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