Writing EE Research Question made easy!

Do you know that the heart of your essay is the research question? Although it has nothing to do with your subject. But the research question is what you wish to learn about that subject. It requires you to do more than simply list your responses. It makes you take a stand, formulate an argument, and defend your position.

If you don't know much about your subject, you may need to spend a few days (or weeks!) researching to learn enough to formulate a meaningful question. Everything you do in the Extended Essay is guided by the research question, so take the time to craft one that is good.

How to draft a Research Question?

You've chosen an interesting subject and topic and done some preliminary research. What are your plans for the future?

1. Consider the subsequent points:

 Start asking open-ended questions about your subject today. These inquiries are frequently phrased as "how," "why," or "to what extent."

2. Consider the issues:

After you've posed potential study questions, assess them. This assessment should be based on the question's clarity, focus, and dilatability.

Will the reader comprehend what my research is about? Will it influence the current research?

Will the research question be specific enough to allow exploration within the task's scope (i.e. the number of words and time available)?

Is it possible to analyze, evaluate, and build a reasoned argument based on the research question?

3. Consider the research findings:

After you've chosen a tentative research question, you should consider the route your study might follow. This could be accomplished by:

• suggesting possible research results
• laying out the type of argument you'll make and how your research will support it
• If the current research is insufficient to build a sustained case, examine other choices

Is your query precise enough?

Your inquiry should be self-contained. To put it another way, it should be specific enough that you can respond in 4,000 words. 4,000 words is hardly a lot, as any IB graduate would tell you. It's fine if some components of your query require more clarification; in fact, the Guide encourages you to analyze your title throughout the essay. The idea is to pick and choose which variables to leave open. It's pointless to spend time discussing a term or word in your essay when a simple word change would fix the problem.