Is it obvious that my teleprompter is in the wrong place? Struggling to find the perfect IB History IA or Extended Essay (EE) topic? You don’t need to start with the question—you start with the sources. In this video, I walk you through a step-by-step roadmap: 1️⃣ How to pick an area you care about 2️⃣ Where to find accessible, credible sources (databases, archives, open access) 3️⃣ How to refine your question into a testable, analytical investigation 💡 FREE Resource for You → Inspiration for Your History IA or EE: Topic Ideas to Spark Strong Research Questions, / inspiration-for-137699166 📚 Perfect for: • IB DP History students (IA & EE prep) • AP History research projects • Teachers guiding students through source-based inquiry 🔔 Subscribe for more AP and IB History help every week. IB History IA topics, IB History Extended Essay ideas, How to choose a History IA question, History EE topic suggestions, Best IA questions for IB History, IB History sources guide, IB research question examples, British royal family abdication crisis IA, Extended Essay tips for IB History, Mr. Hutchings History IA EE guide #IBHistory #IBExtendedEssay #HistoryIA #HistoryEE #APHistory #IBDP #ExtendedEssay #IBStudents #HistoryResearch #mrhutchingshistory 🔍 Library Databases (usually via your school login)(Ask your librarian which of these you already have access to — most IB schools subscribe to at least one.) • EBSCOhost (History Reference Center) https://www.ebsco.com/products/resear... ' • JSTOR https://www.jstor.org/ • Gale Databases (e.g., Gale in Context: World History, Gale Primary Sources) https://www.gale.com/databases • ProQuest Databases (Historical Newspapers, Academic, etc.) https://about.proquest.com/en/product... ________________________________________ 📚 Open Access Repositories(No login needed — free access for many historical texts, books, newspapers, and archival material.) • Internet Archive (books, newspapers, magazines, video, audio) https://archive.org/ • HathiTrust Digital Library https://www.hathitrust.org/ • Google Books (full text and previews of older scholarship) https://books.google.com/ • UK National Archives (Discovery Catalogue) https://discovery.nationalarchives.go... • Hansard (UK Parliamentary Debates) https://hansard.parliament.uk/ • Library of Congress Digital Collections https://www.loc.gov/collections/ • Chronicling America (U.S. Newspapers, Library of Congress) https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/ • British Newspaper Archive (subscription, but many schools/libraries provide access) https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.c... • Google News Archive (digitized historical newspapers) https://news.google.com/newspapers Chapters ( 0:00 ) – Introduction & Student Questions ( 0:30 ) – Why You Start with Sources (Not the Question) ( 1:10 ) – Step 1: Choose a Broad Area You Care About ( 2:20 ) – Why Sources First: Avoiding Pitfalls ( 3:30 ) – Rule of Thumb: Feasible vs. Unfeasible Topics ( 4:10 ) – Narrowing a Topic (Monarchy → British Monarchy → Abdication Crisis) ( 5:20 ) – Cold War Example: From “Cold War” to Cuban Missile Crisis ( 6:00 ) – Step 2: Finding Sources You Can Access ( 7:10 ) – Databases & Repositories (EBSCO, JSTOR, ProQuest, Internet Archive, National Archives) ( 8:10 ) – Search Tools: Boolean Phrases (AND, OR, Quotes, Date Limits) ( 9:20 ) – Mini Task: Test Your Search Strategy ( 9:50 ) – Step 3: Building a Research Question from Sources ( 10:20 ) – What Makes a Question “Testable”? ( 11:00 ) – Three Qualities of Testable Questions (Sources, Scope, Analysis) ( 12:00 ) – Case Study: British Royal Family Topics (1936 Abdication, 1953 Coronation) ( 12:50 ) – Quick Answer: What Makes a Good IA Topic? ( 13:20 ) – IA vs. EE: Key Differences ( 13:50 ) – Final Checklist & Closing Advice Final checklist for clarity and feasibility. Closing reminder: start with sources, not the “perfect question,” plus a link to free IA/EE topic inspiration on Patreon. ( 14:14 ) - Bloopers and Out-takes
