Choosing a topic for your Extended Essay in History

An Extended Essay in History involves applying your skills to explore a topic of personal interest in an imaginative, critical, focused way.
It is important that you choose a topic that lends itself to critical investigation and analysis (e.g. the causes, consequences or significance of an event, development or individual), rather than one that steers you towards a descriptive or narrative piece of writing.
A thoughtfully chosen topic that inspires your curiosity and spirit of inquiry paves the way for a strong, interesting essay.
You cannot investigate the same question that frames your Internal Assessment, but beyond this you have great freedom to choose your period, place and theme.

TOP TIP: Use the ActiveHistory IBDP Historical Question Generator to help you at this stage!
www.activehistory.co.uk/ibdp/question-generator

TOP TIP: Use the ActiveHistory Historical Podcast Database to search for your favoured topic! 
www.activehistory.co.uk/library/podcasts

Framing your question

You should then use your topic to generate a workable, focused research question.
Avoid broad and general questions, which will produce to superficial and descriptive accounts.
Frame instead a question which allows you to analyse and evaluate different factors and perspectives through the use of a varied range of historical sources.
Using the IBO key command term "To what extent...?" is usually a good idea (although other command terms such as “How far...?”, “How important...?” and “How significant...?” are equally valid).
It is also important to be flexible. If your early investigation suggests a lack of suitable resources needed to support research, be prepared to amend or change your question or topic.

TOP TIP: Use the ActiveHistory IBDP Historical Question Generator to help you at this stage!
www.activehistory.co.uk/ibdp/question-generator

The following table could help you get started.

To what extent was...	[Event] [Situation] [Development] [Individual] [Policy]	the main cause of...	[Event] [Situation] [Development] [Policy]
		the most important consequence of...
How useful is...	the Novel... the Album... oral testimony... photography... the painting... the film...	to the historian studying...
How successful / significant was...	[Individual] (e.g. politician / sportsperson / entertainer / film director / etc)	in the context of...

Identifying your sources

You will be expected to locate and make use of a diverse range of primary and secondary sources in your Extended Essay. The following links might prove useful.

JSTOR | Google Books Search | Google Scholar Search | Amazon Search | BBC History Magazine Search | History Today Magazine Search

Submitting your Extended Essay Proposal Form

• You are now ready to complete the Initial Proposal Sheet and hand it to your teacher.
• Make sure that this is a detailed, considered proposal. Your supervisor will schedule a meeting with you to talk about how you plan to structure your essay in particular.

What are the titles of past Extended Essays in History?

• The questions framed for EEs in History in recent years include:
  • How has politics influenced Berlin’s architecture over the 20th century?
  • To what extent was World War Two a catalyst for British decolonization? 
  • How decisive was Spanish intervention in World War Two?
  • How far did Nietzsche’s ideas influence the ideology of the Third Reich?
  • How reliable is Hogarth’s ‘The Rake’s Progress’ as evidence of 18th century London?
  • How and why do Historical sources disagree about the life and career of Bonnie Parker?

1. Title page

The title page should include only the following sort of information:

 

2. Contents Page

Provide a breakdown of the investigation in the following format. Note that page numbering is compulsory, beginning with the first page following your contents page.

Introduction                                                           Page 1
Investigation                                                               
                  1. [Perspective / Factor 1]                    Page X
                  2. [Factor 2]                                          Page X
                  3. [Factor 3]                                          …etc
Conclusion                                                              Page X
Reference List                                                         Page X
Appendix                                                                 Page X
                  1. [Description]                                     Page X
                  2. [Description]                                     …etc

3. Introduction

There are no formal requirements on how to write the introduction, but the following steps may help:

• Research Question
• “This essay investigates the question [your research question goes here].”
• Relevance
• Outline why the topic / period you have chosen for study is so important to know about, and why your question within that topic is an important one to answer (in terms of historically and maybe also its contemporary significance).
• Research and Methodology
• Outline how the investigation is structured: summarise the different perspectives you will consider, and the sources that will allow you to do so (“The investigation will firstly consider the question from an [e.g. economic / orthodox / short-term] perspective, in particular using [list the source(s) to be used].  Secondly, it will consider the question from…[etc]”).
• Conclusions Reached
• “The main conclusions reached in the investigation are that…”

4. Investigation

• This is the main body of the extended essay.
• Examine each key argument / factor / perspective in turn in a separate section / paragraph.
• Provide a subheading over each of these (matching the structure outlined in the introduction).
• Within each paragraph, take every opportunity not only to quote from your sources, but also to consider their value and limitations (e.g. origin? purpose? friendly or hostile witness? untrue, or merely incomplete? written to inform, or to persuade?)
• End each paragraph with a clear, focused conclusion.

Use of historical sources

• For each source referred to, explain its values (origin, purpose) and its limitations (origin, purpose). Add a footnote next to each source mentioned giving a full Harvard Author-Date reference.
• In terms of gathering data, primary research sources are original data that has been gathered through research that is undertaken first-hand, through methods such as interviews, surveys, focus groups, experimentation, observation or participant observation. Secondary research is carried out by analysing or interpreting existing data that has been collected by others.

Use of footnotes

Footnotes should only be used referencing purposes, using the Chicago format:

Author. Title (Publisher, Date), Page, e.g.
Tarr, Russel. Luther and the Reformation 1500-64 (Hachette, 2015), Page 27

Footnotes provided for referencing purposes are NOT included in the word count.
Footnotes providing further information ARE included in the word count.

