I-Search Paper Format

Paper 2 How the Snake Bit the South

Work through each section of the paper, following the step-by-step procedures.
Step 1
Choose your topic, but have at least 2 back up choices. Then, turn your topic into a Research
Question you can investigate. Use the following chart to help you frame your Research Question
by following the example chart on the left.
What is my topic? Asthma
What interests me about my topic? I have
asthma, but I want to know if I can still do
most of the things I want to do.

What is my topic? Snakes in Southern

Culture
How Snakes Affected the South and how it
Affected America

What do I want to learn from doing

research? Basically I want to know if I can
keep my asthma from interfering in my life.
If I can, I need to know how.

Why is the snake important in so many

cultures and how it influenced the south to
change America?

Research Question: Can I manage my

asthma so I can lead a full, active life.

Why do snakes have so much meaning?

Step 2
Here is where you write one or two paragraphs, discussing what knowledge, experience, or
background you already have about your topic, BEFORE having done any research on it.
Before you begin your research, write some notes about what you already know. You will then
turn these notes into 1-2 typed paragraphs for the first part of your rough draft.
I. What I Already Know
Every culture has been influenced by a snake. The snake symbolizes different things in
different cultures like deception, evil, power, mystery, and cleverness. What makes snakes
Scary? The negative connotation of snakes drives paranoia. In Christian, Egyptian, Indian, and
Southern views of the snake. Worship of the snake and symbolism out of fear and repect for the
animal drives the snake to be so feared.

Step 3
Here is where you put down one or two paragraphs' worth of questions about your topic,
questions you want to have answered. These questions will lead you to those sources that will
answer your questions. These questions must be specific, and focused on the aspects of your

topic about which you are truly interested.

Before you begin your research, write some questions about what you want to know. You will
then turn these notes into 1-2 typed paragraphs for the second part of your rough draft.
II. What I Want to Find Out
I want to learn more about the history of Country music and how it has changed over
time. I am also interested in knowing how significant of an influence Country music has
had on Southern culture. How long has Country music been around? What types of
culture and genres helped to create Country music? How popular is Country music
compared to other genres?

Step 4
Here is where you'll read at least 5 sources of information about your topic. This is, in essence,
the body of your paper. Not only do you report on what others have said about your topic, but
you also add your opinion of their perspectives. You also get to comment on what an amazing
experience you're having along the way. Yes! The "I" in I-Search means that you must write in
the first person, and you must be an interactive, reactive participant in the I-Search writing
process.
To help this portion of the paper, you will start a Search Journal. Only use sources that are
credible! If you cannot find an established company, university, etc., DO NOT use it as a
source! Complete an entry for each credible source you locate. Explain the Main Points of the
source, your Opinion of the source and its information, and the Location of the source (for now,
you can write the web address or the title of the book/article/journal and author. We will work
on MLA format when I return.
Search Journal
Main Points

Opinion

Location

long history of Country

music
main influence
major artists
relationship to historical
events

great information
interesting
historically accurate
chronological

Lost Highway: The

Story of Country
Music. BBC. 2003.
Television.

history of lower-class
Americans
origin and use of word
Hillbilly
culture of the Hillbilly

extensive; very detailed

explains origin of
Hillbilly music

Harkins, Anthony.
Hillbilly: A Cultural
History Of An
American Icon. New
York: Oxford UP,
2004. Print.

major events in Country

music
major artists
creation, rise and fall of

describes Country
musics influence on
other genres very well

Smith, Grady. "How

Country Music
Went Crazy: A
Comprehensive

specific genres within

Country music

Timeline of the
Genres Identity
Crisis."
Entertainment
Weekly. N.p., 01
Oct. 2014. Web. 07
Oct. 2014.

Step 5
You are still working with the Search Journal and The Search portion of your paper, but now you
must start to get it ready for the rough draft stage. Using the information from your Search
Journal, start to think about what your whole paper will be about. Then, create a Thesis
Statement that you will use in your paper. To frame your Thesis Statement, turn your Research
Question into a sentence and add the factors you must consider to answer your question.
Example: Research Question = Can I manage my asthma so I can lead a full, active life?
Thesis Statement = I can manage my asthma so that I can lead a full, active life by
following my doctors instructions on medication, avoiding pets, sticking to an exercise
program, and minimizing the effects of allergens that can trigger asthma episodes.
My Thesis Statement =
Through its rich history, Country music has always represented the life of the American
little-man, the working-class hero, and has spawned many other forms of American
culture in music, movies, television and style.

Step 6
You are still working with the Search Journal and The Search portion of your paper, but now you
are moving from your paper topic (Thesis Statement) into the body of your paper. To do this,
you will create an Informal Outline. Use the three categories below to help you organize your
thoughts. I have included a sample Informal Outline on the left-hand side, and you will create
your Informal Outline on the right-hand side.
Sample Informal Outline

My Informal Outline

1. 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
Reading articles
Finding books/journals
Thesis Statement: I can manage my asthma
so that I can lead a full, active life by

1. The story of my search:

creation of Country music
major events and their relationship to
American/Southern society
analysis of Country musics impact on
American/Southern culture
Research Question: How has Country
music effected the society and culture
of both the South and America as a
whole?
Searching online

following my doctors instructions on

medication, avoiding pets, sticking to an
exercise program, and minimizing the effects
of allergens that can trigger asthma episodes.

Searching on FSU library

website/database
Thesis Statement: Through its rich
history, Country music has always
represented the life of the American
little-man, the working-class hero, and
has spawned many other forms of
American culture in music, movies,
television and style.

2. The results of my search

I can manage my asthma so that I can lead a
full, active life if I

Follow my doctors instructions on

medicationsinhalers and allergy
shots

Avoid pets

Stick to an exercise program for

respiratory muscles

Minimize environmental factorsdust,

pollen, air pollution, weather

2. The results of my search:

Country music has acted as a mirror,
reflecting the major events and change
in American society, specifically the
lower-class Southern family.

3. 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

3. In the end: Reflections on my search:

Allowed me to learn more about the
impacts/significance of Country music
to our society and culture

Step 7
You are now ready to move to the planning stages for the last two sections of your rough draft:
What I Learned and What My Search Told Me. For these two sections of your paper, you will
focus on the actual search process of using the internet and the media center for information.
You will also focus on the information you found. Complete the prompts below so that you will
be able to write 1-2 paragraphs about What I Learned and What My Search Told Me.
How successful were your searches?
I learned very much. It was very difficult to find scholarly (not .com) sources on my
topic.
Was the Internet easier to use than hard copies, such as books, reference materials,
magazines, etc.?
Yes! The internet had much more information to offer on my topic.

How hard was it to find sources that were credible on the Internet?
I found plenty of credible sources of information about my topic. It was very difficult to
find scholarly (not .com) sources though. There are not many scholarly sources about my topic.
Where did you find most of your good information?
Television documentary, Magazine articles (online), Papers/Essays (online)
List 5 interesting things you learned about your topic.
1. Country music was once called Hillbilly music.
2. Country music branched from Irish/Scottish folk music.
3. The banjo was invented by African Americans.
4. There are many more sub-genres of Country music than I originally thought.
5. Statistically, Country music is the most popular genre of music in the United States.

Step 8
You are now ready to write your rough draft. You have seen several examples of the planning
stages, using the topic of asthma, and I am including a sample paper about a different topic
finding a specific type of car for purchase. Review both examples, from planning and the rough
draft, to help you use your planning sheets and write a rough draft about your topic.