Subject Area BIOLOGY

Extended Essay Guide Extended Essay Guide (IBO)

Biology EE Guide Biology EE Guide (IBO)

Biology EE Rubric Guidance Biology EE Rubric Guidance (IBO)

Biology Examiner’s Report Biology Examiner's Report (2018)

(2018)

Things to remember when
writing a Biology EE
If you do an essay based on secondary data, here's what you need
to remember:
● “The best essays are school-based laboratory studies that use a
straightforward approach and present a clear well supported
argument based on a significant body of data.”
● “The vast majority of essays were based at least in part on
some kind of practical investigation involving data collection
either through experimentation, interview or survey. A small
number of library based essays based on published data or
using online databases were also submitted.”
● Pitfall: “Candidates had more difficulty presenting clear, detailed
accounts of the methodology in a way that would allow the study
to be repeated.”
● If you are planning to do a “library-based” Biology EE (and not
an experiment, be sure to be clear about the process you used
to select your published sources, as well as to thoroughly
analyze those chosen sources.
● “A well-researched essay and thoroughly analysed set of data
will not achieve high levels if the discussion and evaluation are
not strong.”
● “Strong essays present an ‘evaluation’ section before the
‘conclusion’.”
● “Strong essays use scientific graphing software and pay
attention to significant aspects of the data with clear evidence of
choices made by the candidate about how the data appears.”
● You'll need a research question that can be explored and
addressed using material obtained from the sources used. Have
a look on page 6 of the document Managing Sciences and
Geography Extended Essays without lab work or fieldwork (see
attached document) for suggested sources of biological data.
● There are numerous online sources of biological publications
including NCBI, PubMed, DOAJ and Science Direct to name a
few. Other sources of data include university and government
websites and databases as well as data released by companies
and other organizations involved in biological research and or
biological products.
● Your research question should have clear variables. This helps
to establish a viable approach that includes analyzing and/or
comparing data on a well-defined topic from different
authors/sources, different times, different geographical
locations, etc.
● The process used to identify and select relevant sources needs
to be thorough, and selection criteria for the material to be
included should be made explicit in the essay's introduction.

Good places to find sources for
Biology EEs (after doing
background reading in Wikipedia
or your Biology textbook)
● When choosing sources, consider the setting of the scientific
context for the research and the method's design if applicable.
Think about the methods you will use for data analysis, the
interpretation of data, the conclusion (that should respond to the
research question) and evaluation of the method and data used.
Explain the type of sampling you used to extract the data.
● Research questions that link properties to brands (you might
use the information from labels on different foods to determine
vitamin or other nutrients content) should be avoided as it is
usually difficult to support the conclusion from a scientific point
of view.
● You can still do primary data experiments using virtual labs -
take a look at the list attached for the best ones.
List of Biology Journals
Biology Open
Open Access Journals
Science resources curated by Ms. Gallager
Brooklyn Public Library
New York Public Library
PLOS Biology PLOS Biology features works of exceptional
significance, originality, and relevance in all areas of biological science,
from molecules to ecosystems, including works at the interface of other
disciplines, such as chemistry, medicine, and mathematics.
The Whole Brain Atlas A medical resource created by Harvard
Medical School about the brain, which includes neuro images
Sources of Biological Data for Secondary Research EEs
There are numerous online sources of biological publications including
NCBI, PubMed, DOAJ and Science Direct to name a few. Other
sources of data include university and government websites and
databases as well as data released by companies and other
organizations involved in biological research and or biological products.
NCBI - National Centre for Biotechnology Information
PubMed - PubMed® comprises more than 30 million citations for
biomedical literature from MEDLINE, life science journals, and online
books.
Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ)
NASA Climate Change
Satellite Data - GOES' geostationary status (in which the satellite is
always in the same position with respect to the rotating Earth) allows it
to hover over one position on the Earth's surface and provide constant
vigil for the atmospheric "triggers" for severe weather conditions such
as tornadoes, flash floods, hail storms and hurricanes.
USDA nutrient database - US Department of Agriculture. Contains a
complete nutrition profile for various food and drink items.
RCSB Protein Data Bank - the single worldwide archive for
macromolecular structure data.
BioServers - Easy to use interface for DNA database searches
ALFRED - allele frequency
The Red List - list of threatened and endangered species
National Wildlife Health Center - wildlife and ecosystem information
eBird - The Cornell lab of Ornithology
Ocean Tracks - Using the interactive map and data analysis tools,
students can explore and quantify patterns in animal tracks by taking
measurements, such as speed and diving depth, to support hypotheses
about marine animal behavior. The interface then supports students in
 relating these behaviors to fluctuations and trends in physical
oceanographic variables, such as sea surface temperature and ocean
currents, using environmental data from Earth-orbiting-satellites and
ocean drifter buoys. These interface features allow students to engage
in investigations with the data that model those currently being
conducted by scientists to understand the broad-scale effects of
changes in climate and other human activities on these important top
predators in ocean ecosystems.

Biology EE Exemplars Biology EE Exemplars

Biology Reflection Exemplar