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How To Write An EPQ Essay (Step-by-Step Guide)

In A-Level by Think Student Editor March 29, 2019 8 Comments

Whatever the reasons were for you choosing to write an EPQ, the grade you get is most definitely important to you. That is why I have written this (hopefully) detailed guide on how to write an EPQ.

1. Think Of An EPQ Topic That Genuinely Interests You 

It’s important to choose an EPQ you’re interested in, or you may run into some problems . Many students take EPQs each year, and many students fail because they make this mistake.  

If you don’t take an EPQ you’re interested in, you’ll have no motivation to work on it . This will be because you start to want to do other things, anything instead of your EPQ.  

Think about revision, for example. Is it interesting? Nope. Would you rather be playing videogames, watching Netflix, or literally anything else? Yeah, me too.  

If you’re not motivated to write your EPQ essay, then you’ll either not do it or do it badly. If you don’t work hard for it, you won’t get good marks – and therefore there’s less point in even taking it in the first place .  

If you find an EPQ topic to write your essay on that genuinely peaks your interest, you’ll find it much easier to get better grades in it.  

A more interesting EPQ essay topic will mean that your focus is better . This will result in a better EPQ, meaning more marks when you hand it in.  

You’ll also enjoy the EPQ a lot more if you find it interesting . You’ll find the whole experience a lot more fun, and therefore a lot easier too.  

To find an EPQ topic that genuinely interests you, you just have to think about what you like. There are lots of different things you can do, but you only get to choose once – so choose carefully.  

And if you’re really stuck on ideas, take a look at this list of 600+ EPQ ideas that guarantee an A* . Any of these ideas will be great for your EPQ, so just choose one that interests you and that you’ll actually enjoy.

2. Create A Mind Map Surrounding Your EPQ Topic

A mind map is where you write down everything you know about a topic . In this case, you’d be writing down all the ideas and concepts surrounding your EPQ topic.  

That way you can see everything you need to write about in your EPQ essay. You’re essentially making a mood board for whatever EPQ idea you’ve chosen, and it will help you get in the right mindset for the task ahead.  

Mind maps are most commonly used to identify gaps in your knowledge . Students tend to use them when revising to work out what they don’t know, whilst also helping them consolidate what they do know.  

In terms of your EPQ essay, a mind map will provide a loose structure for you to follow . You’ll come up with lots of different things you can write about, and that will make the essay a lot easier.  

In addition to this, whilst creating your mind map you may even decide to change your topic entirely. You might find that the topic you’ve chosen isn’t giving you any idea inspiration, and so you move on to a different topic.  

To make sure you get your mind maps right, you might want to follow this helpful guideline . It’s mainly about studying, but the same things can be said for planning your EPQ essay.  

Don’t try rushing in to your EPQ essay without first creating a mind map . Mind maps are more useful than most students think…  

Mind maps will help you avoid getting lost in what you’ve written, what you’ve missed, and what you’re planning on doing. You can use your EPQ topic mind maps as a sort of checklist as you write your EPQ essay.

3. Use Your Mind Map To Think Of A Question Related To Your Main EPQ Topic

Many students forget to think about this, but it’s probably the most important part of your EPQ . If you get this bit wrong, you can say goodbye to a good grade in your EPQ.  

The question relating to your EPQ topic of choice is what you’ll spend your time working on . The 5000 words you write will be about this question, and so it really needs to be a good one.  

If you don’t make it a question that interests you, then you’ll find it harder to write as much about it. Find a question that genuinely peaks your interest (relating to your EPQ of course) and the rest will come naturally.

It’s also important, however, that you choose a question where there’s a lot to write about . If you choose a question with lots to write about, you can use that to your advantage when trying to reach those 5000 words.  

However, if you don’t choose a question where there’s a lot to write about, you’ll find that your EPQ is slow and drains you. Not only that, but it’ll probably be worse in terms of grade too.  

I’d suggest doing a little background research into your question before you start writing your EPQ essay . Just check that there’s lots to write about and then you can avoid starting something you can’t finish.  

As a general rule, you’ll want questions that don’t have definitive answers. If you can find a question that is inconclusive, you’re onto a winner.  

If you can’t be bothered to look up EPQ questions, then there’s an alternative . Take a look at this list of 600+ EPQ ideas that guarantee an A* .

4. Write Down Subtitles That Relate To Your Main EPQ Question

Writing down subtitles for your EPQ question means that you’ll have a better idea of what’s actually going into your EPQ essay .  

When you create your subtitles for your EPQ essay, you’re essentially writing down all the mini-topics you’ll write about. You split up the massive 5000 word count into smaller, more manageable parts.  

I’d suggest making as many subtitles as you can that relate to your main EPQ question. Just go for a massive brainstorm ( potentially using your mind map ) to try and come up with lots of subtitles.  

That way you maximize the chances of you making some actually good subtitles. You’ll have lots of options to choose from, and your EPQ will benefit from having such a varied range of points.  

You also put yourself in the right mindset for your EPQ essay . You’ll be much more open to different ideas and approaches whilst actually writing the EPQ, and examiners will see this and give you extra credit.  

However, you need to make sure that the subtitles you’re writing actually relate to your EPQ question . If they don’t, you could run into some serious problems.

If you choose to work on a subtitle that doesn’t wholly relate to your EPQ question, you risk filling up your word count with irrelevant information. That means less room for the important stuff, and less marks for you.  

Make sure you check all your subtitles before you start writing . Work out what the plan is before you start writing, so that you don’t have to rewrite a large portion of your EPQ essay.  

So grab a pen and paper, sit down, put on some nice music, and get to writing those subtitles.

5. Triple Check That Every Subtitle Question Actually Relates To The Main EPQ Topic

By this point, you should have around 16 subtitles that you want to include in your EPQ essay . 16 subtitles will give you a nice 300 word per subtitle guide, give or take a few.  

Any more subtitles, and you run the risk of overcomplicating your EPQ. Any fewer, and you’ll struggle to reach that gargantuan 5000 word count.  

It’s essential that you break down your EPQ essay into smaller modules like this, to make it easier for you in the long term. 16 subtitles will mean the best productivity for you when you actually come to write your EPQ essay .  

The next step is to order your subtitles, for easier reading. You’ll want to make the layout of your subtitles as sensible and as easy to follow as possible for your examiner .   

If you please your examiner like this, they’ll be more inclined to give you more marks. They mark you on your written communication, and therefore you’ll want to make sure you’re communicating the most effective way.  

Try ordering your subtitles by the order of most important to least important . Laying out your subtitles this way will show your examiner that you’ve really thought about your EPQ and understand what they want to see.

