This document outlines the key components students should include in their Extended Essay Research Plan, which is intended to help plan how to pursue their research question and develop arguments. The Research Plan should state the research question, introduce the topic's significance, outline the investigation plan and sources that will be used to develop arguments and answer questions, and include an annotated bibliography. The plan is not the finished paper but provides a foundation, and students may need to modify their arguments as further research is conducted.

1. Extended Essay Research Plan Outline
The research plan outline is intended to help as you think about how to pursue your research
question and develop your arguments. It describes your topic and explains the sources that you
plan to use in building your arguments and counterarguments.
In the Research Plan Outline, You Should....
I. State your research question
II. Introduce and describe the signifance and worthiness of investigation of your topic
III. Outline your plan of investigation that you will use to develop your arguments
(questions you will use to answer research question & sources you’ll use to answer
those questions)
IV. Pick your favorite answer to your research question
V. Briefly describe the steps you will take in building your argument
VI. Annotated bibliography
Remember that your research plan outline is a planning document; while it will provide the
foundation for your finished paper, it is not intended to be the paper itself, or to state exactly
what your paper will say. You will discover as you do further research that you might need to
make changes to your initial plan and to your arguments & counterarguments (sometimes
substantial ones).