...
If the idea of writing these process drafts without an outline is too much to consider, consider the merits of creating a living, evolving annotated bibliography. Annotated bibliographies are very common assignments; they are excellent when used as a structured process-writing mechanism. To begin an annotated bibliography, start digging for information by skimming sources’ abstracts, if available. When a source seems interesting, read it more closely, then create a rough citation for it. Underneath the citation, write two short paragraphs: one that summarizes and another that analyzes holistically. This means specifying how it might help to answer one of the research questions, establishing background for the topic, or developing a particular point of view on the topic. These summary and analysis paragraphs ARE the first rough draft. Refer to our handout on writing Writing an Annotated Bibliography for a detailed explanation of this tool.
...