Alternatively, you could lay out your subtitles chronologically . What I mean by this is that you start with your question, move onto research, then explanations, and finally a conclusion.  

This is probably the best way to lay out your EPQ essay subtitles . It’s the easiest way to follow the process you went through, and examiners like to see EPQ essays that are laid out like this.  

It’s how I laid my EPQ essay subtitles out, and I got an A* – so I’d suggest doing the same.

6. Allocate A Word Count To Each Element Of Your EPQ Structure

You’ll want an introductory paragraph to start with, and that should only take about 200-300 words . Don’t go overboard with your introduction, as you should aim to make the bulk of your essay about your EPQ question.  

I’ve already mentioned it, but you want to write about 300 words per subtitle . This is the perfect amount of words to write if you want the EPQ essay to go as smoothly as possible.  

16 subtitles at 300 words each will put you at just under 5000 words – 4800, to be exact. That will leave you just enough room to add a short introduction too.  

You can go for less subtitles, but that means a higher word count for each individual subtitle . If you make your word count per subtitle too high, then you’ll struggle when it comes to actually writing your EPQ essay.  

You could also try more subtitles if you want, but that then means you’d write less per subtitle . That means there’s less room for all your explanation, and less marks when you hand it in.  

I’d recommend keeping your subtitle count between 14 and 18 . That way you give yourself the best chances of your EPQ being easier to write.

You also make it easier for you to enjoy, too. Making your EPQ essay subtitles this long means you’ll find it easier and less monotonous, and therefore you’ll enjoy it more.  

The word count of each element in your EPQ essay has an impact on your productivity and focus, too . Generally, the shorter the piece of writing you have to do, the more productive you’ll be.  

Setting yourself short-term goals like this will help you stay focused and make your EPQ that little bit better. It’s worth setting effective word counts for your EPQ essay elements for those extra marks .

7. Research, Research ( And A Little Bit More Research )

Research should make up about 40%-50% of your total EPQ essay . That’s a lot of research, and you can see from this figure that quality research is crucial to your success.  

The reason research takes up so much space is because you need to explore all opportunities within your question. Research will help you develop ideas and improve your knowledge of the subject, helping you to better answer your EPQ essay question.  

And besides, who doesn’t want help reaching the massive 5000 word count?  

There are many ways to research, with the most common being the internet, and books . Both ways of researching are valid and useful, but you still need to be careful.  

Especially with the internet, you may come across facts and information that isn’t entirely accurate. This is because anybody can access anything, and usually the information you see online is edited by people who aren’t professionals.  

Try to stay away from websites like Wikipedia, where anybody can change the information you see . There are much better alternatives out there, like Google Scholar for example.

Whereas with books, they have to go through a long-winded process to ensure they’re accurate . Books tend to be slightly more reliable than the internet, especially if they have an ‘exam-board approved’ label on them.  

I’d also recommend keeping track of all the sources of your information, as you’ll have to write a bibliography at the end of your EPQ .  

What that basically means is that you have to reference each individual source of information after you’ve written your EPQ essay. That’s just so examiners can check to see if you’re plagiarising any content, in case you were wondering.

8. Check That Your EPQ Structure Still Makes Sense

You should have around 16 subtitles ready to go, in chronological order or order of importance . I’d suggest chronological order, but that’s up to you.  

You should also have space to add an introduction and conclusion paragraphs . They shouldn’t take up too much space, but still leave some room for you to add them in.  

You’ll actually want to wait until the end of your EPQ essay to write either of these paragraphs, so it might help to add placeholders until you get to writing them.  

Around 7 of your subtitles should be based on research . You’ll want to leave yourself a nice amount of in-depth research, whilst also allowing room for all that explanation.  

If you don’t give the right proportions for your research and explanation subtitles, your EPQ can become lopsided. Examiners will easily spot this and take away precious marks.  

You’ll want your conclusion to be longer than your introduction, as you’re essentially summing up all that you’ve written . Your conclusion should be about the same size as your subtitles, but maybe just a little bit bigger.  

If all else fails, just read through your structure and think about it from an examiners’ point of view. Does it all make sense? Are the subtitles in a sensible order? Have you left space for your introduction and conclusion paragraphs?  

If you reckon you’ve got all these elements in the right order and the right sizes, you should be good to go. Just keep a clear focus on your EPQ essay question, and you can’t go wrong.  

9 . Write Down The Answers To Each Of Your Subtitles

Start with your subtitles to get the main bulk of your EPQ essay underway . The quicker you get your subtitles done, the sooner you can finish your EPQ.  

Starting your subtitles first is a good idea, as they make up most of your EPQ. You’ll want to get them done first, and then you have time after that to work on the finer details.  

As I’ve said, your subtitles should be around 300 words long . This will allow you just enough space to answer the subtitle, without repeating yourself or going overboard.  

If you go too far over 300 words, you risk either repeating yourself or just extending your points so much that your words become empty. Empty words = no marks, which is what you definitely don’t want.  

If you don’t write 300 words, the points you make are likely to be underdeveloped. This means you can’t get into the top band of marks no matter how good what you’re saying is – there’s just simply not enough of it.  

Of course, if you think you can express yourself in more or less than 300 words, go for it . Everybody’s different, and some people have better writing skills than others.

The amount of words you write per subtitle can also depend on how many subtitles you have . If you have less subtitles, you write more words per subtitle, and vice versa – simple maths.  

Try to explore every possibility within your subtitle. The more routes you go down and the further the detail you go into, the more marks you’ll get from the examiner.

10 . Write The Introduction And Conclusion Paragraphs

Your introduction paragraph needs to be slightly shorter than your average subtitle paragraph . Usually about 200-300 words, the introduction will basically talk about what’s to come in your EPQ essay.  

If you make your introduction too long, you waste space that you might need for your research/explanations. You also take up space that could be used for your conclusion, which is very important.  

It’s a good idea to write your introduction paragraph after you’ve written all of your subtitles . It may sound odd, but there’s method to the madness.  

If you write your introductory paragraph last, it’ll be a lot more accurate than if you’d have done it at the start. You’ll know exactly what’s in your EPQ, and therefore your introduction can accurately ‘introduce’ your essay .

Your conclusion paragraph should be slightly longer than your average subtitle, and definitely longer than your introduction . I’d say about 400 words, your conclusion should sum up everything you’ve talked about in your EPQ essay.  

Your conclusion should essentially answer the question you asked at the start of your EPQ essay. You should aim to include everything you talked about in your other subtitles (that’s why it’s a little bit longer).  

