Help them understand why it was important for you to find out more about the topic. Explain what you already knew about your topic. Briefly describe your prior knowledge about the topic before you started your research. Tell what you wanted to learn and why. Explain why the topic is important to you, and let readers know what motivated your search. Include a thesis statement. Turn your research question into a statement that is based on your research. Retrace your research steps. Tell readers about your sources — how you found them and why you used them. The Search Results Describe the significance of your research experience. Restate your thesis. Search Reflections Describe important results of your research. Support your findings. Back to Citations and References.

Below are examples of each of these methods used to record notes on the same passage. Notice that each card has the number 1 written in the upper right- hand corner. This number matches the number on the source card identi- fying the source of the information in the note. Be sure to copy the passage you intend to quote exactly as it is in your your own. Be sure to source. To avoid accidental plagiarism, put clearly visible quotation marks cite the sources of words at the beginning and end of quoted passages. and ideas you obtain from any outside sources. The largest category of triggers is allergens. Allergens are substances that produce an allergic reaction in people who are sensitive to them.

They include pollen from trees, grasses, and weeds; mold and mildew; dust mites; and animal dander. Summary A summary note includes only the main idea and the most important supporting details of a passage. It allows you to save space because it is shorter than the original material. Write the note using your own words and sentence structure. Most of the notes you take will be sum- mary notes. For more information on summarizing, see page in the Quick Reference Handbook. Like the summary note, it is written in your own words. You paraphrase to simplify the material you have read.

For more information on paraphrasing, see page in the Quick Reference Handbook. Allergens Summary Asthma can be triggered by allergens, the most common of which are pollen from plants; mold and mildew; dust mites; and animal dander. page Allergens 1 Source number Of the numerous substances that can trigger Paraphrase asthma, allergens are the largest category. These are substances that cause a reaction in people who are allergic to them. Allergens include pollens from plants; mold and mildew; animal dander; and dust mites. THINKING IT TIP THROUGH Taking Notes from Sources Remember to keep a daily record of To avoid getting lost in the information you gather, follow these steps your research progress for taking your notes and keeping them organized.

in your search journal. These notes will not be Ǡ STEP 1 Record your notes on something easy to retrieve. Instead, individual records in a computer database. they will be about your Ǡ STEP 2 Use a separate note card, computer file, or database record reactions and experi- for each item of information and for each source. ences as you do the research. Be sure to Ǡ STEP 3 Put a subject heading consisting of a key word or phrase in record your failures as the upper left-hand corner above each note. well as your successes. Ǡ STEP 4 Write the source number in the upper right-hand corner of This record will be the each note; write the number of the page on which the information basis for the story of your search and will was found at the bottom of the note. also help you reflect Ǡ STEP 5 Keep computer printouts in a folder.

Highlight key words on your experience. and make notes in the margin. Write Your Thesis Statement The Bottom Line Your thesis is the main idea of your report. It is the answer to your research question. The writer who began with the research question Can I manage my asthma so that I can lead a full, active life? KEY CONCEPT To frame his thesis, he turned his research question into a statement and added the factors he would have to consider in order to manage his asthma. By adding these factors, he developed a short summary of the results of his research. TIP Make a Fluid Plan An outline for a writing project is like a map to a Your teacher traveler. Good outlines and good maps give guidance and keep people going may ask you to develop a formal outline for in the right direction but leave them free to change their plans.

Outlines also your I-Search paper. For guide the organization of your ideas. I-Search papers are organized into more information about three basic divisions: the story of the search, the results of the search, and formal outlines, see reflections on the search. Your search journal contains the information you page in the Quick Reference Handbook. need for the story of your search. Your research results—the answers to your research questions—are in the notecards you made from your sources. You can use your search journal and notecards to arrange the information you want in your paper in your informal outline.

Here is how one writer organized an informal outline for his I-Search paper. The story of my search Learning of my condition What I knew about asthma Questions running through my head Research question: Can I manage my asthma so that I can lead a full, active life? Searching online Interviewing my doctor Searching the library Thesis Statement. In the end: Reflections on my search Made me a better planner and organizer Helped me overcome shyness because I had to ask for help Improved my writing skills Improved my ability to draw conclusions Gave me confidence that I can lead a full and active life. YOUR 5 TURN Planning Your I-Search Paper, Part Two Review the prewriting steps that follow Your Turn 4 on page Then, Go to the Chapter Menu find and evaluate sources, prepare source cards, and take notes.

