EDC Criteria

Guidelines for Drafting/Revising the Report

MY QUESTIONS

• Draw the reader into my topic with a good lead (for example, a story, quote, question).

• Describe what I knew about the topic when I started the search and what I wanted to learn more about (why I care about the question).

• Clearly state my search questions

MY SEARCH PROCESS

• Describe the sequence of steps in my search (for example, what sources I started with and what other sources they led me to

• Describe problems in locating information and how I solved them.

• Describe breakthroughs! Tell when it really got interesting. Describe the best sources of information.

• Tell how I changed, expanded, or revised my questions.

• Acknowledge how others in my class and outside the school helped me carry out my search.

WHAT I HAVE LEARNED

• Focus on three or four major findings or conclusions. Support my conclusions with examples, details, stories, and arguments that would help my reader understand how I arrived at my conclusions.

• Compared these findings with my original questions.

• Suggest further questions or areas to explore at another time.

WHAT THIS MEANS TO ME

• Tell how I've developed as a researcher (for example, what do I know about gathering information now that I didn't know before?).

• Describe which things I learned mean the most to me and tell why they are important.

• Explain how this work will affect the way I act toward or think about people in the future.

• Appreciate myself as a researcher and a writer (for example, persisting, making some independent decisions about my writing, helping another student, taking risks).

REFERENCES

• Have all of my references in alphabetical order.

• Use the correct format for each reference.

Components of the I-Search Report

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