Sprint 4 - to an excellent final submission

The aims of this sprint →
Act upon the feedback given on your first draft to produce an excellent final submission.

Here is a checklist of everything you should check before handing in your final Extended Essay submission:

General Requirements

Ensure the Extended Essay (EE) is entirely your own work and reflects your individual and original ideas.
Adhere to all policies relating to academic integrity.
Submit a clean copy of the essay with no annotations or comments by you or your supervisor.
Attend the final mandatory reflection session (viva voce) with your supervisor.

Content and Structure

Confirm that your research question (RQ) is clear, focused, workable, and phrased as a probing question.
Ensure the exact RQ is stated on the title page.
Verify that the introduction clearly states the topic, the RQ, its purpose and focus, why it is worthy of investigation, its context, your line of argument, and the approach (authors, theories, etc.) you will use.
Check that the main body develops points that directly relate to and address the RQ.
Ensure the essay follows a logical order with smooth transitions between paragraphs and sections.
Confirm the conclusion reiterates key findings and main points developed in the body.
Verify that the conclusion provides a resolution and directly answers the RQ stated on the title page.
Ensure the conclusion synthesises arguments rather than merely summarising them.
Include limitations and any unresolved questions that stemmed from your research in the conclusion.
Avoid introducing any new material (including quotations not seen before in the essay) in the conclusion.
Ensure arguments are consistent with the analysis and evidence presented throughout the essay.
For interdisciplinary essays, confirm the argument clearly draws on both subject lenses and evaluate the success of integrating the two subjects.
Use subject-specific terminology and concepts appropriately, accurately, and consistently. Define any technical terms used in a specific way.
All claims and points made in the essay are supported by appropriate evidence and source material.
You have evaluated your findings, sources, and methodologies throughout the essay, not just in a separate section.

Academic Integrity and Referencing

You have acknowledged each use of the words or ideas of another person, whether written or oral.
Cite only the works used in the essay itself, including images or tables.
You have used a single, approved citation style (such as MLA or APA) consistently throughout the essay, including both in-text citations/footnotes and the bibliography.
Your reference list or bibliography is complete. A reference list includes only sources cited in the body; a bibliography includes all sources consulted during research.
The reference list or bibliography is in alphabetical order.
All necessary details are included in the bibliography entries (e.g., author, title, date, publisher for books) and are correct (spelling, capitals, dates).
Confirm that the citations in the body of the essay accurately match the corresponding references in the bibliography.
Clearly indicate quotations using quotation marks or indented paragraphs. Cite the source of each quotation.
If you have used the ideas of someone else (paraphrasing or summarizing), clearly indicate where this starts and ends.
Ensure that figures (images, graphs, diagrams, maps, tables) are accurately labelled with captions that include all reference details. Reference figures appropriately.
You are fully satisfied that your essay conforms with the IB's principles and practices of academic integrity.

Formatting and Presentation

The essay is formatted using font size 12 and 1.5 line spacing (recommended for on-screen marking).
Page numbering is included, beginning with the first page following your contents page.
The essay file is anonymous – ensure there is no student name, candidate number, centre name, or centre number anywhere in the file, especially on the cover page. Use your student code on the cover page.
The cover page includes a precise and accurate word count for the essay.
The cover page specifies the subject(s) and interdisciplinary framework (if applicable).
A table of contents is included after the cover page and before the introduction.
The table of contents contains a sequential list of all sections or chapters with accurate page numbers placed on the right side of the page.
Use appropriate section headings that indicate the organisation of the essay into sections.
If using appendices, they contain only information that acts as ancillary support (like sample questionnaires or excerpts of original language sources you've translated) and are not integral to the essay's flow or argument.
Appendix items are mentioned in the text of the essay and are clearly cross-referenced (e.g., with relevant page numbers).
Each appendix item has a title and an appropriate source.
Check that all materials presented in the appendices (if used) are directly relevant/necessary and match the information in the bibliography.
Proofread the entire essay carefully for spelling, punctuation, and grammatical errors. You may use computer software for checks, but be careful it doesn't change your intended meaning. Recording yourself reading aloud can help identify issues.
Ensure a consistent citation system is used throughout.
Ensure diagrams, charts, and graphs are correctly labelled.

Submission Process

The essay file is saved in an approved file type (.doc, .docx, .pdf, or .rtf). Saving the final version as a PDF is strongly recommended as it helps preserve formatting across different devices and operating systems used by examiners.
The essay file does not exceed 10MB. Optimise embedded images if necessary to reduce file size.
Ensure everything required (the essay file and the completed RPF) is ready to be submitted to your supervisor by the final deadline.
Note that the RPF is uploaded separately from the essay file, so its size does not count towards the 10MB essay file limit.
Your supervisor or the school's IB DP coordinator will facilitate the digital upload to the eCoursework portal.
Your supervisor will validate and confirm the authenticity of your work based on their guidance and monitoring throughout the process before uploading it.