Next, for an interactive activity. write your thesis, and create an informal outline for your paper. Where Credit Is Due In an I-Search paper, you use information and TIP ideas that you obtained from outside sources. It is very important that you Your teacher might ask you to use a give credit to these sources by citing them in the body of your paper and documentation format by listing them at the end of your finished paper. other than the MLA. The formats suggested by Citing Sources in the Body When you are writing the body of your the Chicago Manual report, you must decide what to give credit for and how to give it.

of Style and the I What to Credit If the same information can be found in several American Psycho- logical Association sources, it is considered common knowledge. You do not have to docu- APA are two popular ment it. For example, it is common knowledge that Dr. Martin Luther alternatives to MLA. Ask King, Jr. in your teacher or librarian However, any information that you obtain from outside sources that is where to find them. not common knowledge must be documented. I How to Credit There are several ways to give credit. The two most widely used methods are footnotes see the example footnote on the next page and parenthetical citations. In this chapter you will see exam- ples of the parenthetical citation format recommended by the Modern Language Association of America MLA.

The following examples follow the MLA format. Source with One Author. Last name of the author, followed by the page number s if any of the work being cited: Berg Source with No Author Given. Source with Two or More Authors. TIP If your teacher prefers a certain style of documenting sources—foot- notes or endnotes, for example, follow that style exactly. Here is an example of one style of footnote for a magazine article with one author. The number 1 at the beginning of the footnote refers to a number in the report where there is information to document. Include a Works Cited List At the end of your I-Search paper, you need to include a Works Cited list that includes all the sources you have used in your paper. A Works Cited list may include both print and non- print sources, such as films or electronic materials.

If you are using only print sources in your paper, you can entitle your list of sources Bibliography. You provide a Works Cited list or a Bibliography for readers who are interested in learning more about your topic. Ignore A, An, and The, and use the first letter of the next word. Begin each listing at the left margin. If the listing is longer than one line, indent the remaining lines five spaces. Double-space all entries. Put your Works Cited list on a separate piece of paper at the end of your final I-Search paper.

Center the words Works Cited at the top of the page. Evaluating Web Sources One of the most important sources you can I Currency: What are the dates for creation, consult in researching for an I-Search paper is publication, and revision of the Web site? the World Wide Web, perhaps the richest These dates should appear at the bottom of source of information in the world. However, the home page. Is the information up-to- no system exists to ensure that what appears on date? When was the site last updated? Might the Web is accurate, reliable, and objective. You the information have changed since then? should evaluate every Web site you consider I Authority: What are the qualifications of using for your paper, even those maintained by the creator and publisher of the Web site?

the government and educational institutions. Sometimes authority is difficult to deter- You can evaluate Web sites by using the criteria mine. on the Web page? Is the information on the same subject as the Web page. unique to this site, or is it available from I Objectivity: To what extent might the some other source, like the library? information he or she presents? Does the Remember that anyone can publish any- Web site try to persuade you to adopt a par- thing on the Web. Have you seen the same ticular point of view? Do the pages present information in other sources? Do the both sides of an issue? Is the site affiliated authors of the Web page support their ideas with any major institutions or organizations? with evidence? Using the information above as a reference, 3.

site you used in researching for your I-Search 4. Explain why you do or do not believe the paper. author of the Web site to be qualified to 1. Is the information from the Web site avail- write on the topic. able from a more accessible source? If so, 5. Does the Web site present both sides of an name the source. If not, explain why. If the Web site does not deal with an 2. Could you confirm the accuracy of the issue, what is its purpose? information by finding the same informa- tion in another source? If so, name the source. If not, explain. attention-getting statement about your topic, and explain why it was important for you to find out I Explain what you already knew more about it.

about your topic. Tell What You Knew Briefly mention the most I Tell what you wanted to know important information and ideas you already knew about your topic. I Include a thesis statement. Tell What You Wanted To Learn and Why Let readers I Retrace your research steps. know what you wanted to find out about your topic and the reasons motivating your search. State Your Thesis Turn your research question into a statement and add the factors that complete the statement. The Search Results Retrace Your Steps Describe the sources you began I Describe important results of with and the ones you found later.

