Now that you’ve reached the final paper of the semester, it’s time to pull all of the parts together. Before you panic, remember that you’ve already done most of the work for this paper. For this paper, you will decide on the approach:
I-Search Format
These papers are research narratives, the story of your research. Following the format in “Making the Writing and Research Connection with the I-Search Process” (13), your paper would be divided into sections covering:
What I Knew
Why I’m Writing This Paper
The Search
What I Learned
Essay Format
The essay format is usually structured around main points and can include subheadings or not. Of these three structures, the essay format is the most flexible and can conform to your voice.
Regardless of the approach you take, the predominant voice in the paper should be yours.
A tip from Ernie Rufleth, IPFW Composition Instructor:
“Often teachers and students think that papers should be like blankets. That is everything in the paper should be woven into a nice unified whole. Sometimes it works that way sometimes it doesn’t. Sometimes you end up with a quilt. Pieces of this and pieces of that held together with stitching. Your stitching could be subheadings.”
Purpose: It’s up to you—persuade, inform, entertain, express, or combine purposes
Audience: Again, it’s your choice; who else might be interested your topic?
Length: Minimum, 7-10 pages
Research: At least 10 sources total
At least 1 article from IPFW’s databases
At least 1 primary source
Your sources do not need to be the same ones you used for the Annotated Bibliography. You will also need to pick a documentation style, and you may switch styles from the Annotated Bibliography. However, sticking with the same style is usually easier. Credit will be given for makeup and presentation (make it pretty if you like).
These papers will not be returned. Make arrangements with me if you need your paper returned (later) or wish to know your grade on the final assignment.