August Live Webinar Schedule

Can you believe it’s August already? During this classic back-to-school season, check out our live webinar calendar. Hope to see you there!

Transitioning from Corsework to Doctoral Capstone Writing

Tuesday, August 4, 1:00-2:00 p.m. ET

Audience: Doctoral Capstone students

Writing a doctoral capstone document, such as a dissertation or a doctoral or project study, is a unique process with its own challenges. Often the shorter writing and research assignments you have done in courses do not accurately reflect what it takes to craft a book-length document that contains an original scholarly contribution, which is what your capstone will be. This webinar addresses the ways writing the doctoral capstone differs from writing for graduate courses and outlines some helpful strategies for how to approach the writing process as you move into the capstone phase.

Essential Elements for Writing Annotated Bibliographies

Thursday, August 13, 7:00-8:00 p.m. ET

Audience: Graduate students 

This session discusses the do's and don'ts of annotated bibliographies using examples. This session is relevant for any graduate students who will be or have completed an annotated bibliography as part of their course work or in preparation for a doctoral capstone study. We also explain how annotated bibliographies can be used by all writers as a way to take notes and organize research. If you are currently writing or will write a large research paper, this is the webinar for you!

Writing Literature Reviews in Your Graduate Coursework

Tuesday, August 18, 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. ET

Audience: Graduate students 

Are you writing a literature review in one of your master's or doctoral courses? This webinar is for you! Literature reviews often require a large amount of research and organization as you collect multiple perspectives on a topic and synthesize them together. In this webinar, you'll learn tips for how to successfully write a literature review for your courses.

Note: This webinar will not address literature reviews in doctoral capstones (dissertations and project studies). To learn about literature reviews in doctoral capstones, see the webinar "Reviewing the Literature and Incorporating Previous Research," as well as the Doctoral Capstone Form and Style website.

If you are unable to attend any of these sessions in person, we post recordings of every live webinar event on the Walden University Writing Center website. The recordings of these sessions are posted 24 hours after they take place, and you can watch them free and on-demand. 

The Walden University Writing Center creates content to help students with a range of topics related to scholarly writing, APA style, and the writing process. We host webinars, and offer paper reviews, live chat, and a podcast.

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Annotated Bibliography Essentials: Application Writing

In the Writing Center, when we talk about synthesis we often ask the “So What?” question—you’ve provided evidence and analysis related to your topic, but so what? What does it mean? If you haven’t answered this question in you text, you likely need to add an explanation of why this information matters so that your readers can follow your argument.

In the Application portion of an annotation, you similarly answer the “So What?” question. You tie the key information you gained from this article (provided in your Summary) and your understanding of that information (provided in your Analysis) to your own project. You situate that article in the context of your research and give the reader a sense of why it matters. It’s a bit like the Lead-out portion of the MEAL plan: as in a lead-out, your Application connects your evidence and analysis to an overall argument.

Let’s walk through how you might construct an Application portion of an annotation. Typically, the Application is about a paragraph in length. You could use whichever approach you prefer to structure this paragraph, such as the MEAL plan, PEAS, NO TEARS, or various other methods of constructing paragraphs not based on acronyms. (I’ll use the MEAL plan here for the sake of simplicity and consistency with our other paragraphing resources.) Your Application might look a little bit different than a typical MEAL paragraph because it needs to focus primarily on synthesis, but it should still contain the key MEAL components. You’ll need:

A main idea (M), which is usually your main takeaway from this article.

Some evidence (E). You’ve already provided evidence in your Summary, so you usually won’t need to restate it here. Instead, you might briefly reference one or two key ideas from your Summary to illustrate your main idea.

Some analysis (A) to convey your understanding of that key evidence.

A lead-out (L) to establish the article’s connection to your research project.

Let’s look at an example Application paragraph (taken from our Annotations webinar):

This study was valuable to my understanding of how a female police officer’s experiences may be different than a male police officer’s. While Thompson et al.’s conclusions are not generalizable, their literature review is helpful to any scholar first approaching the subject. However, the researchers also showed that more studies should be conducted to fully explore the possible differences in police experiences that they identified.

Notice that there are only three sentences here, which is okay—remember, the MEAL plan is a guide, not a formula. The important thing is that the Application paragraph provides each MEAL component.

While you’re in the process of writing an annotated bibliography, it can seem tedious to write an Application for each annotation. The answer to the “so what?” question might seem obvious or, alternatively, unimportant to you in that moment. However, doing the work of writing an Application for each of your annotations provides a basis for the next phase of your research. By articulating  your sources’ usefulness, you lay the groundwork necessary for synthesizing those sources later on (this is, in part, why you’re often asked to write annotations in preparation for a literature review), because writing an Application, as with all writing, clarifies your own thinking about your topic.