Discuss successes your research. and setbacks and any changes to your original research question. I Support your findings. Discuss Your Results and Give Support Devote at least a paragraph to each important research result. Support your findings with direct quotations, para- phrases, and summaries of information from your sources. Search Reflections I Describe the significance of your Reflect on Your Search Describe what you learned research experience. from your research experience. Discuss how your I Restate your thesis. experience and your new knowledge might affect your future.

Remind readers of your thesis statement. YOUR TURN 6 Writing a First Draft Go to the Chapter Menu Using the Framework above, write the first draft of your I-Search paper. for an interactive activity. What a shock it was to hear those words. I thought I statement just had a stubborn cold. How could I stay on the basketball team? What about my camping trips? I did not know much more than that, though. Since I am on the basketball team and also go on week- Brief overview of end camping trips with my Boy Scout troop, I wanted to find what the writer wants to learn out more about the kinds of things that might trigger an asthma episode. Were there trees and plants I should avoid? Would I be able to keep up with my teammates on the basket- ball court? Would I still be able to get the dog my parents had finally agreed to let me have?

I made a list of all of the things I wanted to learn. From that list, I was able to form my research question: Can I effectively manage my asthma? My search took about three weeks, and it was a new Steps of the research experience for me. I started by doing an online search using the process keywords asthma and managing. I was surprised at the amount of information I found. There were Web sites maintained by doctors, pharmaceutical companies, and support groups. I ordered some free print materials from one of the pharmaceuti- cal companies; unfortunately, I had my first draft finished before they arrived.

However, because it turned out to be good information, I went back and reworked part of the draft. I forgot to take her busy schedule into account, and I did not know that she had planned a short vacation during the time I was doing my research. She gra- ciously agreed to meet with me after her office hours one day. I am glad she did, because she gave me some very good advice. She also let me borrow a few videos about asthma. During that same week I went to my school library. The librarian showed me the reference books and regular books. By the end of the week, my head was swimming with a huge amount of information. My original search question remained the same: Can I Description of manage my asthma?

However, I was able to define exactly what narrowing the it was that I wanted to manage. Allergens constitute the largest Direct quotation category of triggers. My doc- tor said she would test me for allergies right away. If I am aller- gic to certain things, allergy shots help by desensitizing me to them and make them less likely to trigger an episode Anders. Second major If I find that I am allergic to certain pollens, I can reduce finding the chances of an asthma episode by staying indoors when those pollens are in the air. Indoors, I can reduce the risk of an episode by using the air conditioner to circulate air while keep- ing windows and doors closed to keep pollens out. Third major Several medications and devices help people with finding asthma.

One device is called a peak flow meter. This is a tube about six inches long; its purpose is to measure your ability to. push air out of your lungs. When you blow into it, you can find out if your lungs are working at their capacity. My doctor explained how the different medications work: an inhaler sends medication right into the lungs without a lot of side effects Anders. She showed me another type of inhaler to use when my peak flow number is low, or if I get short of breath while I am exercising. This inhaler helps me get my breath back right away. I also found out that certain anti-inflammatory drugs Fourth major finding are used to keep air passages open and prevent asthma episodes.

One type of these is called corticosteroids. I was glad to find that these are not the same kind of steroids that cause serious side effects in athletes who take them. At that time doctors believed a quiet, restful life was best. I had spaced. Because of been worried that I would have to drop off the basketball team limited space on these and miss the next Boy Scout campout we had planned. The Elements Nancy Hogshead, a former Olympic athlete, demon- of Language Internet strates some exercises for asthmatics on a video called Aerobics site provides a model for Asthmatics. I tried some of the exercises, and they are great. of an I-Search paper Nancy is quite a role model.

She and other Olympic athletes in the double-spaced including Rob Muzzio, Jim Ryun, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, and format. To see this Amy Van Dyken have had to deal with asthma, and many of interactive model, go to go. com and these athletes still compete Smolley and Bruce enter the keyword In fact, a recent study of Olympic athletes revealed that EOLang I am very encouraged by this fact. Answer to the After doing the research, I concluded that if I devel- research question oped a plan for myself, I would be able to manage my asthma. This is my working plan: 1.

