1. The Extended Essay
Research Process
UWCSEA

2. Choose the subject
 Your subject needs to be an approved Diploma
Programme subject for the extended essay.
 You need to do an essay in a subject you study 
 For more specific information about each subject, you can
read the assessment criteria and the relevant subject
guidance. These are available from your subject teachers.

3. Choose the topic
 This will generally be from part of the curriculum that you
have covered or will cover in class soon.
 Ideally it is something that you find interesting and would
be inspired to write 4000 words about.
 Remember your Extended Essay could form part of your
university application, so you could pick an area which
you might study in the future.

4. Develop a
research question
 This is where you narrow your topic into a specific
research question or hypothesis to test.
 Using open questions, instead of closed questions is
recommended. Avoid research questions that would lead
to a descriptive essay.
 Using phrases such as “To what extent..” encourage
essays with a greater analytical and evaluative nature.
 Your supervisor will help you to refine the scope of your
research question.

5. Plan the investigation
and writing process
 This is where you narrow your topic into a specific
research question or hypothesis to test.
 Using open questions, instead of closed questions is
recommended. Avoid research questions that would lead
to a descriptive essay.
 Using phrases such as “To what extent..” will give your
topic a greater analytical and evaluative focus.
 Your supervisor will help you to refine the scope of your
research question.

6. Identify how you will
collect information
 Every extended essay requires in-depth and original
research.
 Some essays will require primary research, where you
gather data through experiments, interviews, focus groups
or surveys.
 Every essay will require some secondary research. This is
information or data written or gathered by others that helps
answer your question. You will need go beyond using just
the internet, and visit libraries and access databases of
journals written by experts.

7. Set personal deadlines
 You need to carefully plan your timeline to meet the
schools deadlines. You cannot miss any of the school’s
requirements. See the Extended Essay guide for the
precise dates.
 Use a tool such as iCal or iProcrastinate to plan the steps
ahead of each deadlines. Also manage other pieces of
school work such as internal assessments and anticipate
busy times.
 Plan when each of your meetings with the supervisor will
be, and also schedules times when you can collect
information or conduct experiments.

8. Plan a structure
 Outline the headings for your Extended Essay.
 Your supervisor may provide you with a rough template of
headings, but also look at the past Extended Essays
available in the Library for ideas on structure. Each subject
will have a distinctive structure.
 Develop your main headings early, perhaps in a Google
Doc and share this with your supervisor. They will be able
to provide guidance and one of your meetings.

9. Undertake some
preparatory reading
 If you discover that it will not be possible to obtain the
evidence needed in the time available, the research
question should be changed. Remember in some subjects
you will need to conduct experiments, and or collect
secondary research.
 Reading and searching should be done sooner rather than
later: students should not lose time waiting and hoping that
something will turn up.
 Be prepared to go back and change your research topic, if
you don’t find the necessary information.

10. Carry out the
investigation
 The material gathered should be assembled in a logical
order, linked to the structure of the essay. Only then will
you know whether you have enough evidence for each
stage of the argument so that they can proceed to the
next.
 Students should be prepared for things to go wrong.
Sometimes they may discover something later in the
investigation that undermines what they thought had been
established earlier on. If that happens, the investigation
plan needs to be revised.

11. Submission and
feedback
 Towards the end of the process you will submit a draft of your
extended essay. This will be a nearly completed piece of work.
This is your chance to get feedback on the written piece of
work, the structure, analysis and the referencing.
 You also have three meetings throughout the process where
your supervisor will ask questions and help with any issues.
 After you have submitted the final essay your supervisor will
likely conduct a viva voice, which is an interview about your
essay. This will help them judge your final piece of work and
check its authenticity.