The Extended Essay Academic Writing

All academic writing shares these expectations . . . Citations or documentation are required Your readers must be able to locate your sources. Write in a clear formal style. Use standard form of documentation MLA ; APA

You will develop a research question. It is an argument to defend. Find a topic that is interesting and relevant The topic must be complex and appropriate to the subject area. No simplistic topics! No “just the facts” topics!

Topics can be worthy of investigation.

What do you already know about the topic? Who? What? When? Where? Why? How?

Background reading is essential. Scholarly reading Journals not blogs Wikipedia – that’s a start Look at the sources at the end of the article Find a couple of those sources and read them.

Reading will clarify your thinking! You can read without writing, but you cannot write without reading.

Primary sources . . Original materials from the time period or event under investigation. Artifact Letter Poem Novel

Secondary sources . . . Scholarly books Analytical articles Literary criticism Writing that evaluates a primary source Scholarly journals

Now that you know . . . Is your topic too broad? Is your topic too narrow?

Formulate a claim about your topic. I know that. . . Can the claim be shaped into an arguable question that requires more investigation?

Consider the counter claims. Read about the “opposition” Why is your argument acceptable?