Medical Treatment: Take allergy shots if it turns out I have allergies. Take my medications and monitor peak flow levels every day. Call the doctor as necessary. Go in for checkups every three months. Environment: Give up going on hikes if the pollen count is very high. Avoid other allergens whenever possible. Pets: Postpone a decision on pets until I find out whether I am allergic to them. Provide examples words. This will come in the form of an annotated bibliography. List the 8 most useful sources, in APA style , and for each source, provide a brief word explanation of how it would apply to your revision Project Your list must be alphabetical by source last name or title.

Your list will be made solely of academic sources articles or books from the Buxton Library. If you want, you can include a video from "Films on demand" or "Academic Video Online AVON. In this section, write about what you learned through your search, about the topic and about the nature of conducting secondary research. Submit your responses as a text entry see Submitting Assignments Through Canvas. After the final deadline, Canvas will assign you peer reviews to complete. Order a similar assignment from assignmentcafe. com Click the link below to order now www. com is one of the most legit and reliable essay writing companies that offer academic help assignmentcafe.

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Cpaper, you had a list of topics from which to choose. In this In this workshop, you Writing Workshop, you will choose a topic that has immediate relevance will write an I-Search paper. You will also to your life—a topic about which you have a genuine need or a real learn how to desire to know more. You will write a personal research paper, sometimes I form a research called an I-Search paper. question To write an I-Search paper, you pick a subject to which you have a I start a search journal I evaluate Web sources personal connection, and write about it from a personal point of view. I eliminate there is Your paper will consist of three major parts: and there are sen- I The story of your search This section tells readers what you knew tence beginnings I punctuate titles about your subject before you began your research, what you wanted to know, and the research steps you went through to find out what you wanted to know—including both the steps that led to useful informa - tion and the steps that turned out to be dead ends.

I What you learned In this section, you give readers the results of your search—both the answers you found and the answers you did not find. I Your reflections on the search You use this final section to tell readers what the experience has taught you about conducting and documenting a search. PrePrewritingwriting Select a Topic A Need to Know Even though an I-Search paper is usually less for- mal and more personal than a traditional research paper, its purpose is the. Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved. Writing Workshop Chapter Menu Chapter Menu. same—to find information. It is very important, then, for you to choose a topic that you truly want to investigate. Here are a few ways to generate ideas for a topic if you do not already have one in mind.

I Use trigger phrases. To use these phrases, write them down and fill in the blanks with whatever comes to your mind. I always wanted to know how to. I need help with. I Take an inventory of places to which you would like to travel. I Make a list of priorities. Include the factors that have the greatest impact on your life, including family, health, economics, education, law, and so forth. Remember, your goal is to find a topic you want to know something about—one that is driven by a real desire or need in your life. For exam- ple, one student who discovered that he had asthma felt he needed to know everything he could about the disease and its possible effects on his life. Brainstorm a list of several topics.

Then, circle the one you want to research. TIP When you select a topic, be sure that it is a suitable one. It should be not only interesting and informative, but also lend itself to research. In other words, you should be able to locate adequate information on your topic from a variety of outside sources. If the information on your topic comes only from your knowledge and experience, there is no need for a search. Form a Research Question In a Nutshell To avoid gathering information that you cannot use in your I-Search paper, you must focus as tightly as you can on one key aspect KEY CONCEPT of your topic. The best way to achieve a tight focus is to form a research question—a question that asks exactly what you want to find out from your research.

Keep in mind that you should not be able to answer your research question with a single word. Ideally, it should be a question that gives rise to several more detailed questions. To get started, ask yourself the follow- ing questions. Chapter Menu Chapter Menu. My topic is asthma. I have asthma, but I want to live an active, full life. Basically, I want to learn whether I can keep my asthma from interfering with my life. If I can, I need to know how. Once he had developed a research question, the writer then divided his initial question into several more detailed questions, all having a direct bearing on how he could manage his asthma so that he could live normally. After forming his research question and subdividing it, this writer has TIP a specific goal for his research.

Focusing his question allows him to gather Once you begin to search for relevant information and dismiss any information that has nothing to do answers to your research with his specific topic—managing asthma. question, step back from the question every so often and ask yourself if Share Your Research Question you need to revise your question slightly or come Two or More Heads Are Better. Such changes research questions. Your group can discuss ways to improve your research are a natural part of the research process. questions and to find information. One of your group members might know an expert in the very topic you have decided to research.