You’ll obviously want to write your conclusion paragraph after everything else, or you’ll have nothing to conclude. Once you get on to your conclusion, you’re on the home stretch.  

11. Get Someone To Proof Read It To Make Sure There Are No Errors

Proof reading your EPQ essay is so, so, SO important to your success . If you don’t proof read your EPQ essay, you may miss some pretty crucial mistakes…  

I’m not just talking about the spelling mistakes you may have made (although you might want to fix those too). I mean the mistakes where you contradict yourself, go off topic, or even just get your facts wrong.  

I’m sure I don’t need to explain it, but these mistakes will cost you dearly when your EPQ gets examined . Sometimes just a few marks can be the difference between an A and an A*, so you need to maximize your chances of success.  

A good way to ensure your EPQ essay is perfect is to get someone else to look through it. Having a second opinion ensures that everything you’ve written is accurate and concise, and it’s better than just checking through it yourself.

If you rely on your own methods of checking through your work, you’re more likely to miss mistakes . Having a fresh perspective on your work broadens the chances of catching every mistake you make.  

It doesn’t matter who you get to check your work . You can ask friends, family, or even your teachers/tutor – just get it proof read before you send it off to be marked .  

If you need to check through it for spelling mistakes or wording issues, there’s a handy little trick I used for my EPQ essay. Paste your entire essay into google translate, and have it read out to you .  

That way you can listen and check for anything that’s not quite right, and sort it out in time for your EPQ essay to be examined.

Thanks so much for the help !

This is so, so helpful, thanks so much!

How many resources should I have for my EPQ?

20-25 should be the right number

Hi, thanks for the cool tips! I will definitely keep it for myself

Hello, thanks for the cool advice, but the most difficult thing for me is 1 point – to think through the topic itself. Therefore, already at the first stage, I give up and turn to the college essay writing service. This service helped me more than once or twice. My friends also use it. Also, it is difficult for me to create a mental map, which is in point 2. Therefore, I would rather spend my writing time on purposes that are useful to me.

This is so useful! I have been working on my EPQ over the past few weeks and have had a few big quandries about how I should go about forming an answer to my question and this has made it much clearer. Thank you!

Art-based Artefact FULL Essay & Sketchbook Example

Jennifer Leigh | 28th September 2019

Many students are warned before taking on an EPQ, that artefact projects are substantially harder and score substantially lower than full essay projects. The key difficulty with artefact EPQs is making them research-based and the biggest task I had to overcome was insuring my artefact complimented my research, rather than the other way around. I was the only student in my year group to attempt an artefact EPQ and there was very little help as to the structure my EPQ should take.

During Sixth Form, I completed an art-based artefact EPQ on the significance of light and colour in Impressionist art. This EPQ followed obtaining full marks in my Art GCSE, so I chose to take a very similar process in creating my EPQ project and sketchbook.

In the end, I obtained 48/50 in my EPQ in June 2019 (AQA EPQ A* boundary = 45/50).

Looking for top EPQ tips? Check out my EPQ advice article here! This article features my EPQ essay and sketchbook in full that helped me achieve my A*. All the art below was submitted collectively as my artefact, with mini essays, artist studies and my final pieces being documented in an A3 sketchbook.

My EPQ essay (ft. photos of artefact)

Is use of light and colour the sole feature that defines the impressionist art era, or are there more significant motives behind the movement.

Impressionism can be described as “a style or movement in painting originating in France in the 1860s, characterised by a concern with depicting the visual impression of the movement, especially in terms of the shifting effect of light and colour”. Today, the Impressionists are some of the most popular artists whose artworks are readily seen by the public, namely due to the expressive use of colour and unique depictions of interesting compositions of light. However, this project aims to explore whether use of light and colour really is the defining feature of Impressionist art, or whether there are other reasons why this movement of art is so unique from other movements. Furthermore, I also explored whether some of the most famous “Impressionist” artists today can be defined as “true Impressionists”, based on their techniques and motives.

Initially, I researched Claude Monet, as he is frequented described by art historians as “epitomis[ing] most closely the values of Impressionism”1. Monet frequently used varied colour palettes in his paintings, such as in “The Cliff Walk at Pourville” (1882) and “Red Boats, Argenteuil” (1875), which helped create a powerful mood and atmosphere for the viewer. For example, in “Le Grand Canal” (1908), he primarily used more muted, cool colours to emphasise the bright morning, which focuses the viewer on the reflections and varied hues of the water. Studying the painting up close, one can see how the hints of pinks and yellows contrasts with the muted colours, creating a sense of calmness and tranquility. In series works such as his Haystacks, Monet painted many similar, simplistic scenes so that “nothing distracts the attention from his harmonies of colour and atmosphere”2. Taking a random selection of paintings from this collection, such as “Haystacks, Hazy Sunshine” (1891) and “Haystacks at the End of Summer, Morning” (1891), it is clear to the viewer that the real interest is in Monet’s manipulations of light through the medium of colour.

However, use of light and colour is not the only technique that Monet demonstrated that is considered typically Impressionist: Monet also frequently varied his style of brushstrokes, working very loosely and liberally in paintings such as in his Waterlilies series. This technique, combined with frequently working in plein air, led to many of Monet’s paintings creating a feel of a “moment in time” for the viewer. Indeed, many of the revolutionary techniques Monet demonstrated had the same key purpose: to create a sense of a moment or impression of a scene for the viewer, rather than a full, still representation of a period of time.

Considering Monet as a “true Impressionist”, I then began to compare his techniques and works to those of other artists during a similar period of art history. I initially researched Edgar Degas, who separated himself from most Impressionists by outwardly describing himself as a Realist, rather than an Impressionist, with a “lack of interest in plein-air painting, his abiding passion for the art of the great masters, and his experimentation in different media, including photography” 3 . However, it is clear by studying his works that Degas aimed to create an impression of a person’s life rather than Monet, who aimed to create an impression of a scene. One way that he demonstrated this was how Degas “began experimenting with off-centre compositions, and figures cut in half by the picture frame” 1 , which can be considered a way that Degas allowed the viewer to glimpse “an unexpected slice of Parisian life”. This is comparable to how Monet used sketchy strokes and varied colours in his paintings; both artists used these contrasting techniques to give the viewer an impression of the scene in front of them, whether it was a landscape or a group of people.

Some critics have argued that “Degas never allowed himself to be called an Impressionist, and, affirming the supremacy of drawing over colour, was often highly critical of his colleagues [the Impressionist artists he frequently exhibited with at the Salon des Refusés]” 4 yet, despite this, he did show very similar motifs to other Impressionists like Monet. Indeed, a majority of written sources on Degas were in books containing a wide range of other Impressionist artists, implying that many art historians do draw great similarities between Degas’ and other Impressionists’ work. Studying Degas’ sketches and paintings as a modern viewer, it is clear that the theme of capturing a moment for the viewer was a theme of Impressionism that Degas consistently demonstrated, along with other Impressionists.

