The York School Library: Gr. 11-12 Extended Essay: Introduction

Writing Your Introduction

To write an effective introduction, think about how you'll present the aspects of Context, Outline of Argument, Scope, and Worthiness.

This will help the examiner to identify your essay topic, understand its context, interpret your particular focus. It will also help engage the examiner's interest.

Introduction flowchart for an Extended Essay. Four bubbles, each representing an aspect of the Introduction, flow into the Introduction bubble. The four bubbles are Context, Outline of Argument, Scope, and Worthiness.

General advice about introductions

You don't need to write your introduction first!
- Some will write their introduction only after they've completed the rest of the essay. Others will write the introduction first but usually end up rewriting it significantly after unpacking the key points in the main body of their paper.
Don't take too long to get to the point.
- A common mistake is to begin your essay too broadly or too far off-topic. It's a good idea to introduce your focused topic in the first couple of sentences.

Tip: A recommended word count for your introduction is 300-450 words.

Aspects of the Introduction

Provide some context that situates your question within existing knowledge.

It's important to show the examiner what existing theories, critical approaches, methods or factors have already been suggested or exist to answer your research question.

Note: This does not mean providing detailed background information on an author, theory or topic. If you need to include background information, save it for the main body or a separate section entitled "Background".

Example: providing context in an introduction

Research question: To what extent does Muawiya owe his accession to the Caliphate in 661 AD to the weakness of his principal rival, Caliph Ali?

"Muawiya's accession to the caliphate is a hotly debated topic among historians with some, such as Kennedy, arguing that he owes his elevation to the weakness of opposition as reflected in the figure of Caliph Ali, while others, such as Shaban, argue that his success owes itself in large measure to the tangible economic benefits that support for Muawiya provided the Arab tribes... "

Outline your argument by specifying which aspects, factors, or key features of the research question you'll be investigating.

This will help you to ensure you've clarified your essay's focus. You should list these aspects, factors, or key features in the order they appear in your main body.

Example: outlining an argument in an introduction

Research question: To what extent does Muawiya owe his accession to the Caliphate in 661 AD to the weakness of his principal rival, Caliph Ali?

"...this essay seeks to challenge the orthodox interpretation offered by Kennedy and instead argue that Muawiya's success owes much to the changing socio-economic dynamics among Arab tribesmen within the newly formed Islamic Empire..."

Show how you've gone about answering your research question.

You need to show the examiner what source material has been used, or scientific methodologies followed, or critical interpretations you've challenged, and so on.

Rather than listing the websites, books, and journals you may have used as sources in your essay, you should indicate exactly which authors, theories, or methods you've relied on to make your argument.

Example: showing scope in an introduction

Research question: To what extent does Muawiya owe his accession to the Caliphate in 661 AD to the weakness of his principal rival, Caliph Ali?

"...the essay will also simultaneously explore what other factors, including the governorship of Syria, the conflict with Byzantium, the dwindling role of the Ansar, and the role of the Kharijites played in helping Muawiya take over the Caliphate while relying on the works of principal historians such as Kennedy, Shaban, Armstrong, and Hawting..."

Demonstrate why your research question is worthy of investigation.

Use the phrase "this research question is worthy of investigation because..." to ask yourself why your question is worth answering.

Here are some reasons why your question might be worthy of investigation, and some examples of poor justifications for worthiness:

Worthy of investigation because...	Not worthy of investigation
The question has contemporary application (e.g., environmental benefits) The issues the question explores are controversial in natural (i.e., they generate debate and have differing opinions relating to them rather than simply being scandalous in nature) The conclusion to this question may shed light on other areas or issues The investigation challenges existing theories or viewpoints The investigation explores the validity or reliability of a chosen theory or approach The question has not been covered or investigated before The question relates to a core field of contemporary research The topic is important in a geopolitical sense as it affects X and Y groups of people The conclusions arrived at will enable greater understandings of the topic The conclusions arrived at will clarify existing misconceptions	Choosing an investigation just because you like the topic Choosing an investigation just because you've had a good teacher Choosing an investigation because you were instructed to do so Choosing a topic where the conclusions act as a springboard for preaching or one-dimensional arguments Making emotional appeals (e.g., "if only everyone did X, the world would be a better place")

Worthy of investigation because...

Not worthy of investigation

The question has contemporary application (e.g., environmental benefits)
The issues the question explores are controversial in natural (i.e., they generate debate and have differing opinions relating to them rather than simply being scandalous in nature)
The conclusion to this question may shed light on other areas or issues
The investigation challenges existing theories or viewpoints
The investigation explores the validity or reliability of a chosen theory or approach
The question has not been covered or investigated before
The question relates to a core field of contemporary research
The topic is important in a geopolitical sense as it affects X and Y groups of people
The conclusions arrived at will enable greater understandings of the topic
The conclusions arrived at will clarify existing misconceptions

Choosing an investigation just because you like the topic
Choosing an investigation just because you've had a good teacher
Choosing an investigation because you were instructed to do so
Choosing a topic where the conclusions act as a springboard for preaching or one-dimensional arguments
Making emotional appeals (e.g., "if only everyone did X, the world would be a better place")

Example: showing worthiness in an introduction

Research question: To what extent does Muawiya owe his accession to the Caliphate in 661 AD to the weakness of his principal rival, Caliph Ali?

"...this research question is worthy of investigation because Muawiya's rise to the caliphate marks a significant turning point int he development of the Islamic Empire during the seventh century and beyond. It established the tradition of dynastic and monarchic succession that would become commonplace in the ensuring centuries ... the role played by Caliph Ali in supplanting the Rashidun model with a dynastic model is of critical significance to the early medieval period as it created the conditions for the schism between Sunni and Shi'a practices ..."