How to Find Sources for a History EE
by Lindsay Martinez
Being one of the more popular topics, writing a “good” history extended essay can be tough, especially when you want to make it stand out to IB. Something very important to remember is to make sure you DON’T make it an essay that simply tells a story. Your extended essay is meant to showcase how well you’re able to formulate and support an argument using research you conducted yourself. If you just state a series of events the way it happened without proving anything, you’re not writing an extended essay, you’re writing a nonfiction story.
For history essays, you want to use primary or academic sources. Don’t use any weird websites and avoid any kind of blog. However, if a certain blog or non-academic website has crucial information that you can use, try looking at the sources that the writer used and go from there. Most of the time you’ll be able to find some sort of useable source. When you’re looking for websites to use, look out for the ones that end in .edu, .gov, or .org.
JSTOR is always an great option when you want to find primary sources, but if it isn’t your first choice when looking for sources or you just don’t want to make the trip to the University of Miami, Google Scholar, Digital Public Library of America, and National Archives are also good options to keep in mind.
Finding sources that help make your arguments more coherent is definitely a little simpler for a history EE than any other topic, especially when it comes to thinking about what kind of sources will help support your argument. However, in case you’re a little stuck, here are some things to get you thinking about what sources to look for:
1. Historical Context/Background: The particular point in time that an event takes place can help you strengthen your argument in the sense that it will give readers a more complete understanding of your topic as a whole. Certain historical periods have different laws, values, and ways of life, and by using sources that explain and acknowledge this difference between now and the past will allow you to fully argue your point to the fullest extent.
2. Different Points of View: By making sure different points of view are acknowledged throughout your extended essay, it can make your argument stronger. There are numerous sources written by people that were actually present at whatever historical event you may be writing about, and by using their point of view, whether it defends or undermines your argument, it can help give readers a more complete understanding of what you’re saying.
3. Images/Art from the Time: During certain points in history, many artists were inspired by what was going on around them and were determined to convey what life was actually like, particularly for the lower classes. By utilizing these images and integrating them into your essay, you’ll be able to give readers a visual of the point you’re trying to make.
These aren’t the only things that you can add to help strengthen your extended essay, but they’re the most basic and straightforward ones that you can use. You want to find at least 10 sources to make sure your essay is strong and well-researched, so starting earlier is a good idea.
When you’re actually writing out the Works Cited page for your EE, EasyBib is your best bet. Make sure that it’s written out in MLA format and that you have the sources in alphabetical order with a hanging indentation.
Overall, the extended essay isn’t as bad as people make it out to be as long as you know how to use the time you have. Don’t overthink it, don’t freak out, and get it done: good luck!
