Annotated outlines are part of the prewriting process. Sometimes instructors will ask you to create an annotated outline to show progress you’re making toward a larger paper or project. Once you fully understand an assignment and have researched the topic(s), you can create an outline to organize your main ideas and supporting points. You then add annotations to your outline entries, including information such as comments, explanations, related citations, or topic sentences. Since the type of annotations you’ll be expected to add may vary, review assignment instructions, grading rubric, and consult your instructor with questions.