If you're curious to learn more, click here to view all of the posts in this five-part series on Annotated Bibliography Essentials!

Matt Sharkey-Smith is a senior writing instructor in the Walden Writing Center. He also serves as contributing faculty in the Walden Academic Skills Center.  Matt joined the Writing Center in 2010 with a BA in English from Saint John's University in Minnesota. He earned an MFA in Writing from Hamline University in St. Paul in 2011 and has worked outside of Walden as a technical writer, fact-checker, copy editor, tutor, and writing instructor.

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Annotated Bibliography Essentials: Analysis Writing

More than most commonly assigned graduate writing papers, the annotated bibliography is an assignment whose structural components remain largely unchanged. Unlike other common writing prompts and assignment that can change a great deal across curriculum and specific areas of focus, the requirements of a single annotated entry are relatively straight forward and easy to follow. The main sections of the annotated paper, not including the reference entry for the actual source, are: the summary, the analysis, and the application. Let’s talk about the second section, the analysis.

The analysis portion of the annotated entry is the area of the paper to discuss both short-comings and strengths of the research being reviewed. Unlike the first section, the summary, the goal of the analysis is not to provide an overview of the research but, rather, to discuss to what effect the study’s construction and organization aided or hindered its pursuit of information.

What some students find challenging about the analysis is that it requires them to sit in a position of power above the study itself and, in essence, review the quality of the work. For many students, this task comes with a certain amount of responsibility and fear. As graduate students working towards an advanced degree, a master’s or doctorate, many students writing annotated assignments have yet to complete and publish original research on their own, and the prospect of critiquing material that is already out in the world can seem a bit daunting. 

Beyond the actual nuts and bolts of jumping into the reviewed research to look for seams and cracks, there is the added difficulty of using the language of research construction (i.e. sample size, validity, bias, confounds, etc.) that carries its own set of difficulties. Although students at the graduate level may be familiar with the terms and language used to describe research studies when seeing them on the page, the actual analytical practice of deconstructing a study to identify would-be errors in its methods or application can be a very daunting challenge. Not only does this kind of thinking require the student to mentally “travel back in time” within the study to look at its construction, the student must also be able to hypothesize, imagine, and articulate an invisible road not taken that may have led the study to a more complete, more applicable, or more significant outcome. For students who have not a great deal of experience reading about or constructing research studies the process of thinking in this way, too, may seem very intimidating.

When starting on a new annotated bibliography assignment the best advice an apprehensive student can follow is to learn by example: look for examples of other annotated bibliographies online and take note of the structure and ideas they’re presenting. If one is unfamiliar with how studies are constructed or what language to use when speaking of the structure of a research study there are always more examples to be found within other annotated examples and additional research studies, as well.

The light at the end of this dark tunnel is that academia is a practice built on history; no student should ever feel completely alone or without resources when working on an assignment like this for the very basic reason that the annotated bibliography has been around for a very long time. In plain speak what the middle section of annotated bibliography represents is the application of learned material to an old problem presented as new: a study was conducted; how could it have been better?

The most promising and challenging aspect of the analysis portion of the annotated bibliography is that it challenges students to look towards the future. More than an isolated assignment that calls upon students to apply a certain amount of critical thinking, the very nature of looking at another person’s research, in essence, requires the graduate student to assume this position of power, if only for a few moments. As the student reviews the methods and thinking of a published piece of research, one could easily find one’s self slipping out of time into the future: a place where master’s-level or doctoral work is far behind and one is critiquing the soundness of a colleague’s research. To assume the role of one who has something to say, the role of someone who looks at a study to boldly claim what is, in plain terms, “just wrong” is a lofty place to sit. It carries with it the burdens of responsibility, scrutiny, and authority. 

In this way, it’s not surprising that the middle section, the analysis, of the annotated bibliography is as challenging as it is. More than just short section within a common writing assignment it is also a gateway to life beyond graduate school. It’s a short, written proposal of one’s fitness to speak as an academic, and to review another’s research with authority. It’s no wonder the middle section seems so scary. It’s the part of the assignment when the lights dim, the microphone goes on, and everyone quiets to listen.

Don’t be afraid.

You’ll be ready. 

If you're curious to learn more, click here to view all of the posts in this five-part series on Annotated Bibliography Essentials!

James A. Horwitz is a writing instructor in the Walden University Writing Center. James received his MA and MFA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, having first earned undergraduate degrees in both English and Psychology. James has taught at the college-level for over 13 years and is passionate about student-learning, mentoring, and student writers developing their work.

