English 309Linda Rogers

The “I-Search” Project

The following description is intended to give you an idea of how an “I-search” paper is typically organized. In order to accommodate a range of topics and methods of inquiry, this writing project focuses on the process of conducting research. In your paper you will write a narrative, telling the story of this project so that it can be understood by others who lack knowledge or expertise in your field. You may choose to follow the outline below in its current configuration or alter it somewhat, but I would like to see each of the major elements (I-V) in your finished paper. (In the revision section that follows the outline, you will find page numbers that refer to The EssentialGuide by Lester and Lester.)

  1. The first section of the paper tells how you came to engage in the project and to choose your particular approach. Explain how you developed an interest in this work, what you wanted to learn, and how you began to envision the scope of your research. If you spend a significant amount of time determining your focal point or your approach, you might discuss the brainstorming or other processes you use along the way, and you might also explain the development of research questions, working hypotheses, and/or interdisciplinary connections.
  2. The second section describes and evaluates some of your sources. Here you note any problems encountered while accessing information or using specific sources. You also describe how you followed promising “leads” in your research to find the sources that were most helpful or interesting to you—or perhaps abandoned certain avenues when you decided they were not fruitful. In addition to evaluating your sources, explain how you pursued your original lines of research, or changed the focus or research methods during the course of the project.
  3. The third section focuses on your major findings or conclusions. Here you provide examples, tell stories, or argue points to explain your findings or conclusions, and explain how your findings relate to your original assumptions or research plan. Also discuss any further research you recommend or hope to pursue in the future. What further questions or related topics might be pursued? What further knowledge or new conclusions might result?
  4. The fourth section explains the project’s significance for you as a researcher, describing the parts of the research process that were most challenging and/or most satisfying. Also, you’ll discuss how your work has affected the way you look at your research work as the assignment nears completion.
  5. The last section of your paper is the one formal section of the paper. Begin a new page to list your sources in standard MLA, APA, or CMS format—or in another format that you and I agree would be appropriate for your work.

This I-search paper should be about 8 to 10 pages long. The second paper will be similar; in it, you will pursue your firstproject further or work on a new topic.

The next sectionasks questions for revision, to give you a better idea of what a finished I-search paper might look like.

Reading and Revising Your I-Search Paper

  • Is your line of thought clear? Are there any parts that might confuse your reader?
  • Do youavoid raising significant questions without discussing them at least briefly in the paper?
  • Headings: Individual writers may choose to include or omit headings in their papers, or to present their material in a manner that differs slightly from this format. However, consider this: Does your paper present a logical method of organization? Will it make sense to your reader?

I. Topic choice

  • What process have you gone through to decide how to approach the project? Do you explain why the topic is significant to you?
  • Dogive your reader an idea of what you hope to learn, ofwhat you want to discover and explain here?

II. Description and evaluation of sources

  • Have you conducted a reasonably extensive and balanced search for sources, including scholarly material? (For most projects, you should find at least one scholarly resource through an electronic database, even you mention it only briefly in the paper, in order to demonstrate that you are familiar with this type of resource.)
  • Do you explain where and how you foundyour sources? Look over the findings to see which sources are used most, and consider the following:

–Do you discuss the relevance and credibility of the source?(Pp. 44-45 focus on Internet sources.)

–Do you explain why the source seems appropriate—or inappropriate—for the project?

–Do you explain why the source is useful in terms of statistics, illustrations, expert testimony, thought-provoking narratives, or other significant kinds of information?

III. Findings

  • What have you discovered as a result of doing this research?
  • Do you use examples, details, stories, or arguments to explain how you came to your major conclusions? Or, if the findings do not lead to major conclusions, do you explain what you have learned, within the scope of the project?
  • Do you explain unfamiliar or questionable terms used in the paper?
  • Do youexplain yournew or expanded perspectives on the topic?

–Do you clear up possible misconceptions about this topic?

–Do you tell your reader something he or she may not have known about the topic itself, and/or the sources available for researching the topic?

V. Overall significance of the project

  • Do you explain this project’s personal or academic significance? Is your paper especially creative, interesting, or informative?
  • What new or revised perspectives have you gained, and do you hope others will gain, as a result of completing this project?
  • Have you explained the need for further research, or discussed unanswered questions or issues that could be explored at greater length? Do you leave your reader with a sense of your project’s potential significance to a larger audience?

VI. Works Cited

  • Do all the sources you have mentioned appear in the list of works cited?
  • Do you use a suitable documentation style, such as MLA, APA, or CMS?