Transcript The I-Search

The I-Search
What is it and how the heck do I
choose a topic to research?
Make 2 columns on your paper.
For each column, you’ll write a
bullet-pointed list:
K
What do you
already know or
what have you
heard about the
I-Search paper?




W
What do you want
to know about it?
What questions
pop into your mind
when your teacher
says, “We are
going to write a
research paper”?
Interest Survey
This part is to get your brain
thinking about what the heck
you could write about. As you
answer the questions, look for
patterns.
Ready??
What Not to Do…
These were chosen because they
aren’t really researchable…




Things on Mythbusters
Conspiracy theories, unsolved
mysteries, or things that can’t be
proved (like Amelia Earhart, the
Bermuda Triangle, the Loch Ness
Monster, Aliens, Roswell, etc.)
Dreams and the meanings of
Famous Deaths (JFK or Marilyn
Monroe) or “Is ___ really dead?”
The answer is yes.
More things not to do…






Biographies of bands and people.
All you have to do is watch Behind
the Music or read one book, and
you’re done
Vampires…just because
Werewolves…same reason
How do I…? (plan a vacation, make
a million before I’m 30.)
Darwinism vs. Creationism: which
one is right?
Anything else I deem appropriate to
add to the list…
Final Note on what you can’t
do…
You have to choose something that
can be written about for 6 to 8
pages.
You need at least 5 sources; these
can’t all be the same kind of source.
You will need at least 2 different
kinds of resources (more on that
later…) Most essays have 5-10
sources by the end.
Your research question/topic can have
multiple parts and it will ultimately
reflect your position on some issue.
So what am I actually doing??



This research paper is in the style of
an argumentative essay, which
means…
You are going to form an
opinion/state your position on a
relevant, possibly controversial topic
but…
You don’t know what your position
about this issue is until you have
done some research…hence the
name research paper 
What else do I need to know
about choosing what to research?




You should be genuinely interested in this topic;
otherwise, your next 10 weeks are going to
be painful.
There needs to be more than one side to
the issue; it has to be “arguable,” which
means there is no simple, easy answer
YOU should have no fixed or really strong
opinions about which side you’re on b/c
you’ll figure this out as you do your
research. So, be open-minded!
Finally, you need to choose something that
somehow impacts you and the world we
live in today.
Homework to be completed by
next time!

Pick 3 topics you are interested in
researching, and for each topic
 Write a question you would like to
answer
 Write a few sentences about why
you’re interested in this topic and
 its relevance in your world/the
world around us
 In our next class, we will discuss
how to write good research
questions.
The thing about your research
question is…




It should not be a yes/no question or a
one-word answer (like which country
has the largest population…it’s
China!)
It should not be something you
already know the answer to!
It should be something you are
genuinely interested in (remember?)
It should be able to be answered in 6
to 8 pages with at least 5 sources.
More about writing successful
research questions
It can’t be too broad or too specific
This one is a bit too broad:

Are Kindles or other e-readers better than
real books?
That question has potential, but it needs to be
narrowed down to specific fields or contexts so
you can look at where and the ways in which
they’re superior or inferior. So in what
environments or contexts is the issue of online
books relevant?
New and improved: Are digital/online books
better for educational environments than
actual textbooks?
Are the following researchable topics
for the argumentative I-Search paper?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
When and where did Fencing originate
and how did it evolve into the sport I love
today?
Do I have what it takes to be a Navy
Seal? What does the training consist of
and could I make a career out of this?
Is the food/sugar industry responsible for
contributing to the obesity epidemic in
today’s school-age children and teens?
Does video game violence lead to more
aggressive and violent behavior in teens?
Are more stringent gun control laws
effective in reducing the number of school
shootings?
How to form a question on…
Gun violence
 Where? What are the sides to the issue?
What sorts of things can be debated about
this issue?
 Does legislation on gun control create a
safer environment for its citizens?
 This works because there are two sides to
what “a safer environment” means. You
may feel more protected with a gun in your
house, but I may feel unsafe coming into
your house for fear of an accident. So,
what makes people feel safe differs
depending on the person and the
environment.
Sample I-Search Questions
That Worked Well




Has social media had more
beneficial or detrimental effects on
society? Why?
Was Gaius Julius Caesar or
Alexander the Great the more
effective leader?
Which green energy resources are
making the best impact on improving
our environment?
Is the portrayal of race receiving a
more equitable representation on
television and movies these days?
What are the advantages and
disadvantages of President
Obama’s plan for Increasing
Troops in Afghanistan, and from
the knowledge obtained in my
research, what is my opinion on
how it affects the best interest of
the United States of America?
You can’t do this one. It’s from
Joseph Song, who is a junior at
Harvard right now. I just wanted
to show you a great example for
this, the last slide.