Another artist prominent at the time of the Impressionists was Paul Cézanne, whom I also researched as part of my project. Like other Impressionists, Cézanne presented his work at the 1870 Salon de Réfuses, however he drifted away from the Impressionist movement and focused on creating more carefully structured compositions, with a unique crystal-life appearance. In paintings such as Tall Trees at the Jas de Bouffan (1883), Cézanne used “constructive” strokes, consisting of flat strokes of a consistent scale, shape and direction, “giving the picture an overall coherence … through slow methodical brushwork” 5 . Art historians can infer that rather than attempting to create atmospheric conditions, he sought to create spectrums of colour that more realistically replicated the conditions of the day.

Some critics argue that Cézanne was key to the Impressionist movement, while others, such as Hajo Düchting, claim “once the heyday of Impressionism dawned, Cézanne had already put both Paris and Impressionism far behind him” 6 . In this case, it is important to note that Düchting is writing with the purpose to persuade the reader that Cézanne was a truly unique and revolutionary artist of his time, so the author avoids crediting the origins of Cézanne’s style to any artist or movement, such as the Impressionists, throughout the book. Despite potential bias in his work, it is difficult to ignore Düchting’s argument that Cézanne was unlike the Impressionists; indeed, even sources specifically covering Impressionist artists describe Cézanne as relinquishing Impressionism, “insufficient for [his] purpose and inadequate to [his] aims” 4 .

Many of the sources I did study as part of my research gave a general overview of Impressionism, such as “Great Artists of the Western World: Impressionism”, considering how many artists of the same period of history used Impressionist techniques; this suggests that the authors may be biased in looking at Cézanne and Degas from a purely Impressionist viewpoint, rather than considering techniques which made both artists stand out from classic Impressionists like Monet. Despite this, visiting galleries and exhibitions such as “Drawn in Colour: Degas from the Burrell” (National Art Gallery) and “Corteau Impressionists: From Manet to Cézanne” (National Art Gallery) offered the opportunity for first hand research in seeing these artists’ work up close, supporting evidence from these texts regarding to what extent Degas and Cézanne really were “Impressionists”. The Corteau Impressionists exhibition at the National Art Gallery 5 featured a range of artists from a similar period of art history, such as Manet, Renoir and Seurat. However, the paintings themselves and their descriptions were clear evidence of how differently these artists worked; for example, Seurat was described as being “dissatisfied with Impressionists’ intuitive responses to light and colour” and thoroughly discarded their style of thinking, despite being exhibited as one of them in this exhibition, suggesting that not all those artists considered “Impressionists” by the public can truly be considered one by art historians. Generally, the Impressionist exhibitions proved more useful sources than the texts, which were prone to producing bias to make the artist seem more original in their techniques (and therefore less “typically Impressionist”), while seeing the paintings and annotations up close allowed for a more critical judgement of the methods used.

Using the research I had gathered from these three key artists, I began to develop an idea for a final piece which incorporated what I felt were the key features of Impressionism. I focused on a series of works, taking inspiration from how both Monet and Degas created multiple, similar paintings which showed subtle changes in composition and/or atmosphere. I chose to focus on landscapes, picking compositions from my garden in order to give me the change to work en plein air, trying to pick images which worked together in a series, yet also showed some compositional interest, taking inspiration from Degas. Eventually I chose a set of two compositions that complemented each other with similar viewpoints. Throughout the painting process, I focused on capturing all the colours reflected in the light of the scenes, while preserving the spontaneous, loose feel of the Impressionist artists, taking note of what I’d learnt in my research. This can particularly be reflected in the portrayal of the trees, where I used broad brushstrokes to capture the constant movement of the leaves. I also used subtle variations of colour to reflect the slight changes in light and impression for the viewer: while the first painting has a strong, warm tint to reflect the calm twilight, the second painting consists of slightly cooler tones to suggest the vibrant daytime. This was an ode to Monet’s many series works, containing multiple similar scenes with strong variations in light and atmosphere. Overall, these paintings reflected and supported what I’d learnt during my research regarding the techniques and aims of Monet and Degas.

In conclusion, there is clear evidence for colour being a key feature in Impressionist art, yet this cannot be prioritised over the real motive behind the artist’s work: the reason for “Impressionist” art being given its name is due to whether or not the aim of the piece is to suggest a moment in time, inflicting some sort of emotion or atmosphere for the viewer. Despite this, it is accurate to suggest that “the Impressionist group in France falls into several sections” 4 . Monet and Degas both shared the same intention to capture an impression of a scene, despite doing this through different techniques; in comparison, Cézanne shared similar technical qualities in his painting style to Monet, yet his overall aim leant towards capturing a representation of a longer period of time. In this way, it is clear Monet and Degas demonstrate their Impressionist qualities to a much greater extent than Cézanne, which can be noted in viewing their work. In this way, the significance of colour in Impressionism is limited to simply being a means through which artists, such as Monet, can create these atmospheric effects and feelings for the viewer.

• Anon. (1987). Great Artists of the Western World. London: Marshall Cavendish.
• Mannering. (1998). The Masterworks of Monet. Bristol: Parragon.
• Drawn in Colour: Degas from the Burrell. The National Gallery, London. (Exhibition February 2018)
• Francia, d. (1961). Movements in Modern Art: Impressionism. Vienna: Brüder Rosenbaum.
• Courtauld Impressionists: From Manet to Cézanne. The National Gallery, London. (Exhibition November 2018)
• Duchting. (1996). Cézanne. Taschen America Llc.
• Sagner-Duchting. (1992). Claude Monet. Taschen America Llc.
• Reyburn. (1997). The Art of the Impressionists. Grange Books Ltd.
• Gariff. (2008). World’s Most Influential Painters and the Artists They Inspired: Stories and Hidden Connections Between Great Works of Western Art.

© 2020 Jennifer Leigh. Based on website design GreatSEO .

• 600 EPQ Ideas – The Ultimate List For an A*

So, this is it. You’ve decided to do an EPQ and now you’re sitting at a blank computer screen with the entire spectrum of human knowledge at your disposal. You could write about any topic on any subject in the dizzying realms of the known universe. But there’s just one problem… how do you begin?

An EPQ (Extended Project Qualification) allows A-Level students to write either a 5,000 word essay on any question or subject of their choice. Alternatively, students can create an artefact or product, and write a shorter essay explaining it. The EPQ is equivalent to half an A-Level.

