When students get an assignment to write an I-search paper, they get an excellent opportunity to practice their writing skills and become well versed in the process of academic writing. In particular, when writing I-search papers, students get to know much new information about research methods, library tools and resources, as well as writing process on the whole. In the process of conducting literature research, students learn how to work with libraries and databases.
As a rule, the process of writing an I-search paper can be broken into four basic steps. Besides, I-search paper examples involve persuasive, informative, and expository essays. The I-search paper is recommended to break into four parts, as it will make it easier to the reader to navigate through the paper and make some comments or remarks if necessary.
Process of I-search Paper Writing
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Write a proposal
First, you need to complete the I-search paper This part enables a student to identify the topic of writing and provide an explanation for the choice made. Besides, it is also important to specifically state how exactly the information for the paper will be gathered. As such, this paper section should contain “I” statements and should be written briefly but succinctly. Regarding the length of this section, half a page will be perfectly OK.
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Conduct research on the selected topic
pThree different sources is a required minimum to provide adequate supporting evidence for your research. Try to choose different sources, for example, books, electronic sources, academic journals, periodicals, etc.p
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Describe the overall process of your research
Description of your research process refers to the second part of your paper. You need to provide a detailed explanation of where you looked for the sources, which sources you have considered suitable, which of them you have chosen for the paper, which worked out to be the best supporting material and which did not, how you wrote down the information, how you organized the collected data, etc.
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Move on to writing the actual body of the paper
The very body of the I-search paper ranges from two to seven pages in length. When providing your findings, opt for using formal structures that are appropriate for academic writing instead of “I” statements.
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Reflect on the writing process
When switching over to personal reflections, you can use “I” statements again as this section deals with your personal experience and thoughts. You can look through the research you have conducted and evaluate its strengths and weaknesses.
I-search Papers Format Guidelinesp
The first thing you need to remember is that an I-search paper refers to personal research papers on an assigned or selected topic. When looking at some I-search paper examples, you might notice that the structure is less formal than that of other research papers. In particular, when you have an assignment to write an I-search paper, you need to know that you will have to inform the target audience about the process of your individual search for information as well as what you have learned about in the process of research.
Many I-search papers are written according to the following structure:
- Search story
Here you have to draw readers’ attention straightaway, provide brief background information (to explain that you already know something on the topic), and indicate what you want to research on the topic. Besides, you need to provide a thesis statement and indicate the steps of the research process.
Your readers will be more interested in your paper if you succeed in winning their attention. Therefore, start with a hook that will grip readers’ attention and arouse their interest in your I-search paper.
Moreover, it is crucial to explain your particular research in the topic and specify what outcome you aim to achieve with the I-search paper.
- Search results
Make sure you shed light on the importance of your research. Highlight the main message from the thesis statement once again. Provide a brief discussion of I-search paper results and provide supporting evidence why the outcomes are proven to be credible.
- Search reflections
Here pinpoint to the significance of your I-search paper and why your research was worth carrying out. Support the findings with ample evidence and data.
