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Citing sources in your Extended Essay is crucial as it allows you to avoid plagiarism. In this post we will go through the correct way of citing sources in your EE.
IB EE Citation Format
When writing your EE, you must include references whenever you use ideas that aren’t your own, no matter whether it is data, text, or an image. This applies not only to direct quotes but also to information you paraphrase. You do not however need to cite your own analysis or any information you’ve personally gathered.
When citing, include the reference right after you mention it, like so:
''The Industrial Revolution had a profound impact on urbanisation, leading to rapid population growth in cities as people moved in search of work (Griffin, 2014). This shift resulted in overcrowded living conditions and poor sanitation, which contributed to the spread of diseases.''
In the first sentence, a fact from Griffin’s work is introduced, so the citation "(Griffin, 2014)" is included immediately after the referenced information. However, since the following sentences continue discussing the same topic and clearly build on the same source, there is no need to repeat the citation unless a new source is introduced or there is a significant break in the discussion.
It is also very important you include all references in an alphabetically-ordered bibliography that you place at the end of your Extended Essay.
Which referencing style should I use for my EE?
The IB does not mandate a specific citation style for Extended Essays, allowing students to choose any recognized academic referencing style. However, certain conventions have emerged over time regarding preferred styles for different subjects. Generally, APA is recommended for Science and Math EEs, while Harvard is commonly used for humanities EEs.
We will now provide you with a few popular citation methods you may use.
APA
To cite in APA, provide:
- Author’s last name, First initial
- Year of publication in parentheses
- Title of the book in italics Edition (if applicable)
- Publisher URL or DOI for online sources
A full citation in APA looks the following way:
Griffin, E. (2014). The Making of the Modern World: The Industrial Revolution in Global Perspective (3rd ed.). Palgrave Macmillan. Available at: https://www.palgrave.com/gp/book/9781137425561
In-text citation:
(Griffin, 2014)
Harvard
To cite in Harvard, provide:
- Author’s last name, First initial.
- Year of publication in parentheses
- Title of the book in italics
- Edition (if applicable)
- Publisher URL (if the book is available online)
- Access date
A full citation in Harvard looks the following way:
Griffin, E. (2014). The Making of the Modern World: The Industrial Revolution in Global Perspective. 3rd ed. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. Available at: https://www.palgrave.com/gp/book/9781137425561 [Accessed 24 Feb. 2025].
In-text citation:
(Griffin, 2014)
MLA
To cite in MLA, provide:
- Author’s full name
- Title of the book in italics
- Edition (if applicable)
- Publisher
- Year of publication
- URL (if the book is available online)
A full citation in MLA looks the following way:
Griffin, Eric. The Making of the Modern World: The Industrial Revolution in Global Perspective. 3rd ed., Palgrave Macmillan, 2014. Available at: https://www.palgrave.com/gp/book/9781137425561
In-text citation:
(Griffin)
No matter which citation method you choose, it is very important you stay consistent with it. Students cannot use more than one referencing style in their EE.
Should I use footnotes or in-text citations in my EE?
Once again, the IB does not set specific guidelines for this. However, a general rule of thumb is to use footnotes for EEs that involve extensive data analysis (such as those in Science and Mathematics) and in-text citations for text-heavy EEs (such as those in History and English).
We hope you found this post helpful. For more useful materials associated with the IB check out the wide variety of IA, EE and TOK exemplars available at Clastify and other guides available on our blog.
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