1. The Extended Essay
Academic Writing

2. 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

3. 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!

4. Topics can be worthy of investigation.

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

6. 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.

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

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

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

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

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

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