The “I-Search” Paper

A different kind of research paper

A Typical Research Paper

• Generally, a typical research paper reports data and information that helps develop a thesis, or a main idea.

• An I-Search paper tells the story of how a writer goes about finding information.

Differences

• A traditional research paper does not use “I” (or uses very little of it)

• It generally consists of reported facts and data used to develop a thesis.

• An I-Search paper uses “I” because it tells a story.

• It might have an implied thesis, and it not only reports facts, but it describes how they were found.

Example of an “I-Search” paper

• I wanted to uncover what made Italian cinema so popular in the 1960s and 70s. A fan of Clint Eastwood movies, I was surprised to learn that he made several of his most popular Westerns in Italy. To learn more, I tried a subject search through the MCC Virtual Library.

Example (Cont.)

• With the help of Bill Getty’s book, Essential Spaghetti Westerns, I learned that Eastwood made three westerns with the famous Italian director, Sergio Leone (23). Eastwood decided to dub his own lines, a move that Getty claims made him famous (25). Having read that, I began to wonder about other actors.

Example (Cont.)

• I began to wonder if Eastwood was unique in being an American actor who dubbed his own lines, so I continued my research. Finding little else under the subject of “spaghetti westerns,” I used Dr. Ford’s suggestion and tried another key word search, this time simply using the phrase “Italian popular cinema.”

The attitude to go in with

• An exploratory attitude.

• Don’t just report facts.

• Explain how you uncovered them

Also include:

• What questions you wanted to answer.

• What you hoped to find out.

• What answers surprised you, or didn’t surprise you.

Be inquisitive

• You must show some curiosity about your subject.

• Showing little interest in your subject will diminish your grade.

• Show creativity in using different kinds of sources.

Opening doors with your sources

• 5 sources required

• 2 must be print sources

• 2 must be electronic sources

• The fifth is up to you

Stuff you will have to turn in

• An annotated bibliography (at least 7 sources)

• Notes (either on standard paper or note cards)

• Two rough drafts

• Photocopies and/or print-outs of sources

Getting started

Complete Journal #12 by freewriting about one of the following:

• A profession or career you want to enter

• An aspect of your cultural background that interests you.

• An issue or problem that might affect you at some point in the future.

• A figure from history or popular culture you’re interested in.

• Or, a topic that you know something about and would like to learn more.

Secondary or Primary source?

• Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

• The Declaration of Independence

• The Penguin Guide to Hip Hop on CD

• Ten Years of Terror: Reviews of Horror Films from the 1970s.

• An interview with a professional in a field you want to enter