What is an “I-Search Essay”?
The I-Search essay is designed to teach the writer and the reader something valuable about a chosen topic; at its best, it also teaches them about the nature of searching and discovery. As opposed to the standard research essay in which the writer usually assumes a detached and objective stance, the I-Search essay allows you to choose a topic that truly interests you, to take an active role in your search for information, and to provide a step-by-step record of your discoveries. In short, you will write about not only what you discover but how you discover it.

Do I really choose my own topic? Any topic?!?
Yes. The first rule of the I-Search essay is to select a topic that genuinely interests you and that you need to know more about. You might write about backpacking because you are planning your first hiking trip next summer; you might write about AIDS because you are concerned about your own safety; you might research everything there is to know about UC Berkeley; you might write about New York City because you are planning to move there; or you might write about the job possibilities in a field that interests you. The important point is that you choose the topic you will investigate, and you choose it because the topic interests you enough to want to find out more about it.

What about sources?
Because you want to learn all you can about the topic, you will use several different kinds of sources: you will search and include information you find on the Internet, and you will also interview at least one person who knows more than you do about your topic. (The interview may be conducted in person or via phone, email, or online chat.) You must include information from a minimum of five sources. Feel free to let your curiosity and imagination drive your research methods; in addition to researching printed material, you can write letters or email, make phone calls, and view films to help you gather more information about your topic. (NOTE: You must compile a Works Cited list at the end of your essay. See the Sample MLA Essay, under Content, Important Documents, for specifics.)

Structure and Format
Divide your I-Search essay in three sections; your final version will have these three sections so labeled (although you may assign your own titles to each section):

Section I. What I Know, Assume, or Imagine (250-500 words)

Before conducting any formal research, you will write the first section of your essay on what you already know, assume, or imagine about your topic. This section will describe why you are interested in this subject, what you already know, assume, or imagine about it, and how you think you might find out more about it. For example, if you were investigating sexual harassment on the job, you would explain what you want to know about it and why,as well as provide any information you already have about the topic. This section will be primarily narrative.

Section II. The Search (250-500 words)

You will write Part II of your essay just after you finish your research, which may include library research or Internet research; it may also include an interview with an expert on the topic. Section II will be an account of your search process. It will tell what you did on your search, and, most important, it will evaluate the success of each step you took. For instance, you might talk about how successful (or unsuccessful) your library search was and what kinds of resources helped you most; you might talk about how you went about setting up an interview, what sort of interview technique you used, and how successful you were. This section will be narrative in that it recounts your process and analytic in that it evaluates that process.

Section III. What I Discovered (1250-2000 words)
This is the most important part of the essay; you will write it after you have done each step of the search and after you have written parts I and II. In this section, you will report to your reader, in a manner that will interest him or her, what you learned in your search. Now, for instance, you should have full knowledge of backpacking or your AIDS topic or your school or career topic, and you will explain to your reader what you have found out. This section will be most similar to any research essay you’ve written, but there is a significant difference: you (your presence and your voice) should be prominent in this section, and your personal response to the information should be quite clear. This section will be largely analytical and informative, but it will also include a measure of reflection and even contemplation.