EDF 2005
Introduction to Academic Research:
The I-Search Project
Packet 1
The I-Search Project
What is an “I-Search” paper?
The I-Search paper, developed by Ken Macrorie, is an alternative to the traditional research paper in that it asks you to explore something “you’re interested in that will fulfill a need in your life, rather than a teacher’s notion of what would be good for you to pursue.”
The I-Search paper differs from a traditional research paper in that the I-Search paper includes a narrative of your search to discover information, in the form of a step-by-step record, as well as the information itself. In addition, the I-Search paper asks you to seek information beyond secondary sources you would find in a library or on the Web; it includes primary resources—actual people who are experts in the field—whom you contact for interviews.
What structure might an I-Search paper take?
The I-Search paper will follow the American Psychological Association’s (APA) guidelines for essay writing. In other words, your paper will be in 12-point font, double spaced throughout, and will include in-text references to your sources and a References page. To guide your reader through your research journey, you should include headings within the text. Your headings should reflect the four required sections:
o What I Know, Assume, or Imagine
Before you actually conduct any research, write a section in which you explain to your readers what you think you know, what you assume to know, or what you imagine about the topic you are researching. This section gives your reader a sense of your current impression of the issue and includes a description of any direct life experience you have had with the issue.
o What I Want to Know for Sure
This section might also be written before you actually begin your research, but it will inevitably expand as your research begins and your curiosity is piqued. Your purpose in this section is to describe to your reader what questions you would like to answer about the issue through your research process and why those questions are important to you. Here the reader will get a sense of your real reason for conducting the project—your burning desire to know more.
o The Search
This section is the story of your research process. This section serves as a record of each stage in your research process and the sources you consulted along the way. This section should be written in narrative form—in first person, as if you are telling the story of your hunt. Do not feel compelled to tell everything; highlight the steps and information that were most beneficial in helping you to understand the issue on a deeper, more meaningful level. While narrating your investigation, be sure to refer to the specific sources from where you gleaned your information.
o What I Now Know
After you complete your research, write a section in which you compare what you thought you knew about the issue—what you said in the first section—with what you actually discovered during your investigation. Include what surprised you most, what still puzzles you, and what conclusions you have now reached about the particular issue of interest.
o References
Your paper will conclude with a References page, a list of all the references YOU ACTUALLY USED in your paper for information about the issue. You will follow APA guidelines for creating the page. We will work together on citation exercises to ensure that you understand how APA format works. Any contemporary composition handbook, such as The Brief Penguin Handbook from ENC 1101, may serve as your reference.
What types of references should I include? How many are required?
Your I-Search must include references to a minimum of FIVE sources:
–1 personal interview with a teacher or administrator who has knowledge in the field about the particular issue (by e-mail, phone, or in person)
AND
–4 other sources, which may include BOOKS, PUBLISHED ARTICLES (newspaper, magazine, journal), or WWW sources.
***ONE of these four MUST be retrieved from Edison Library’s subscription databases and should be a scholarly article from a journal.
Important Note: You should not expect to earn an A or B on your project with fewer than the 5 required sources.
APA Citation models for creating the References page may be found at https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/ and accessed through Edison Library’s homepage.
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Bullying
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