An I-Search paper is a less formal, more personal research paper that tells the story of the writer’s search for information about a topic important to the writer. I-Search papers can be quite lengthy, especially when a lot of research is involved, but for our purposes, it’s sufficient to offer the highlights of the most important research you’ve found, and the most significant of your struggles, questions, and ideas.
Instructions:
Write a narrative about what you do to find information on your topic, and about the problems, questions, and surprises you encounter, and (importantly!) how you tackle them.
A narrative is a sequence of events. It is NOT a thesis-driven essay with main points. Rather, it moves in chronological order, as you describe what you did first, what you did next, and so on, and your thinking during these steps. Be as descriptive and specific as possible, but be selective in the information you include. Your goal is to pack as much detail about your search as possible into the shortest length possible. This is a tricky balancing act! But because this is more about your process than about reaching an audience, you do not need to confine yourself to a certain page limit for this; however, you should write at least 2 full pages (double-spaced). Two pages, however, will probably not give you much room at all to show all your work, and that’s essentially what you’re doing here: You’re showing me your work, like you might show your work on a math problem. I want to see how you arrive at the conclusion you argue in your final essay.
Important: Yes, this MUST be directly related to your final, extended argument. This short paper should document at least some of the most important information you find and will use in your final argument.
Documentation (citation) of your sources:
Clearly cite the sources you discuss, both:
“in-text,” meaning wherever you talk about a source you found and what it said (give at a minimum the author’s last name, so we know what source you’re talking about, and ideally the title and publication year); and
on a Works Cited page, the last page of your paper. Include a complete MLA citation for each source you mention in your paper. Use the resources posted here on Canvas to help you look up how to create your Works Cited entries.
Here is guidance on how to write the parts of an I-Search paper
Download Here is guidance on how to write the parts of an I-Search paper
, though keep in mind that this is just guidance to help you. Try to at least address each part of the “Framework” given here.
Note that there’s a sample I-Search paper in this document following the guidance on the first page. Use that as a model!
Here is another sample paper from one of my formal students.
Download Here is another sample paper from one of my formal students.
It’s missing a source or two from the Works Cited and might have focused more specifically on the research she conducted, but overall, this is well-written and thoughtful, and it’s the thoughtfulness I’m most interested in. Think about what you read! How does it alter or add to your perspective on the subject? How does this information make the issue more complicated than you may have realized it was?
Here is a brief chart you can use to help you
Download Here is a brief chart you can use to help you
keep track of your questions and other details you might include in your search paper. This is just to help you.
Formatting and submission:
Please use MLA formatting conventions and submit your file here as a PDF.
Here is a template you can use in MS Word
Download Here is a template you can use in MS Word
. It also provides instructions for MLA formatting, if you don’t want to use it as a template.
