How to Refine Your RQ (DP IB Extended Essay): Revision Note

How do you refine an RQ for analysis and evaluation?

Connecting the question to the topics context

• Preliminary research helps you connect your question to a specific context, which refers to the background circumstances, time period or specific case study being investigated

• Refining the question within a clear context ensures the Research Question (RQ)—the central question that directs the investigation—is focused and manageable within the 4,000-word limit

• You should skim secondary sources—materials like journals or books that interpret and analyse primary data—to see how your topic fits into existing academic knowledge

• This contextual connection acts as a springboard, allowing you to move from a broad interest to a specific, professional inquiry

Encouraging analysis evaluation and synthesis

• Your refined question must be designed to trigger analysis rather than description

  • Analysis is the process of breaking down a topic to explore "why", "how" and "so what"

  • Description focuses only on stating the facts of "who", "what", "where" and "when"

• The RQ should invite evaluation, which involves critically appraising the strengths and limitations of the evidence and research methods used

• A strong question leads to synthesis—the ability to combine different research findings and perspectives to form a new, coherent conclusion

• To ensure the essay is analytical, you should use higher-order questions, which typically begin with phrases such as "to what extent", "how significant" or "how successful"

Finalising the research question

• The Research Question (RQ) should be finalised before you begin the stage of major research and data gathering

• Settling on a clear question early prevents issues later on, such as realising the topic is unviable due to a lack of available data

• Refining the question is an iterative process—a cycle of asking questions, taking action and reflecting—which should be tracked in the Researcher's Reflection Space (RRS)

  • The RRS is a personal journal or digital space used to record your thinking, mind maps and research decisions

• Once the RQ is stable, it provides the foundation for a strong line of argument, which is the logical thread of reasoning that connects your question to your final conclusion

• Aim to settle a clear provisional RQ before major research, but expect refinement as you read more