Another might suggest a better way to focus your research question. Identify Your Purpose, Audience, and Tone Why Write? The purpose of your I-Search paper is to demonstrate to your readers that your search has had or will have an impact on your life. Who Will Read It? Your audience consists of your classmates, your teacher, and anyone else with whom you wish to share your experience. Because you want your readers to understand and appreciate your experi- ence, you should ask yourself these questions: 1. Will I need to provide my readers with more information than I knew when I started my search? How can I make my dead-end searches interesting for my readers? How can I be sure that I give my readers complete answers to all aspects of my research question? How can I let my readers know how exciting my search was without sounding insincere?

TIP What Tone of Voice? For an I-Search paper, you adopt a more infor- Remember: mal tone than you would in some other types of research papers. You should allow your own voice to show through your words. Start a Search Journal Keeping the Record Straight It is important to keep a daily record of your research process so that you will have this information when you write the story of your search. To record your daily progress, start a search journal in a notebook. Use a chart like the following one to record your information. A record of your research process will be invaluable when you begin to write your paper. A well-kept journal can provide everything you need for the story of your search, the first section of your paper. Getting information has downloaded information about the causes been easy.

of the illness. I also visited in a chat room with another teen who has asthma. Anders, my I think I waited too long to call Dr. asthma specialist, but she is going to be Anders. time to interview her and still get the paper done. It answers from one of the online groups came in some of my research questions. It has a lot of information of all, I got some tips on how to play about athletes who have asthma and sports and not get too short of breath. still play sports. YOUR 4 TURN 4 Planning Your I-Search Paper, Part One Review this list of prewriting steps before you start to research for your Go to the Chapter Menu I-Search paper. Make sure to for an interactive activity. I select a topic I form a research question I share your research question I identify your audience, purpose, and tone I start your search journal.

Find Sources A Wealth of Information As you conduct your research, you will be looking at two basic sources of information—primary and secondary. KEY CONCEPT Primary sources include legal documents, letters, diaries, eyewitness accounts, and surveys. Secondary sources are interpretations of primary materials written by other authors. For example, if a historian studied diaries, letters, official military records, and eyewitness accounts to write a biography of a famous general, he would be using primary sources. If that same historian consulted material from other biographies of the same. general or from history books that included material about the general, he would be using secondary sources. The first place to begin your search is your school library, but you should also consider your community library and any college or university libraries in your area.

Although your search might start at the library, it cer- tainly should not end there. Check out community resources, including the World Wide Web, and do not forget the various government agencies— local, state, and national—that might be valuable sources. The charts below list resources that may be available in your area libraries and in your com- munity, along with the sources or types of information they provide. Card catalog or online catalog books listed by title, author, and subject; in some libraries this catalog also lists audiovisual materials—videotapes, records, CDs, audiotapes, filmstrips, and films.

Microfilm or microfiche or indexes to major newspapers such as The New York Times, back issues of newspapers online databases. General and specialized refer- encyclopedias electronic or print , biographical references, atlases, almanacs ence books and CD-ROMs. World Wide Web and online articles, interviews, bibliographies, pictures, videos, sound recordings; access to the services Library of Congress and other libraries. Local government agencies facts and statistics on various subjects, policies, experts on local government. Local offices of state and voting records, recent or pending legislation, experts on state and federal government federal government officials. Local newspaper offices accounts of events of local interest, historical information on city or area. Museums, historical societies, historical events, scientific achievements, art and artists, special exhibits, and experts service groups on these subjects.

Evaluate Your Sources TIP You should A Source to Trust? Just as members of a jury have to decide which always consider inter- witnesses are credible, or believable, and which are not, you have to deter- viewing experts in the subject area you are mine the extent to which you can trust your sources of information. Here researching.

Publish Your Paper Share Your Experience Here are some ways you might share your I-Search paper with a larger audience. write your thesis, and create an informal outline for your paper. Writing Workshop Chapter Menu Chapter Menu Using Graphics Effectively When you read a print document or a Web page, you usually see a combination of words and illustrations. One device is called a peak flow meter. Getting information has downloaded information about the causes been easy.

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