The Extended Essay is not an informal piece of work -- you are expected to produce formal, academic writing that is appropriate for a capable student on the verge of completing high school. This means that you can not writing your EE in the way that you talk to your friends, or in the way that many of you write to your teachers. Typical traits of academic writing include...

Avoid Using the First-Person (I, Me, We, etc.): Academic writing is impersonal. Your work and evaluation speak for itself. Rather than expressing your own opinion or views, you are providing your analysis and insight. Often, this will take the form of an argument, supported by evidence appropriate for your subject and topic. There are some times where it may be appropriate to occasionally use the first-person in your EE (and you SHOULD use the first-person in your reflections) but in general it is safest and most appropriate to be impersonal.

Tone: Again, more impersonal than personal. Even if you are writing about a topic where you have strong feelings, it is important to write with a more objective tone. This will aid you in providing counterarguments, where necessary, and in exploring the limitations of your research and methodology (as required in some subjects.) The essay is not a casual conversation, but a serious piece of academic work. Write as if you are expecting an audience of educated, professional people to read your writing... because they will!

Structure: Your essay should be purposefully organized. What is that purpose? To support your main argument. The EE is not a place for lengthy tangents or off-topic ramblings. Most essays will include the basic Introduction, Main Body, and Conclusion, though what appears in the introduction and body will differ quite a bit from subject to subject and topic to topic. Some subjects require you to discuss your methodology, others require some form of literature review (esp. Psychology.) Your organization should be based on what is appropriate for your subject as well as what is necessary to help you make your argument. 

Research Question: Yes, it will appear on your cover page, but there is an expectation that your research question is stated specifically at several points in your essay. (This should make sense, since your essay should focus on directly addressing that question.)

Vocabulary: Academic vocab, no slang. You should also avoid the use of contractions, which are when two words are combined into one, usually with an apostrophe (e.g. "could not" becomes "couldn't." In your EE, you would write out "could not.") This might not seem major but it could affect your Presentation score (Crit. D.) Examiners are expecting a piece of work that looks academic, and as minor as this may seem the use of improper vocabulary will surely stand out.

When in doubt, think about the text types that you've encountered in English A and English B -- your essay should be written in a style that resembles the more formal texts that you've encountered. More editorial than blog, more letter to the editor than email to a friend. It is also good to consult the sample EEs from your subject to see how they did this (especially if they scored highly.) 

IB's expectations are as follows...

1. Choose a recognized format (MLA, APA, Chicago, Harvard, etc.)

2. Use that format consistently.

It is also wise to format your document in a way that is appropriate for that style (MLA format is not just citations -- it's also margins, font size, spacing, etc.)

For more, see the page on this site about citations and referencing.

Use the following as a to help aid you in your citations. Remember: when in doubt, it is best to cite.