Extended Essay / IA Research Resources
1. You have a subject. You have an idea what evidence looks like in your subject and you're beginning to form a research question, now:
Do a literature review or preliminary investigation: Read as much as you can of what has been written about your topic. Who are the recognized authors/experts in this area? What studies have already been conducted? What are the world organizations also interested in making a difference in this issue? Who has developed some criticism/analysis of this author/text/issue?
Use library catalogs to search for books (you don't have to read them cover to cover yet!)
Read overview articles from Inglemoor's JStor and Gale databases to notice patterns of authors and content.
2. Begin gathering the resources you'll use to answer your question and cite within your essay.
from our own West Sound Academy Library in Poulsbo, Wa. This collection of pages has great information on conducting secondary source research, as well as locating quality primary sources. Take a look!
Think locally! Start with Inglemoor's Databases and Print Books.
IHS Databases - Depending on your subject, look to the various Gale and JStor articles for some academic reading, as well as shorter articles to get started. Begin to notice who some of the significant authors and organizations are in your interest area.
IHS Print Books - Of course, check our catalog for books that give you insight and understanding of your research topic. We have quite a number of quality sources, purchased specifically for EE research topics. If we don't have what you're looking for, check with Ms. McCausland or Ms. Westerbeck and we might be able to get it for you, either from other schools or we can buy it (if it's a title that may get future use).
Science-Specific Databases via Inglemoor and KCLS:
Gale OneFile Computer Science - Access leading business and technical publications in the computer, telecommunications, and electronics industries.
Gale OneFile Science - Access information on the latest developments across a range of scientific disciplines. Updated daily.
The next step for locating both digital and print sources should be King County Library.
KCLS.org/students - Locate a database or an eBook from KCLS and then login with 417####### (your student number) and the last four digits of your student number to access. Academic OneFile!
Search the KCLS catalog for PRINT SOURCES we don't have here at IHS and then you'll need to reserve those with your family's or your personal KCLS library account number. They'll send books to your closest library for you to pick up.
Free Online Databases (Recommended by the IB Guide and Instructors)
The arXiv - arXiv is a free distribution service and an open-access archive for 2,258,348 scholarly articles in the fields of physics, mathematics, computer science, quantitative biology, quantitative finance, statistics, electrical engineering and systems science, and economics.
CORE - A comprehensive bibliographic database of the world’s scholarly literature. Full text. "An open scholarly infrastructure for researchers by researchers." Great for Science topics as well!!
DOAJ - Directory of Open Access Journals. Part of the global open access infrastructure, DOAJ is a unique and extensive index of diverse open access journals from around the world, driven by a growing community, committed to ensuring quality content is freely available online for everyone.
JURN - Search millions of free academic articles, chapters and theses. Arts | Humanities | Business | Law | Nature | Science | Medical |
Science Open - "ScienceOpen is a discovery platform with interactive features for scholars to enhance their research in the open, make an impact, and receive credit for it. We provide context building services for publishers, to bring researchers closer to the content than ever before. "
Lastly, you do have some options at the University of Washington.