Testing the Viability of Your EE idea (DP IB Extended Essay): Revision Note

How do you test whether your EE idea is viable?

Guiding questions to test viability

• It is a good idea to do a short preliminary investigation to see if your topic is manageable within the 4,000-word limit

• Ask yourself specific questions to evaluate your initial ideas

  • Is it clear?: Will the reader understand the nature of my research and will the question give direction to my research?

  • Is it focused?: Is the question specific enough to be explored within the word limit and time available?

  • Is it arguable?: Does the question allow for analysis, discussion and evaluation rather than just a descriptive answer?

• Check early whether there are enough accessible resources or data to support your research

  • Consider if it is easy to find sources of information and if there is a range of views or perspectives on the topic

  • If resources are insufficient, you may need to amend your question or find a different topic

  • Lack of data occurs when there is not enough evidence, statistics or primary research available to support a high-level academic argument

    • Primary research is not required for a strong EE—many excellent essays rely entirely on high-quality secondary sources

Interest level

• Curiosity is described as the "engine of achievement", so this should drive your choice of topic

• You must choose a topic of personal interest rather than just what you think looks "academic"

• High interest levels are essential for maintaining motivation throughout the approximately 40-hour process

• You should ask yourself "What aspect or issue within this broad topic area really interests me?" to narrow your focus

Appropriateness of interdisciplinarity

• You must decide if your topic is best explored through one subject or two

  • Subject-focused: Ask "Could I successfully explore my topic through a single subject?"

  • Interdisciplinary: Ask "Could my topic be explored better through combining two subjects?"

• An interdisciplinary approach is appropriate when a single subject cannot provide a full understanding of the issue

  • It is often suitable for complex global issues like climate change or migration

• You must be able to justify why an interdisciplinary approach is necessary

  • If you cannot justify the need for two subjects, you should likely take the subject-focused pathway

• In an interdisciplinary EE, integration often develops as your research and writing progress—you don’t need to have it perfectly ‘integrated’ from day one

Availability of suitable lenses

• A lens refers to the specific concepts, theories, methods and perspectives of a subject used to investigate a topic

• For a subject-focused essay, you must check if one specific DP subject provides the best lens to investigate your topic

  • You will use the disciplinary toolkit of that single subject to build your argument

• For an interdisciplinary essay, you must identify two DP subjects that can bring different perspectives to the investigation

  • You must integrate the lenses of both subjects to create new insights

• For an interdisciplinary EE, it is strongly recommended that you are studying at least one of the two subjects you are using as lenses

  • This ensures you have the necessary grounding in the terminology and concepts to conduct rigorous research

Ethical and legal considerations

• You must determine early on if your proposed topic or research methods will require specific ethics approval

  • Ethics approval is the formal permission required when research involves potentially sensitive topics or human participants to ensure no harm is caused

• You must ensure your research methods align with ethical guidelines, such as respecting privacy and ensuring the well-being of any participants

• If your topic involves unacceptable methods, such as trespassing or using copyrighted material without permission, the idea is not viable

• If your topic involves people, sensitive issues, or experimental work, speak early with your supervisor/EE coordinator and use the IB ethical guidelines to make safe, responsible decisions