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Your research question may change over the course of your research, but you should aim to avoid making any significant changes too late in the process.
You may adjust your research question to match what you end up writing about in your final submission.
It is perfectly acceptable to end up disproving aspects of your thesis as long as you discuss why and provide evidence.
More information about these steps is available on the IB website.
The IB provides this guidance on developing a clear, focused and arguable RQ:
Clear: Will the reader understand the nature of my research? Will it direct the research being undertaken?
Focused: Will the research question be specific enough to allow for exploration within the scope of the task (that is, the number of words and time available)?
Arguable: Does the research question allow for analysis, evaluation and the development of a reasoned argument?
Your RQ should also use key words connected with your title, topic or subject, and you should try include relevant IB command terms for your subject too.
Complete this worksheet to help formulate your research question.
Your RQ needs to be clear and focused. These sample research questions show how you can impove the clarity and focus of a research question.
Use limiting factors to narrow down your topic. Here are some examples:
Historical period or period of time.
Person or book
Age group
Gender
Political Ideology
Case Study
School of thought
Country or geographic area.
Your research question may imply a thesis, but you don't have to prove this thesis. As your research progresses, and you critically evaluate evidence related to your argument, you may end up affirming or disproving your thesis.
It is not uncommon for researchers to modify or refine their research question as they conduct research and find new sources.
However, you should always speak with your supervisor if you want to change your research question, and agree a deadline after which you can no longer make any major changes.
Your research question should accurately reflect the scope of your essay and must be addressed in your conclusion. This may mean that you need to adjust your research question at the end of essay writing process so that it addresses the scope of your essay.
Note that if you change your research question you should document this in your second reflection on the Reflections on planning and progress form.
To what extent ...
What is the impact of ...
What is the impact of [variable] on [outcome]?
What are the factors that contribute to [phenomenon]?
What is the relationship between [variable] and [variable]?
How does [variable] differ across [population/group]?
How has [phenomenon] evolved over time?
What are the cultural factors that influence [behavior]?
How does [variable] affect [industry/field]?
How does [variable] impact [field/industry] innovation?
The IB suggest folllowing these 5 steps to formulate a research question:
Choose a subject and topic that is of interest
Carry out preliminary reading
Consider the emerging questions
Evaluate the question
Consider research outcomes
To get the most out of copilot when researching, you need to download Microsoft Edge and use the Copilot sidebar.
Microsoft suggest the follow approach:
Define clear objectives. Determine the main goal of the prompt and the role AI should take. Whether creating a syllabus, drafting a quiz, or revising lesson content, have a clear vision of the end goal.
Be specific. Chat experiences operate best when given detailed instructions. Specify grade level, subject, topic, or any other relevant parameters. For instance, "secondary math quiz on algebraic expressions" is clearer than "math quiz."
Structure the prompt. Break complex tasks into smaller parts. Instead of asking the AI to draft an entire lesson, request an outline, then delve into specific sections.
Iterate and refine. The first response from AI might not always align perfectly with expectations. Don't hesitate to rephrase the prompt, ask follow-up questions, or provide more context based on the initial output.
Combine expertise. Use AI as a tool to enhance and streamline work but remember to overlay its suggestions with your educational expertise. AI can suggest content, but the educator decides the best way to edit and present it to their audience.
Make sure that Bing is summarising the page, not searching the web. You can do this by stating in your prompt that you want it so summrise "this page" of "this PDF". Note that when you ask follow-up questions, you also need to be clear otherwise it may search the web.
You can also select text and ask Bing to clarify what the selection is discussing.
Command Terms
Try these prompts out in your favourite AI model.
You can also do this using a paper that you have found or JSTOR's text analyzer.
Lekanides defines a literature review as "a summative evaluation of what has already been written (or said) about a given topic" (58).
Emerging AI Tools for Literature Review (HKUST)
Using AI-powered Tools for Literature Reviews (Macquarie University)
Lekanides, Kosta. Extended Essay: Course Companion. Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2016.
Title page: The title of the essay, the research question, the subject (boths subjects and theme for world studies, category for group 1 and 2 essays), and the word count.
Table of Contents page (for all subjects)
Introduction
Main body
Conclusion
Works cited list
Appendices if requires.
Page numbers must be included.
The candidate or school name should not appear on the title page or headers.
Font, font size and spacing should be conducive to on-screen marking e.g. Arial or Calibri, 12 pt, double-spaced, with standard margins.
The size of the file you upload should not exceed 10MB.
No style is prescribed by the IB, but VSA requires you to use MLA. Note that while MLA does not require access dates for online resources, these are required by the IB and do need to be included.
Do not use footnotes. These are not used in MLA for citations and are not required to be read by the examiner.
