How to conduct an effective Research for your EE

How should you initiate on building a great Research Question?

A well-written paper is built around a good research question. It's a forceful question with evidence or "grounds" to back it up. You'll probably include warrants, or general principles, that explain why you think your evidence is relevant to your research question (and, perhaps, why your readers should believe you and change their minds), as well as qualifications that will make your question and supporting evidence more specific and detailed. This is an opportunity for you to connect published research on your topic with your thoughts.

The key to making everything easier for you throughout the writing stage is good research. The essay framework, case study, or experiment will practically arrange itself if you've done your research properly.

A research question is not straightforward. You can't move further until your research question is contestable in some way. Your research question should compel your readers to think (if they haven't already) or reconsider your argument (because they have long thought about your claim in a different way). After some preliminary study, your research question is the result of your critical thinking.

What to consider while thinking about your Research?

This is crucial! The question should pique your curiosity and be one that will hold your attention throughout the process. There are two traps to stay away from. For starters, some questions are convenient - perhaps the best you can think of when prompted to state a question on a form, or perhaps you believe it will suffice. Second, certain queries are fashion statements. Make sure you have a genuine, well-founded interest in your research issue, which you can investigate and support with academic and intellectual arguments.

Where to find information to dig deeper into your Research?

Here are some helpful locations to look for information on the internet:

  • www.online-literature.com 
  • Wikipedia
  • Public Library of Science (PLOS)
  • Google Scholar
  • Google Books
  • JSTOR

You are not required to utilize a certain referencing system in your Extended Essay, but you will be graded on how you use it. So, whatever you choose, be sure you utilize it consistently. 

Keep track of your study by copying and pasting relevant information into your own document. Make it as easy for yourself as possible, whether that means copying and pasting key phrases, summarizing the topic, or saving an image you might want to utilize. Keep more than a list of links to articles you find interesting! I guarantee you will forget what it says when it comes time to plan your essay.

Like the article? Spread the word