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By this stage, you have a developing research question or several possible versions. Step 3 helps you decide whether your question is strong enough, clear enough and practical enough to form the basis of a successful Extended Essay.
This is the point where you pause, check and refine. A well-tested question saves months of difficulty later.
Check for clarity and focus
Check for clarity and focus
A strong research question is:
clear and easy to understand
narrow enough to explore in four thousand words
analytical rather than descriptive
written in precise, subject-appropriate language
Ask yourself:
Could someone else understand my question immediately
Can I explain the main focus in one sentence
Does my wording avoid generalisations
Weak:
“How does climate change affect cities”
Too broad, unclear, impossible to answer fully.
Stronger:
“To what extent have recent flood adaptation policies improved coastal resilience in West Kowloon since 2018”
Focused, grounded, analytical.
Check that the question demands analysis
Check that the question demands analysis
Your question must require you to:
interpret
compare
evaluate
argue
analyse patterns, causes or effects
If your question can be answered with description alone, it is not acceptable.
Weak:
“What happens to enzyme activity at different temperatures”
This is known and descriptive.
Stronger:
“To what extent does salinity alter the temperature tolerance range of Selenastrum gracile during photosynthesis”
^^That requires investigation and explanation.
Check alignment with your chosen pathway
Check alignment with your chosen pathway
A. Subject-focused pathway
Your question must fit one DP subject, and it must be answerable using the methods, sources and ways of thinking used in that subject.
Examples:
Psychology
Must be entirely based on secondary sources
Must analyse existing peer-reviewed studies, theories and models
You cannot collect your own primary data
Biology
Must use scientific reasoning and measurable variables
May involve experiments, modelling or secondary data analysis
Language and Literature
Must analyse specific works through close reading
Must focus on authorial choices, style, form and technique
History
Must use historical sources, interpretations and debates
May address recent events, but must follow historical method
Ask:
Does my question clearly belong to one discipline
Can I answer it using the accepted methods of that subject
If the answer is “no”, refine the question.
B. Interdisciplinary pathway
Your question must:
genuinely require two DP subjects, not just one
draw on methods or ways of thinking from both subjects
fit clearly into one of the five interdisciplinary frameworks
allow you to integrate perspectives meaningfully
The five frameworks are:
Power, equality, justice
Culture, identity, expression
Movement, time, space
Evidence, measurement, innovation
Sustainability, development, change
Ask:
Which two subjects does my question meaningfully combine
How will each subject help me answer the question
Which framework does this belong to
Am I integrating the subjects, not just placing them side by side
If the question only fits one subject, it belongs in the subject-focused pathway.
Check ethical considerations
Check ethical considerations
Your question must be researchable in a way that is ethical and safe for you and others.
Ask:
Does this involve human participants
If yes, is this allowed in my subject
Could my topic involve sensitive personal data or private information
Are there issues related to cultural sensitivity, confidentiality or consent
Could any part of this investigation cause harm
Examples of non-permissible research:
Psychology experiments or surveys with classmates
Collecting medical or mental health data
Interviews that involve sensitive or personal disclosures without safeguards
If you cannot guarantee ethical practice, refine your question.
Check access and practicality
Check access and practicality
Even an excellent question is not viable if you cannot access what you need.
Ask:
Do I have access to suitable sources, data, texts or equipment
Are there enough peer-reviewed studies available
Are the texts I need available in school or online
If working with secondary data, is it credible and usable
Can I collect scientific data safely if needed
Is the case study or context too large or difficult to access
If access is uncertain, revise now.
Check scope
Check scope
Your question must be neither too broad nor too narrow.
Too broad:
“What caused the Cold War”
Too narrow:
“A linguistic comparison of three words in one paragraph of a poem”
Aim for a question that is:
focused on one clear idea
rich enough for analysis
manageable within four thousand words
Task to Try
Task to Try
A strong test is whether you can sketch a simple plan.
Write down:
your working introduction focus
three to five main sections or themes
what evidence you will use
which method you will apply
what you expect to analyse or compare
If you cannot outline it, the question is not ready.
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