EPQs are a fantastic way of proving to universities that you are the best prospective student for them, and that you deserve a place on one of their courses. An EPQ requires a huge amount of independent research (which proves that you can handle university-style work) and allows you to showcase your original thoughts and academic rigour, which is exactly what universities are looking for.

Even more importantly, an EPQ counts for extra UCAS points . This means that if you don’t get the grades you expect at A-Level, a strong EPQ grade could help you meet the conditions of a university place offer. Feeling inspired now? We’ve got 600 EPQ ideas for multiple different subjects, to get those ideas rolling.

What are some top EPQ ideas for a guaranteed A*?

Some strong EPQ ideas for a guaranteed A* are specific and original topics like “Should parents be allowed to genetically change their child’s gender” for an EPQ in medicine, and “Is the media making suicide aspirational?”, for a psychology EPQ.

You could also consider EPQ questions like, “Was the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki justified?” for History, and “Should we legalise human organ trade?” for Economics.

We’ve got a list of 600 EPQ ideas for a guaranteed A*, so scroll down and get inspired. We’ve searched all over the internet and interviewed students to get the most pressing topics for each subject. You should just use these EPQ ideas to give you an idea of what you could research, and it’s up to you to come up with your own title.

EPQ Ideas For Medicine

• Is gene therapy ethical?
• Should parents be allowed to genetically alter their child’s gender?
• Can cannabis use in adolescence cause schizophrenia?
• To what extent does the sugar tax reduce sugar consumption in the UK?
• Why are the death-rates from Covid-19 worse in places with higher air pollution?
• Why does emetophobia primarily affect women?
• Could the legalisation of cannabis improve mental health?
• Should we allow only UK citizens to use the NHS?
• Can plastic surgery ever solve body dysmorphic disorder?
• Do care home environments worsen the affects of Dementia and Alzheimer’s?
• What are the links between obesity and parents criticizing their children’s bodies?
• If a woman who wanted a child freezes her eggs and then happens to die, should a relative be allowed to use her eggs to conceive a child?
• Is it right that mothers of Down’s syndrome babies are allowed to abort them up until birth?
• Are anti-depressants a quick fix problem in an overwhelmed healthcare system?
• Should the NHS provide IVF for women over 40?
• To what extent are Black women discriminated against when giving birth?
• Should counsellors have a qualification in psychology before being allowed to practice?
• Why are girls so chronically misdiagnosed when it comes to autism?
• Did the ancient Egyptians have a comprehensive understanding of mental health and illness?
• Could electroshock therapy be the most effective method of treating depression?
• Should we prioritise ICU places to people with children and dependents?
• What are the similarities between Reactive Attachment Disorder and Autism?
• A study of medical practices in North Korea
• A comparison of different cancer treatments: surgical removals and chemotherapy to immunotherapies.
• Is hypnotherapy ever a viable anaesthetic for surgery?

Students interested in taking medicine further should consider studying at one of our award winning Medicine Summer Schools to strengthen their application.

EPQ Ideas for Psychology

• Is the media making suicide aspirational for young people?
• To what extent does having social workers intervene in a family affect a child’s life outcomes?
• Is talking therapy nearly ineffective for treating panic disorder?
• Should children be allowed to decide if they can be taken into care?
• Are the children of alcoholics more likely to become hoarders?
• Is there a link between undiagnosed Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and alcoholism?
• Can non-violent psychopaths have successful relationships?
• Given how they change behaviour, should advertising and marketing be made illegal?
• How has social media altered our brains since its inception?
• Does the Stanford Prison Experiment prove that we should promote rehabilitation over punitive incarceration?
• Are attachment issues in neglected children irreversible?
• Can unschooling be classed as child neglect?
• Can authoritarian parenting styles lead to overeating in adulthood?
• Is technology making us more depressed?
• Do gender-neutral toys lead to children with less stereotypical views of gender roles?
• Can music help ease the effects of Dementia?
• What are the long term effects of bullying?
• Can studying people’s behaviours pre-suicide help prevent suicide?
• Should crime-predicting algorithms be banned for their bias?
• A study of the effects of living in an overcrowded household during Covid-19 lockdown.
• Do memories alter when we recall them?
• How does intergenerational trauma effect cortisol levels?
• Do the negative affects of racism begin in the womb?
• What can Savant Syndrome tell us about the multi-faceted nature of intelligence?
• Do all humans have some level of body dysmorphia?

EPQ ideas for Law

• Should defendants be allowed to represent themselves?
• Is the internet an ungovernable wilderness when it comes to Law?
• Why secret trials are a form of abuse
• Should CCTV be made illegal?
• Is the use of juries inevitably flawed when it comes to reaching a just verdict?
• Should mass media be banned from high profile investigations?
• Should we replace juries with AI-powered robots?
• Should Donald Trump go to prison?
• Could the police be classed as a gang in America?
• How we can stop criminalising victims of sex trafficking.
• Should we bring back the death penalty?
• How much should a child’s desire to live with one parent or another affect the court’s decision?
• Should people who see child abuse but don’t report it be subject to the law?
• Should male partners sue their female partners for abortion?
• Should organ donation be mandatory for everyone?
• When should one country legally intervene in another, when it comes to human rights abuses?
• Should marriage be banned until the age of 21?
• Should lie detector results be legalised in UK courts?
• Could the government be legally obliged to pay women for their unpaid labour that contributes to the economy?
• If embryos are capable of feelings and sensations, should abortion be forbidden at any stage?
• Should minors trafficked to the UK from a dangerous country or situation be given immediate residency?
• Could euthanasia be legalised, whether or not someone is critically ill and close to death?
• Should parents be legally obliged to leave money to their children?
• Should the inheritance tax be abolished?
• Should people with dual citizenship automatically receive diplomatic protection from both countries?

Students interested in becoming a lawyer should consider studying at one of our Law Summer Schools on campus at top UK and US universities.

EPQ ideas for primary school teaching

• Should boys receive exclusive lessons on feminism in primary school?
• How can we teach primary school students about internet safety?
• How can we teach primary school students about their rights over their own bodies?
• Is the way we teach obesity in school harmful to overweight or obese children?
• Is the Education system indoctrinating students?
• The importance of girls in primary school having role models in STEM.
• Why banning mobile phones in school does more harm than good.
• Why our education system fails to pick up students with dyspraxia.
• Why we should allow students to move around the classroom as they learn.
• Is the Montessori childrearing method of any use in mainstream primary school?
• Should every school have access to a Forest School?
• Why primary schools should teach skills such as cooking and home management to every child.
• Are school uniforms too institutionalising for children?
• Should school uniforms be enforced as a way of giving children routine?
• The importance of failing well.
• Should school be only three days a week?
• Should children be able to choose what subjects they want to study at any time?
• How exams unfairly disadvantage girls in primary school.
• Should we abolish sets in primary school?
• How can we teach healthy eating to children?
• How can we teach anti-racism to primary school students?
• A study of anxiety disorders in primary school students due to Covid-19.
• How the education system can better accommodate students with high-functioning autism.
• Why we need a better understanding of selective mutism in primary school.
• Should primary schools in the UK become bilingual to enhance language learning?