Don’t use “padding” when completing your bibliography. Only include works that you have cited or consulted (in which case you can include a separate Works Consulted list).
Any visual material including graphs and images should only be included if it is directly inked to your argument and referred to in the tex. It also needs to be captioned and reference correctly.
Credit must be given to all sources used. Clearly distinguish between your thoughts and those of others.
Source: Extended Essay Guide (International Baccalaureate Organization).
Chinese: 1 word = approximately 1.2 Chinese characters (upper limit 4,800 characters). Exclude punctuation in word/character count.
Note that quotations are included in the word count, but the works cited page and in-text citations are not included in the word count.
Included in the word count | Not included in the word count |
---|---|
The introduction
The contents page
The main body
Maps, charts, diagrams, annotated illustrations
The conclusion
Tables
Quotations
Equations, formulas and calculations
Footnotes and/or endnotes that are not references
Citations/references (whether parenthetical, numbered, footnotes or endnotes)
The bibliography
The Reflections on planning and progress form
Headers
The viva voce
is a short interview between you and your EE supervisor that happens after you have completed your EE
takes about 20 - 30 minutes
is a celebration of the work you have done
is an opportunity to reflect on what you have learnt from the process
Once the viva voce has been completed, you may not make any changes to your EE submission.
World Studies and more information here. You may also find this graphic organiser useful.
Use one Google doc to write your essay, and one for your notes. If any academic integrity issues arise, you can use these to demonstrate your writing process to your supervisor.
Note that AI models are likely to hallucinate sources. Using an AI model that is capable of searching the internet may help.
Unless otherwise specified, assume that any prompts or data you enter into a GenAI tool will be used to train future AI models.
Critically evaluate any AI outputs as they are often biased.
Citation chaining is a powerful technique for researching a topic. When you find a source (usually an academic article or book) that is highly relevant to your research question, you can use citation chaining to discover additional sources that may be relevant to your research and gain a deeper understanding of the topic.
Here's how to use citation chaining:
Look for references in the source: As you read the source, pay attention to any references to other works. These references may be in-text citations or footnotes.
Follow the references: If you find a section in the source that is particularly relevant to your research, check to see if any sources are referenced. Use the reference to find further details about the sources in the works cited list or bibliography.
Track down the sources by searching for them in databases like Google Scholar or other academic databases, or by asking Mr Mac.
You can also look skim through the works cited page or bibliography at the end of the article to look for more relevant sources.
Acceptable | Unacceptable |
---|---|
Brainstorming
Writing your research question for you
Identify keywords and synonyms
Using answers from AI as a reliable source
Literature Review
Improving your writing
Summarising a paper
Explaining a complicated topic
The World Studies Extended Essay (WSEE) allows students to thoroughly investigate a topic of local and global significance by combining insights from two different Diploma Programme subject areas. Students must choose a topic that can be examined through the lens of two distinct disciplines, one of which must be a subject they are presently studying. This interdisciplinary approach enables students to develop a well-rounded and comprehensive understanding of their chosen topic.
World Studies and more information here. You may also find this graphic organiser useful.
Is an interdisciplinary WSEE a better way to explore your topic than a single-subject essay?
Choosing a good research question is key
Choosing a good local case study allows you to focus your WSEE
This criterion focuses on the topic, the research question, and the methodology. It assesses the explanation of the focus of the research (this includes the topic and the research question), how the research will be undertaken, and how well the focus is maintained throughout the essay.
Does this essay meet the requirements for the subject for which you are registering it?
Is your research question stated as a question?
Have you explained how your research question relates to the subject that you selected for the extended essay?
Have you given any insight into why your area of study is important?
Is your research question feasible within the scope of the task? Could your research question be “answered” or is it too vague?
Did you refer to your research question throughout the essay (not only in the introduction and conclusion)?
Did you explain why you selected your methodology?
Are there other possible methods that could be used or applied to answer your research question? How might this change the direction of your research?
If you mentioned a particular methodology in the introduction of your essay, or specific sources, have you used them?
Are there any references listed in the bibliography that were not directly cited in the text?
This criterion assesses the extent to which the research relates to the subject area or discipline used to explore the research question—or in the case of the world studies extended essay, the issue addressed and the two disciplinary perspectives applied—and additionally, the way in which this knowledge and understanding is demonstrated through the use of appropriate terminology and concepts.
Have you explained how your research question relates to the specific subject you selected for the extended essay?
Have you used relevant terminology and concepts throughout your essay as they relate to your particular area of research?
Is it clear that the sources you are using are relevant and appropriate to your research question?
Do you have a range of sources, or have you only relied on one particular type (for example, internet sources)?
