Transform the Outline into the Essay

Review of the Four Parts of the I-Search Essay Search question—the introduction Search process-the description of how you found your sources What I Learned—the presentation of your sources What This Means to Me—the conclusion

Remember the descriptive outline?

Let’s follow that outline through the development of that section of the essay: First, you need to label the section; Then, write a brief introduction; Finally, end the introduction with the thesis/preview from your outline.

Label the section The intro doesn’t have to be long End with the previewing thesis

Remember that each A, B, and C in your outline is a separate paragraph in your essay

Writing the paragraph from the outline: Start with your topic sentence; Then add your first generalization; Use more than one sentence to talk about your generalization before you present your first secondary source.

Presenting the Source In a research paper, your purpose is to present a variety of sources in support of your own ideas or organization; Thus, you want to avoid just cutting and pasting from your secondary sources;

You do, however, have to make sure that the reader can tell –What source you’re using; –When your source begins and ends; and –The difference between the voice of the source and your own voice

Citing Your Source: There are Three Steps Introduce your source by –Mentioning the author’s name or the article’s title; –Making clear why you’re citing this source; Quote or paraphrase from the source; Conclude the source citation by –Including a parenthetical end citation; and –Warranting the source.

It’s like a sandwich... Introduce the source and set it up Paraphrase or quote from the source Parenthetically cite and warrant the source

Look back at the outline for point A

Introduce the source

Mention source Make clear why you’re using this source

Present the Source Paraphrase the relevant information or Quote briefly

How to Paraphrase Just pick out the relevant information from your source; Put it in your own words; Begin the citation by mentioning the source; End it with a parenthetical citation and a warrant.

Identify the source Make clear why you’re citing the source Paraphrase the information Parenthetical citation and warrant

How to Quote Quote sparingly –Usually it’s best to just paraphrase Quote briefly –Take just a sentence or phrase from the source Quote in context of your own writing –Build the quotation into the grammar of your own sentence

Using Quotation Marks Open with quotation marks; Reproduce the exact wording of the source within the quotation marks; Close the quotation marks; Insert the parenthetical end citation; Insert the appropriate punctuation mark for the sentence after the parenthetical citation.

The second source, the one that I want to quote from

I’m quoting from this page as well

Here’s the second source under the first generalization

To finish out the paragraph... Work through the remaining generalizations and secondary sources; Conclude the paragraph with an overall summing up sentence; Then repeat the process for points B and C

Caution: you must cite your sources as directed. Failure to do so will automatically fail this essay