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Annotated Bibliography Essentials: Summary Writing

When it comes to the annotated bibliography, it can feel difficult to know what to include in such a unique assignment. In general, the annotated bibliography does not reflect a typical course paper. Due to the nature of the assignment and limited exemplars in academia, many students tend to feel confused with the annotated bibliography’s structure. The question of whether “am I doing this right?” comes into existence.

As a Writing Instructor here at Walden University’s Writing Center, I come across many annotated bibliographies from students. Time and time again, I see students struggle with the annotated bibliography process, specifically summary writing for each source. Most students understand the basic rules of summary writing, such as writing the summary in your own words and writing the summary in the past tense (e.g., “The authors found that…”). However, summary writing is more than just covering the basics.

I tend to see summaries with missing pieces or perhaps summaries that are too vague. After years of reading annotated bibliographies, I noticed that students are unclear on the best practices in summary writing for sources.
 
So, here are three best practices when it comes to summary writing for sources in your annotated bibliography.

What did the author do?
For each source, take your time to read the content. As you read each source, it is crucial to locate the author’s actions in the source. What exactly did the author do in the article? Perhaps the author conducted specific research related to a topic. It is important to capture the author’s actions and begin your summary with this specific information. As a result, the answer to “what did the author do?” will create a strong foundation for your summary.

Why did the author do that?
Next, it is essential to determine why the author took a particular action in the source. In other words, you want the reader to understand why the author conducted the research. The answer to this question will unfold a series of reasons on the significance of the source, which will essentially establish a clear connection to the purpose of the source in your annotated bibliography.

What did the author find?
Finally, every summary should include the author’s findings. Overall, the author’s findings serve a unique purpose in your annotated bibliography. It allows you to share the importance of using the source because of the author’s findings. With such important information, you can use the author’s findings to establish the application of the sources later in the annotated bibliography.

Summary writing for an annotated bibliography can feel confusing at times, but it does not have to be that way. In addition to this post, I recommend checking out our overview of summary writing webpage. Then, when you are ready, I encourage you to share your annotated bibliography with any of our Writing Instructors in a paper review session. Click Paper Review Appointment to make an appointment today and receive useful feedback to strengthen your summary writing.

If you're curious to learn more, click here to view all of the posts in this five-part series on Annotated Bibliography Essentials!

The Walden University Writing Center creates content to help students with a range of topics related to scholarly writing, APA style, and the writing process. We host webinars, and offer paper reviews, live chat, and a podcast. You can check out all of our resources by visiting our Walden University Writing Center home page.

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Annotated Bibliography Essentials: Five-Part Blog Series for Research Writers

The annotated bibliography is a common course assignment for Walden University students and is a useful tool with which writers can organize and make sense of their research. However, the annotated bibliography is an often misunderstood writing challenge for Walden students. The combination of writing in a new genre with specific formatting and content requirements, along with the challenge of locating, cataloging, and writing about literature from their field, makes this a complex task for writers. 

To ease the burden on student-writers and to demonstrate how the annotated bibliography is a tool to support the complex task of constructing research-based writing, we've created a five-part blog series. The three main components of the annotated bibliography (summary, analysis, and application) are important for any scholar-practitioner to understand and execute, so we've delved into each of these elements, along with other practical advice.

May we present to you, without further ado, our brand new blog series titled Annotated Bibliography Essentials. This series will provide practical tips that will help writers use this research writing tool to its fullest. Join us as we present the following posts in this series!

Overview of the Annotated Bibliography

Introduction and Conclusion Writing in the Annotated Bibliography

Summary Writing in the Annotated Bibliography

Analysis Writing in the Annotated Bibliography

Application Writing in the Annotated Bibliography

The Walden University Writing Center creates content to help students with a range of topics related to scholarly writing, APA style, and the writing process. We host webinars, and offer paper reviews, live chat, and a podcast. You can check out all of our resources by visiting our Walden University Writing Center home page.

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Annotated Bibliography Essentials: Introduction and Conclusion

When students think about an annotated bibliography, they most often imagine how they need to format their resources and what information they need to include in the three paragraphs for each resource. Although the formatting of each resource is important in an annotated bibliography, it is just as important to think of the bigger picture. Rather than just including your resources in an annotated bibliography, it is important that you also include an introduction and a conclusion for the assignment, as well.

The introduction of an annotated bibliography will provide some context for the collection of resources you are including in the document. For instance, the introduction will cover the general theme or topic that your resources explore, including any background information or theoretical explanations that might be important for understanding the compilation of resources in the annotated bibliography. The introduction is also where you include any information on gaps in the literature you hope to address using the resources that are in the annotated bibliography. Once the introduction is complete, the bulk of the annotated bibliography—the resources themselves—will follow immediately after.