Is there a reason why you might not have a range of sources? Is this justified?
This criterion assesses the extent to which critical thinking skills have been used to analyse and evaluate the research undertaken.
Have you made links between your results and data collected and your research question?
If you included data or information that is not directly related to your research question, have you explained its importance?
Are your conclusions supported by your data?
If you found unexpected information or data, have you discussed its importance?
Have you provided a critical evaluation of the methods you selected?
Have you considered the reliability of your sources (peer-reviewed journals, internet, and so on)?
Have you mentioned and evaluated the significance of possible errors that may have occurred in your research?
Are all your suggestions of errors or improvements relevant?
Have you evaluated your research question?
Have you compared your results or findings with any other sources?
Is there an argument that is clear, easy to follow, supported by evidence, and directly linked to answering your research question?
This criterion assesses the extent to which the presentation follows the standard format expected for academic writing and the extent to which this aids effective communication.
Have you read and understood the presentation requirements of the extended essay?
Have you chosen a font that will be easy for examiners to read on-screen?
Is your essay double-spaced and size 12 font?
Are the title and research question mentioned on the cover page?
Are all pages numbered?
Have you prepared a correct table of contents?
Do the page numbers in the table of contents match the page numbers in the text?
Is your essay subdivided into correct sub-sections, if this is applicable to the subject?
Are all figures and tables properly numbered and labelled?
Does your bibliography contain only the sources cited in the text?
Did you use the same reference system throughout the essay?
Does the essay have less than 4,000 words?
Is all the material presented in the appendices relevant and necessary?
Have you proofread the text for spelling or grammar errors?
This criterion assesses the student’s engagement with their research focus and the research process. It will be applied by the examiner at the end of the assessment of the essay, after considering the student’s RPPF.
Have you demonstrated your engagement with your research topic and the research process?
Have you highlighted challenges you faced and how you overcame them?
Will the examiner get a sense of your intellectual and skills development?
Will the examiner get a sense of your creativity and intellectual initiative?
Will the examiner get a sense of how you responded to actions and ideas in the research process?
More information can be found in the documenting sources section of this website.
See also consult the subject-specific guides.
When you start a project that requires you to manage a large number of sources, think about using a more powerful reference manager than MyBib that can both store documents for you and help you to cite them. Zotero is a great tool to use and will be very useful to use when you go to university.
There are a number of products that are starting to integrate AI into document & reference management such as Petal, but these are not completely free. If you're interested in trialling these, let me know.
If you are writing in English, use the pinyin or jyutping transliteration of the author’s name for works cited entries for Chinese sources, or an equivalent system for other languages (MLA Handbook 63-4). In your works cited list, you may optionally include the original name in square brackets after the transliteration if needed.
Note that you do not need to reverse the order of Chinese names in your works cited list and do not need to insert a comma between names.
When you first refer to the author in your writing, use the full name, but after this, you can use the last name only.
e.g. Gao Xing JIan >> Gao
Jin Yong [金庸]. 射雕英雄传 [The Legend of the Condor Heroes]. Guangzhou Chu Ban She, 2018.
When an author has multiple names (e.g. the above author is also known as Louis Cha), use the name that appears on the published work that you are using. Use the same name for each source, if you are using multiple sources by the same author.
Include the original title of the work followed by a translation of the article or book title in square brackets []. The website name and publisher’s name should be either translated or transliterated. There is no need to use italics.
If there is no author, include a translation of the title before the original title so that the source can be listed in alphabetical order and easily located, and use the translated title in your in-text citations.
Wei Jianhua [魏建华] and Zhou Liang [周良]. 习近平发表重要演讲呼吁共建“丝绸之路经济带” [“Xi Jinping Delivers an Important Speech Calling for the Joint Sponsorship of the ‘Silk Road Economic Belt’”]. 中国一带一路网 [China’s Belt and Road Portal], Xinhua News Agency, 7 Sept. 2013, www.yidaiyilu.gov.cn/xwzx/xgcdt/1875.htm. Accessed 7 Sept. 2017.
A simplified version of this is perfectly acceptable too:
Wei Jianhua and Zhou Liang. “Xi Jinping Delivers an Important Speech Calling for the Joint Sponsorship of the ‘Silk Road Economic Belt’”. China’s Belt and Road Portal, Xinhua News Agency, 7 Sept. 2013, www.yidaiyilu.gov.cn/xwzx/xgcdt/1875.htm. Accessed 7 Sept. 2017.
If you need to include a quote, this should be translated into English. You can include the text “my trans.” to indicate that you have translated the quote yourself. You can include this after the in-text citation, preceded by a semi-colon ‘;’.
… praised “the traditional friendship between China and Kazakhstan” (Wei; my trans.).