EPQ ideas for Secondary School Teaching

• Should school start and end later for teenagers?
• Why students should never have to ask to go the bathroom.
• Could a four day school week improve mental health among secondary school students?
• Is the secondary school curriculum creative enough?
• Why we should be teaching healthy communication to secondary school students.
• Should parents be allowed to choose for their children not to receive sex education?
• Should sports be compulsory at secondary school?
• When does strict teaching become bullying?
• Should modern languages be compulsory at secondary school?
• Could Pathological Demand Avoidance explain why students who are bright aren’t meeting their potential?
• Should we ban school uniform in secondary school?
• Should we decolonise the secondary school curriculum?
• Are their enough teachers of colour in secondary schools?
• What is the effect of divorce on a student’s learning and development?
• How to narrow the technology poverty gap among secondary school students.
• How to create educational support for looked-after children.
• How does having less money than your peers affect your identity as a secondary school student?
• The effects of overcrowded and poor housing on educational attainment.
• The effects of homelessness and insecure housing on educational attainment.
• What effect does the assessment and exam structure in UK schools have on students’ mental health?
• Are exams an unfair form of assessment for students with a specific learning difficulty like dyslexia or dyspraxia?
• How does ADHD link to cleverness and giftedness in students?
• Is our method of diagnosing autism in students informed enough?
• How can we tackle perfectionism and fear of failure in female students?
• Do exams unfairly advantage boys, and why?

EPQ ideas for Biology

• Why we don’t have enough evidence for evolution.
• Is Covid-19 more deadly than Ebola?
• Are animals as intelligent as humans?
• Is abortion murder?
• Is homosexuality genetic or social?
• What can the oldest living creature on earth teach us about biological immortality?
• Does incest always create biological issues?
• The use of parasites in weight loss attempts
• How long would it take you to die if you ate the same thing and nothing else for years?
• What causes diseases in trees?
• Could we ever grow food on walls?
• If your spouse died, what would the ethical implications be of cloning them?
• A study on identity crises in identical twins.
• Is obesity a genetic issue?
• How does sepsis attack the body?
• Will artificial hearts ever be a viable solution to chronic heart problems?
• Could brain transplants ever be a viable option?
• How do certain drugs affect cellular interactions?
• A study of courting behaviours in different species.
• How did different cellular mechanisms regulate different physiological processes?
• Is obesity a modern phenomenon?
• Can gene therapy cure Cystic Fibrosis?
• Can gut microbiota influence host appetite?
• What is the impact of invasive species on ecosystems?
• What is the biology of laughter?

EPQ Ideas for History

• Why poor dental hygiene in the middle ages was a myth.
• Was the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki Justified?
• Is it right to topple the statues of slave owners, in order to erase history?
• Who does history belong to?
• Why did the USA join World War Two so late?
• How have male and female romantic relationships changed over time?
• How has the role of marriage changed over time?
• Should a country be allowed to teach its own history?
• How did the British Empire expand so much?
• Should museums return all their historical artefacts to their country of origin?
• Were the Suffragettes the biggest force in women getting the vote?
• Is religious warfare ever Justified?
• How medieval fashion influences our outfits today
• Was Anne Boleyn the main reason that Henry VII left the Catholic church?
• Did Henry VII suffer from a genetic disease that prevented him from conceiving healthy children?
• Why do we hold on to so many myths in History?
• A study of propaganda in History textbooks in UK history.
• Why is History important to the future?
• To what extent did the purchase of commissions affect the fighting power of the British army between 1760-1860?
• What is the validity of historical fiction and romance?
• How did secret churches operate in Mao’s China?
• How did 19th Century attitudes towards madness affect society’s treatment of ‘hysterical’ women?
• What is the holocaust’s relationship with literature?
• Were the liquidators who helped clean up the Chernobyl explosion used as human collateral?
• How did the pill help women’s liberation?

EPQ Ideas For Economics

• From an economic perspective, should we legalise human organ trade?
• Can an increase of wealth directly influence happiness levels?
• Could stock analysts be replaced by artificial intelligence?
• How do socio-economic factors determine someone’s health in adulthood?
• Who is to blame for the 2008 financial crisis?
• Is illicit trade with China the only factor preventing the North Korean economy from total collapse?
• How would we recover economically if the internet ceased to exist?
• How did the 2008 financial crisis make house buying impossible for the majority of millennials?
• Is the poverty trap impossible to get out of?
• Can we compare the trickle-down economy to a pyramid scheme?
• Does a lack of wealth in childhood really hold you back in life?
• Is the gig economy leading to job insecurity a myth?
• To what extent does women’s unpaid labour prop up the UK economy?
• How has Brexit affected the UK economy?
• Should we legalise a Universal Basic Income?
• How quickly did the UK economy recover from the effects of World War Two?
• Are all socialist economies doomed to fail?
• How would the legalisation of Marijuana affect the world economy?
• How does a lack of free speech negatively affect China’s economy?
• Should there be a minimum wage?
• Should there be a maximum wage?
• Should billionaires be allowed to exist?
• How has the global demand for oil changed over time?
• What effect does illegal immigration have on the UK economy?
• Why a lack of childcare support for women hurts the economy.

EPQ Ideas for Business Studies

• Should businesses expanding to developing countries be forced to pay their employees the same amount they would at home?
• What does Foxconn show about the human cost of business?
• How should we hold businesses to account for unethical behaviour?
• Should we have a single, global currency?
• How can companies become more eco-friendly?
• Should we lower the corporate income tax?
• Will Google kill the journalism industry?
• Why apprenticeships should pay more
• Why every business leader should take a course in empathy.
• How successful is it when businesses rebrand?
• Should companies interfere in their employees’ private lives?
• How churches like Hillsong became multi-million pound businesses.
• Should CEOs have a salary limit?
• Is the American government a big business?
• How has e-commerce affected bookshops?
• Does corporate social responsibility have an impact on company sales and profits?
• A study of businesswomen in the 18th Century
• When do business marketing practices become unethical?
• Should multi-million pound businesses have taken advantage of the government’s furlough scheme during the Covid-19 lockdown?
• How do corporations influence politics?
• Should a business ever own a town or city?
• Start your own small business – perhaps on eBay or Etsy – and write your EPQ on an aspect of it.
• Should private healthcare be allowed to exist?
• Could marketing be considered a mass human experiment?
• To what extent does colour effect audience response to branding and logos?

