Extended Essay Checklist
Name:
Research question:
The Introduction
Please check whether each of the questions below can be answered “yes.”
Yes No
Is your research question clearly stated in the introduction?
Have you explained why the question is worth investigating?
Have you defined important terms relevant to the research?
Have you explained the context of your question?
Have you identified the key sources that you will use in your
argument?
Do you have a clearly worded thesis statement that clearly
identifies the position of your essay?
The body of your essay
Please check whether each of the questions below can be answered “yes.”
Yes No
Are your sources academic in nature?
Have you clearly explained and evaluated the studies in your
essay?
Have you used psychological terminology throughout your essay?
Are each of your research studies directly related to your research
question?
Do you have a general discussion of your research question in
addition to the research studies?
Is your conclusion clearly stated and match the research that you
have presented in your essay?
Does your conclusion identify outstanding questions, areas of
uncertainty or questions in need of further research?
© John Crane, InThinking
http://www.thinkib.net/psychology/ 1
The presentation of your essay
Please check whether each of the questions below can be answered “yes.”
Yes No
Is your final essay between 3600 and 4000 words? Is the final
word count on your title page?
Do you have a title that indicates the focus of your essay on the
title page?
Do you also have the official research question on the title page?
Do you have a table of contents?
Are all of your pages numbered?
Do you have a works cited page at the end of your essay?
Are your sources listed in alphabetical order?
Have you used a hanging indent for each source and skipped a
line between each entry?
Are all of the sources cited in the body of your essay listed in the
works cited?
Are all of the sources listed in the works cited actually cited in
your essay?
Are there clear headings to indicate the different sections of your
report? - Introduction, argument, counter-argument, discussion,
conclusion and works cited
Reflections
Please check whether each of the questions below can be answered “yes.”
Yes No
Do you have three separate reflections that together do not
exceed 500 words?
Have you reflected on your personal growth during the research
process?
Have you made a personal connection with the research
question?
Have you gone beyond a simple description of what you did?
© John Crane, InThinking
http://www.thinkib.net/psychology/ 2