Any references to interviews should state the names of the interviewer and interviewee, the date and the place of the interview.
Websites that do not give references or that cannot be cross-checked against other sources should be avoided.
Avoid footnotes to lame sources like Wikipedia, GCSE Bitesize, History.com, Biography.com and similar. These are amateurish!
Any information that is important to the argument must not be included in appendices or footnotes/endnotes. The examiner will not read notes or appendices.

Use of tables, maps, charts, illustrations

• These should appear in the body of the essay, as close as possible to their first reference.  Such sources should only be used if they are relevant and appropriate to a point being made as part of the argument of the essay.
• Any labelling should be clear and contain the minimum information to ensure the examiner understands the significance of the map, chart, table, diagram, image or illustration.
• It must not include commentary, as this will be considered as part of the essay discussion and thus included in the word count.

5. Conclusion

There are no formal requirements on how to write the conclusion, but the following steps may help:

“This investigation has sought to answer the question ‘[your question here’].”
(Restate the research question)

“The evidence and arguments I have considered and evaluated leads me to the conclusion that the answer to this question is that…”
(reach a clear, synthesized judgement consistent with the analysis of your investigation).

“Nevertheless, my studies demonstrate that there are clearly problems with reaching a final answer to the question because…”
(Comment here on such things as (a) weaknesses of the source material available; (b) gaps in the historical record; (c) the question produced different answers depending on “When / Where / For Whom / What” lens you consider it through.

6. Reference List

You should maintain a bibliography and a list of page references from the outset. That way you are less likely to forget to include a citation. It is also easier than trying to add references at a later stage.

All sources should be listed alphabetically (by author surname), using the Chicago format.
This reference list must list only those sources cited in the footnotes.
Organise these under three headings:
1. Primary Sources
2. Secondary Sources
3. Other sources (including websites)

7. Appendix

Any sources included as Appendix items must be referred to within the main body of the study either in brackets like this (Appendix 1) or as footnotes like this .
Material in the Appendix will not be read by examiners.  Therefore, students must ensure that all information with direct relevance to the analysis, discussion and evaluation of their essay is contained in the main body of it.
Appendices are therefore usually best avoided.

Presentation

▪ Given that the extended essay is a formally written research paper, it should strive to maintain a professional, academic look. To help achieve this, the following formatting is required:
• the use of 12-point, readable font
• 1.5 line spacing
• page numbering
• no candidate or school name on the title page or page headers.
· A file size of no more than 10MB
▪ Submitting the extended essay in the required format will help set the tone of the essay and will aid readability for on-screen assessment by examiners.

Word Count

· Examiners are instructed not to read or assess any material in excess of the word limit. This means that essays containing more than 4,000 words will be compromised across all assessment criteria.

Included in the word count	Not included in the word count
The introduction	The contents page
The main body	Headers
The conclusion	Maps, charts, tables, diagrams, illustrations
Quotations	The bibliography / reference list
Footnotes that are not references	The Reflection and progress form

Proofreading

▪ The whole essay needs to be proofread carefully by the student (computer spelling and grammar checkers are useful but will not do everything). They must not ask someone else to proofread their work as this is an important part of the learning experience.

Rubric / Marksheet

Here is a student-friendly version of the IB mark scheme, combining the generic guidance from the IB as well as its subject-specific criteria for History.

The First Reflection (after initial progress)

Complete this to reflect your progress after formulating your question and making some initial progress (e.g. at the end of Grade 11).

Cover such things as:

▪ how your arrived at your topic of study and why it’s historically significant.
▪ your planned scope / approach / structure
▪ the sources you settled upon use and how you decided upon them
▪ the progress you made up to and including the EE day - in terms of content, insight and skills
▪ challenges and difficulties you faced
▪ comments and suggestions made by your supervisor
▪ how you changed your question / approach / sources as necessary to meet these challenges

The Second Reflection (after comments on the first draft)

Complete this directly after the first draft of your EE has been commented upon by your supervisor.

Cover such things as:

▪ The progress you made over the Summer– not just in terms of content, but of insight and skills
▪ Challenges and difficulties you faced
▪ Comments and suggestions made by your supervisor
▪ How you changed your question / approach / sources as necessary to meet these challenges

The Third Reflection (after the Viva Voce)

Complete this after your essay has been submitted and the Viva Voce interview with your supervisor has taken place.

The Viva Voce is a short discussion which should celebrate completion of the essay and reflect on what the student has learned from the process. Unless there are particular problems (e.g. of plagiarism or some other form of academic misconduct), the viva voce should begin and end positively. Completion of a major piece of work such as the extended essay is a great achievement for students.

The following questions might come up:

• Why did you decide upon this particular topic of study?
• In what ways and for what reasons did your EE change from the initial proposal to the final version?
• What was your most interesting/surprising finding?
• What would you do differently next time?
• What advice would you give to the DP1 students who will be starting their EEs later this year?
• What could we (school/teachers/supervisor) have done differently to make this experience better?
• What was your favourite part of the research process?
• What elements of your TOK studies crossed over most strongly into this Extended Essay?
• What IB Learner Profile attributes did you develop in this process?
• Which ATL skills have you developed through this process?
• What did you learn from this exercise (apart from content)?
• Do you think confirmation bias influenced your research? If so, how could you address or avoid that in future?
• If you had more time and words, where would you have gone with this?
• When you discussed your EE with people who don't know this topic, how did you describe it to them?
• Describe the route that took you from topic, research question and on to your conclusions.
• Consider some of your key findings. How and when did they emerge?
• Identify a key challenge or obstacle in the EE process and how you overcame it.
• What qualities are needed to see the EE through to a successful completion?