary for approaching a dissertation topic.

4. Prepare for Advanced Research: Developing skills in creating annotated outlines is excellent preparation for more extensive projects, such as a dissertation, where a comprehensive literature review is essential.

How to Construct an Annotated Outline for EDCO 790

Start with the Traumatology Outline completed in the Effects of Stress Module.

1. Use the Professor’s feedback from the Outline assignment and expand that outline to include additional points as suggested with the assignment instructions.

2. Add Annotations:

· For each outline point, write a brief annotation (1-3 sentences) that explain what each point will cover, why it is important, or how it contributes to the overall analysis. These sentences should be referenced with scholarly support (journal articles) or the support for these sentences should be clearly listed (see examples below).

3. Use Clear Headings and Subheadings:

· Organize the outline with clear headings and subheadings that align with the structure of the paper. This helps in maintaining a logical flow and makes it easier for readers to follow the argument.

4. List References:

· List both in text citations within the outline and again on an APA style reference list at the end of the annotated outline.

5. Be Detailed but Concise:

· Include enough detail to guide the writing but keep annotations concise. They should provide clarity without being overwhelmed with information.

6. Review and Refine:

· Revisit the annotated outline to ensure it logically flows and covers all necessary points. Adjust as needed, especially as the topics develop.

Tips for Success:

1. No Direct Quotes: Consider synthesizing information from sources to ensure the paper is made up of original writing that demonstrates a unique understanding of the materials. Remember, take great care with paraphrasing, as changing a few words from a direct quote is not paraphrasing. This style of writing still requires quotation marks and page numbers because these are still considered a direct quote.

2. Analyzing the Topic from Multiple Sources: Compare and contrast different viewpoints and findings from at least two sources for each main point to provide a well- rounded analysis.

3. Ensuring Quality Sources: Use peer-reviewed journals, academic books, and credible publications from the last three to five years to ensure the information is up-to-date and reliable. Course materials are acceptable, but they should likely be supported by more recent research that directly reflects the population of interest.

4. Narrow Topic and Population: Keep this theme throughout each section of the Annotated Outline.

APA Style Organization:

· Summary Introduction: Clearly outline what will be covered in the paper.

· Transitions: Use clear transitions between sections to maintain the flow of the paper.

· Headings and Subheadings: Organize the paper with appropriate headings and subheadings (e.g., Main Point 1: Types of Traumas, Subheading: Psychological Trauma).

· Font: Times New Roman, 12 point.

· Conclusion: Conclude with a summary of the findings and their implications based on the findings in the scholarship that will be used for the paper. Implications for future research or practice are included in scholarly based articles and should be synthesized within the conclusion across all the articles used.

By following this outline and these tips, a focused, well-organized, and scholarly paper on trauma can be constructed.

The next page has a section example from the EDCO 790 Annotated Outline Assignment. Use this example as a model for each of your sections.

EDCO 790

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Traumatology Annotated Outline: Compassion Fatigue Among Hospice Nurses

1. Discussion of Topic of Study

a. Overview of topic

i. What is now known about the topic in current research: Compassion fatigue (CF) is an emotional, cognitive, and behavioral response to trauma exposure (Leland & Armstrong, 2015; Sanderson, 2014; Stoewen, 2019) that affects various populations, including hospice and palliative care nurses.

Compassion fatigue can also afflict those who constantly witness and hear other’s pain and trauma in the workplace, as is also the case within the hospice and palliative care fields (Chen et al., 2018; Robino, 2019; Sanderson, 2014).

ii. Why there is a need to study the topic:

1. Hospice nursing requires that its personnel provide emotional, psychological, physical, and spiritual support to their patients and the patient’s family and friends (Barnett & Ruiz, 2018; Cho & Cho, 2021).

2. This can result in compassion fatigue due to the physical and emotional labor that the process requires (Barnett et al., 2022).

3. Nurse compassion fatigue is not well understood, and assessment measures have a difficult time assessing compassion (Ledoux, 2015).

iii. Definitions:

1. Compassion is the ability of one to have empathy and engage in empathetic communications and interactions with others (Zhang et al., 2018).

2. Compassion fatigue, or secondary trauma is the result of excessive exposure to trauma, multidimensional stress, and witnessing the trauma of others, resulting in psychological distress including the inability to be empathetic (Sanderson, 2014; Zhang et al., 2018).

3. Burnout is the result of excess stress and job strain that has the potential to create feelings of dissatisfaction, depression, and inability to complete tasks (Zhang et al., 2018).

4. Empathy, or compassion is when an individual utilizes warmth, tenderness, and care to communicate and interact with individuals, ensuring they feel safe, seen, and heard (Hansen et al., 2018; Seligman et al., 2021; Tan, 2022). Empathy also involves being conscientious of the feelings of others (Sahin et al., 2023).

iv. Etiology (Ledoux, 2015):

1. Burnout

2. Secondary/Vicarious trauma

3. PTSD

b. Other current information on the topic:

i. Feeling other’s negative emotions can activate brain activity similar to when someone experiences pain (Hansen et al., 2018)