If you want to study economics, business or marketing to a higher level, consider joining Oxford Royale this summer for a Business Summer School .

EPQ Ideas for English Literature

• The evil stepmothers in fairy tales were actually mothers in the original texts. What does this tell us about society’s anxieties and perspectives on motherhood?
• To what extent is the state of Gilead in The Handmaid’s Tale based on real life?
• Is writing an act of magic?
• Can works of literature oppress their fictional, female characters?
• Can the mistranslation of literature create a liminal world – a place that is not quite one thing and not quite another?
• What does the rise of the digital book teach us about literature?
• Can we ever ‘eat’ literature?
• Do you need to be able to read and write to be an author?
• Are stories living things?
• Discuss the gender politics in George Eliot’s Middlemarch.
• How is the sensory experience of dyslexia presented in literature?
• Is English Literature considered a ‘feminine’ subject?
• As an English student, is it your job to always work out what an author means?
• Is the author dead?
• Could journalists be replaced by AI-reporters?
• Do we need to overhaul the literary canon?
• Do we really need spelling and punctuation in literature?
• Should mass media be allowed to be biased?
• How helpful is the idea of literary genres to understanding a text?
• How George Orwell hid his dissenting view of communism in Animal Farm.
• Why learning to read is a human right.
• Can a novel ever be timeless?
• Does literary form exist just so that writers can subvert it?
• Is rhythm in a poem a separate language?
• Explore Plath’s portrayal of depression in The Bell Jar.

EPQ ideas for Art

• Should Banksy be allowed to graffiti on walls?
• Who decides the value of art, and should we standardise it?
• Has photography always been a form of art?
• To what extent is mathematics art?
• Why do people consider art to be an easy subject?
• Can art reverse the effects of mental illness?
• Can anything be art?
• Is all graffiti a form of art?
• Why the common perception of medieval people being bad at art is misguided.
• How does the commercialisation of the art industry change art itself?
• How does the perception of a career in art as worthless affect the life choices of students?
• Does an audience’s gaze change a piece of art?
• Are art and beauty essentially related?
• Is art supposed to be a visual and sensory experience, or something that we think about and define a meaning for?
• Who decides that a piece of art is ‘good’?
• Does art have a purpose?
• Can art help fight climate change?
• Why does it matter that children are exposed to art?
• What is the effect of producing art on a child’s brain?
• If nobody ever saw your artwork, would it be worth creating?
• Does a piece of art necessarily have a relationship with its creator, or can it detach itself?
• Is art a language?
• What does the disdain for modern art teach us about people’s stereotypes of art?
• Are philosophers artists?
• Could the world itself count as a work of art?

EPQ Ideas for Foreign Languages

• Where did language come from?
• Do idioms prove that languages can never truly be translated?
• Is body language universal across all countries?
• Should everyone be made to learn sign language?
• Why did Esperanto fail as a language policy?
• Which is the hardest language to learn and why?
• Do multi-lingual children grow up to be more economically successful?
• Why does having dyspraxia make language learning difficult?
• Should the whole world be made to speak one language?
• How does an influx of immigration alter the language of a region?
• What is the effect of trading on local dialects?
• Should everyone be made to learn a foreign language at school?
• What does the Korean language, when compared in North and South Korea, teach us about the evolution of language?
• Is there such a thing as a ‘correct’ way of speaking a language, when languages never stop evolving with culture?
• Could a language be classed as a living thing?
• Why is English such a dominant language across the world?
• Is Latin a dead language?
• What caused the English language to evolve so drastically over time?
• What is the hardest language to learn, and why?
• What does baby-talk in different foreign countries teach us about the acquisition of language?
• Why does China have several dialects, but only one alphabet?
• Did grammar always exist?
• What is the link between being good at maths and being good at language learning?
• Why are young children such natural language learners?
• Is learning a language cultural appropriation?

EPQ Ideas for Sport

• How sports stars experience an identity crisis after they retire
• Should soldiers be paid more than footballers?
• How do psychological factors influence performance in sport?
• What do fans react to their team winning a football match as though they won it themselves?
• Are national and international sports a misuse of resources?
• How does struggling with sports in primary school affect children’s self esteem?
• Should women be allowed to compete against men in professional sports?
• Is the ability to run fast purely a genetic advantage?
• Why do we fail to take women’s sports seriously as a society?
• Should children be forced to do sports in school?
• How can the presence of media affect the outcome of a game?
• Should referees be replaced by AI-powered robots, to decrease bias?
• How does a lack of female representation in sport prevent girls from seeking it out as a career?
• What is the effect of parents’ motivation a child’s enjoyment of sport?
• What are the long term effects of the Olympics on the host country’s tourism?
• How does a lack of ability at sports correlate to bullying?
• Why do we have less interest in women’s sports?
• A history of sport in pandemics
• How does a long-term sports injury affect an athlete’s mental health?
• Can a star athlete succeed without a coach?
• Should cheerleaders be banned?
• Is racism being taken seriously in sport?
• Can you still be a top athlete with a poor diet?
• Who decides when something is a sport?
• Why is netball predominantly considered to be a sport for women?

EPQ Ideas for Architecture

• How does the design of a building influence its inhabitants emotions?
• Should city-dwellers without gardens be given free access to national parks at all times?
• What is the link between Brutalist style architecture and anxiety and depression?
• What is the link between mathematics and art in Architecture?
• How is a building affected by the people who live in it?
• How does the style of council housing feed into class stereotypes?
• Can architecture cause social dysfunction?
• Would smart cities be a breach of privacy?
• Could we create a building the size of a city, to house an entire population?
• Make an architectural model of a zero-carbon home and write an essay describing how its functions avoid the use of carbon.
• Should the local government have the right to pull down a building if the community who live there oppose it?
• Is it ethical to spend millions of pounds creating a building in a city with high levels of quality?
• Were houses built in the 1930s of superior quality?
• Should councils have been allowed to remove tenement dwellers from their homes in the post-war era, when the enforced move was traumatic?
• Can we adapt Japanese smart space efficient buildings to western buildings?
• What were the influences on architecture in China?
• How did communism during Mao’s China change the country’s cityscapes?
• How can we build environmentally-friendly housing in LEDCs?
• Can zero carbon housing ever really exist?
• Should public playgrounds exist for people of every age?
• Was Grenfell tower a total architectural failure?
• What house styles in different areas tell us about gender forms of the time.
• How does technology affect architecture?
• What was the effect of feminism on architecture?
• Should houses worth over a million pounds be built with some benefit to the whole neighbourhood?

