Composing a Research Question
by Samuel Orellana
Having trouble with creating your research question or way to format your RQ? Here are some tips to help you come out with a great question!
The first step is finding your area of study. There’s a bunch of options to choose from. From english all the way to film, once you decide on what you want your topic to be, you can start writing. Keep in mind, 4,000 words is the MAXIMUM. The average amount of words for an extended essay is around 3,500 to 4,000, so don’t let the number scare you too much. Your supervisor can also help you narrow down your question: just make sure you pick something you’re interested in.
What could you do to make it unique and keep the reader hooked whilst still presenting enough information? Make your question clear and direct because this makes it easier for you, your supervisor and future you to know what you’re talking about. You always want to make sure your question is broad enough to be able to write 4,000 words on it, but specific enough to have a concentrated essay.
I like to think of research questions as having a three step format.
Step 1: How are you going to go about this question? In other words, what will you try to argue? (To what extent did...? How did...? Is there...? Why does...? Why did...? How does...?)
Step 2: What specific topic will you study? (Vietnam War, WW1/WW2, internal organs and its effects, a type of disease or illness, lighting in movies, sleep disorders and their effects, difference between two characters in movies, ethical issues in a book or movie)
Step 3: What you are trying to look for in this essay: (its effects, worsening of an event, enhancing of a factor in film/biology/psychology, comparing and contrasting, the effect it may have). These factors help make your research question more direct and gives you a chance to make it more complex. After making your research question, don't be afraid to show it to your supervisor and ask for guidance, such as any research for it, or a way to make it more direct and interesting.
Below are some sample EE Research Questions, by subject, from fellow IB Seniors.
History:
● To what extent did the use of Propaganda by the Allied and Axis powers prove effective during WWII?
● To what extent did the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki affect the economic state, political state and social state of Japan?
● To what extent did the anti-Vietnam War movement affect the domestic policies of Richard Nixon’s and Lyndon B. Johnson’s administrations?
● To what extent do the policy decisions, political action, and indirect funding the Central Intelligence Agency and National Security Council has done under the Reagan administration detrimentally influenced the Crack Epidemic of the 1980s to early 1990s?
● To what extent did propaganda and the manipulation of language harm the American view of people of Japanese ancestry after the bombing of Pearl Harbor?
English:
● How does Joseph Conrad develop the themes of futility, alienation, and greed to criticize European Imperialism? (Category 1)
● How do the ethical issues of the novel Never Let Me Go reflect onto modern-day problems?
Film:
● Why is Andrew Garfield's Spiderman considered a worse film than Tobey Maguire's Spiderman?
● To what extent does CGI and sound effects enhance a film such as Transformers and Percy Jackson?
Biology:
● To what extent do sleep disorders affect memory function in the brain? (Research)
● Which gene in Crohn's disease is the most prevalent? (Research)
● Is there a correlation between concussions and internal organ injuries, specifically the heart? (Research)
Psychology:
● Is an autocratic coaching style more beneficial than an autonomous coaching style?
Overall, finding a research question that interests you is arguably the most important part of the extended essay process. If you’re writing and researching about something that genuinely interests you, the 4,000 words will go by faster than you think. You might even go over and have to cut down. Good luck!