After you have properly written about and formatted your resources, you will need to include a conclusion to the document. The conclusion is where you will be able to reflect on the material covered by your resources and where you can touch on the gaps that became apparent. Taking stock of the possible gaps in the literature will help you determine where your research will go in the future. Likewise, you can also touch on the commonalities you took note of as you read through all of your research material. Were there common themes that continued to pop up as you read? Were there disparities between the resources that you think would be useful to think about?

Similarly to other types of APA-style assignments, proper formatting is important with an annotated bibliography. However, it is also important to think about the document as a whole, including the introduction and conclusion. The introduction and conclusion will help put your research into perspective for readers and will go a long way towards making your research compelling for those reading.

For an example of an annotated bibliography, take a look at our sample document here.

If you're curious to learn more, stay tuned for all of the posts in this five-part series on Annotated Bibliography Essentials!

The Walden University Writing Center creates content to help students with a range of topics related to scholarly writing, APA style, and the writing process. We host webinars, and offer paper reviews, live chat, and a podcast. You can check out all of our resources by visiting our Walden University Writing Center home page.

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Annotated Bibliography Essentials: Overview

The annotated bibliography is a common course assignment for Walden University students and is a useful tool with which writers can organize their research. Over the next weeks, we will share an in-depth look at each of the different elements of the annotated bibliography. We hope this blog series will help Walden's scholar-practitioners understand, complete, and utilize this helpful scholarly research writing tool. Enjoy! And stay tuned for the next entries in this series! 

What is an annotated bibliography and why can’t I find the formula for it in the APA Publication Manual?

While the APA Style Blog points out that there is not a specific format for annotated bibliographies and mentions that, in fact, “APA Style doesn’t use bibliographies of any sort,” the annotated bibliography is a useful form for writers to utilize. Specifically, the annotated bibliography is a writing form that allows writers the opportunity to showcase the information they have gleaned from each of their research sources; what they make of that information; and important conclusions they have drawn, reached, and processed.

Most importantly, partaking in creating an annotated bibliography serves a greater purpose. It allows writers the opportunity to assess what research has come before them, showcase why they interpret the research the way they do, and see where they, as researchers and writers, can both contribute and participate in the greater research conversations that are going on in their fields. 

What annotated bibliography form do Walden University writers use?

We have a solid tried and true definition and form on our website that Walden students can look to for suggested form and formatting of the annotated bibliography:

An annotated bibliography is a list of references that not only identifies the sources of information but also includes information such as a summary, a critique or analysis, and an application of those sources' information.

Thus, Walden students will want to be sure to format their annotated bibliographies to include four main parts for each of their research sources. These four parts are the reference entry, summary, analysis, and application.

So, what is the purpose of the annotated bibliography?

I like to think about the annotated bibliography as a way to prove that I have formatted the sources I used correctly in providing correct reference entries, so my readership can find each one of my sources effortlessly, and that the summary, analysis, and application sections reflect a truly valuable bundle. Each of these components showcase important perspectives and different vantage points on the research at hand.

In the summary, writers reveal that they have read the source thoroughly and have reflected to readers what it is about overall. Showing their readership that they know their research well in the analysis section entails that they point out what the author or authors have highlighted and what the authors have not highlighted, what they have missed, avoided, or simply not brought to fruition. In a nutshell the summary and analysis serve as proof to readers: proof that the writer has done their research and that they know what each author has shared on the topic at hand and what they make of it.

Reflecting this knowledge and deep analysis gives writers credibility as valuable and reputable sources themselves. Thus, their readership knows that they have done the work that allows them to make associations in the application section and decipher where the gaps in research are on their topic and where there may be questions left unanswered and problems left unsolved.

If writers do this bundle of reference entry, summary, analysis, and application for each of their sources well, they most likely have earned their seat at the table as a reputable researcher and writer armed with valuable takes and contributions on their topic that will benefit their field at large. And, who doesn’t want a seat at the table and perhaps possible publication someday?

If you're curious to learn more, click here to view all of the posts in this five-part series on Annotated Bibliography Essentials!

Christina Lundberg received her BA from the University of Minnesota and obtained her MFA from Naropa University. Presenting over 6 years of college teaching experience at various academic settings, Christina has taught a wide array of English courses both residential and online. Christina is driven by the desire to grow, shape, and develop a page to reach its highest potential. In her position as a Walden University Writing Instructor, she enjoys witnessing the transformations of a good paper grow into greatness. 

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