Join our Oxford Architecture Summer School for the chance to learn architecture amongst the dreaming spires of the city of Oxford.

EPQ ideas for Maths

• Is the golden ratio a racist idea?
• What is the maths behind cryptocurrencies?
• What are the links between foreign language learning and maths?
• What are the links between mathematics and art?
• Has maths always existed?
• How can we use statistical analysis to predict a child’s outcomes in life?
• Should children be forced to take maths at A-Level in the UK?
• Should maths be optional at secondary school in the UK?
• Why do some people say that maths is beautiful?
• Does money really exist?
• An exploration of chaos theory.
• Can maths explain how the universe came into existence?
• How can calculations improve the safety of commuters who cycle in Oxford over the next 5 years?
• Explore conflict and co-operation in The Prisoner’s Dilemma.
• Which is more important, e or pi?
• Can we calculate infinity?
• An exploration of orbital mechanics.
• Is maths a pointless subject if we don’t apply it to something?
• Is learning Maths more important than learning English in primary school?
• What was the role of maths in the code-breaking of Bletchley Park?
• How do fractals work in modelling systems?
• Can we reverse dyscalculia?
• Can mathematical systems ever be illogical?
• Did people discover maths?
• Could maths ever prove the existence of a parallel universe?

Those keen on studying maths in the heart of the silicon valley can join our Mathematics programme for 15-18 year olds on campus at our Berkeley Summer School in 2024.

EPQ ideas for Physics

• How does String Theory explain the universe?
• How can physics help us prevent climate change?
• What is the relationships between maths and physics?
• What was the role of Mileva Maric Einstein, Albert Einstein’s wife, in his scientific findings?
• Build a quadcopter with remote control.
• How can emergency whistles be optimised for design and use in rural environments?
• What would happen to the solar system when the sun dies?
• How can physics help us provide electricity to parts of rural India?
• Is time an illusion?
• Discuss the different interpretations of quantum mechanics.
• Could humans ever live on Mars?
• Design and build a functioning robot.
• How soon will we have flying cars?
• What are some feasible methods for cleaning up space junk?
• Where did the universe come from?
• How can physics prove the existence of God?
• How did Einstein’s theory of relativity influence Physics?
• Now that NASA has confirmed there is water on the moon, could it be a feasible tourist destination?
• Given their devastating effects, should we eliminate nuclear weapons from the earth?
• What contributed to the Cleddau bridge disaster?
• How can we solve the pay gap in the field of physics?
• A study of star formation and star death.
• Is time travel possible?
• How far can humans realistically explore space?
• Mathematical knot theory and its applications.

EPQ ideas for Chemistry

• What was the impact of optical isomerism in the drug Thalidomide, which led to fetal abnormalities?
• An assessment of the safety of fluoride in water.
• To what extent did the government in Louisiana cover up the danger of the petrochemical plants in Louisiana’s ‘cancer alley’?
• Should Aspartame (E951) be allowed in our food and drink?
• When do chemicals become hallucinogens?
• An assessment of hydrogen storage within Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs).
• An extraction of limonene from citrus fruits.
• Make a collection of esters that smell pleasant.
• Will graphene have a significant influence on the future?
• To what extent have inventions in Chemical Engineering impacted our lives?
• As assessment of the total synthesis of natural products.
• An experiment in polymer chemistry.
• An assessment of molecular dynamics
• An assessment of solid state structure
• Could we ever create a plastic that decomposes?
• A research project on hydrogen fuel cells
• Why doesn’t plastic decompose?
• What are the chemical processes behind purifying water?
• An exploration of the chemistry behind food allergies in humans?
• What are the chemicals involved in human attraction?
• How does cortisol affect the human body?
• Should pesticides be ethically permissible?
• What are the advantages of computer aided fragment based drug design?
• How can click chemistry be used to improve drug synthesis?
• How has the discovery of pharmaceutical chemicals changed over the past 200 years?

EPQ ideas for Engineering

• Should we teach Engineering in primary school?
• Why is there a gender imbalance in Engineering, and how can we fix it?
• Is there an oversaturation of engineers in India, and if so, why?
• Was everything in the world built by an engineer?
• Do we need to expand our definition of engineer?
• Can Engineering solve the mystery of Malaysian Airlines flight 370?
• Can Engineering explain the disappearance of Emilia Earhart?
• Did Engineering faults contribute to the sinking of the titanic.
• Build your own model plane, boat or high altitude balloon.
• Could hot air balloons become a mainstream method of travel?
• Discuss the hydraulics paradox.
• How have innovations in airframe design increased safety in commercial aircraft?
• How do architects and engineers collaborate?
• Should we be allowed to develop robots that can mimic human emotion?
• What would it mean for an engineer to be ethical when building something?
• How has Civil Engineering changed over time?
• How can chemical engineers improve energy efficiency?
• How could alterations in chemical Engineering have prevented the Deepwater Horizon oil spill?
• As assessment of the sustainability of London’s tube system.
• How much of our countryside should we sacrifice for better transport links?
• Will we have enough oil for future generations?
• Would energy provided entirely by a wind farm system run the UK economy?
• What are the reasons for the pay gap in Engineering, and how can we solve them?
• How can we get pre-school children interested in Engineering?
• Design a system to enhance plastic recycling.

Prospective engineers can join our Engineering Summer Schools for a two-week immersion in the core principles of the subject.

EPQ ideas for Computer Science

• Why we should teach children how to code at the same time we teach them to write.
• Create a website design and code it.
• Is one coding language superior to another?
• How can we reduce computer illiteracy in poorer areas?
• Why internet access is a human right.
• Are AI-driven robots responsible for their own actions?
• Are Ai-assessed job interviews inevitably biased?
• How soon will handwriting become totally irrelevant?
• Are companies upskilling fast enough to cope with the digital demands of Covid-19?
• It’s more important to learn to code than to learn to write
• Is Computer Science a more relevant subject than Physics?
• How will quantum computers change our way of life?
• Should silicon valley companies be criminalised for our widespread addiction to technology?
• What would happen if all technology was wiped out?
• Will we ever be able to search Google through a microchip in our brains?
• What new jobs will Ai create in the next ten years?
• What is increased automation doing to our jobs?
• Develop your own game.
• Should we allow AI-writing assistants like Grammarly to change the way we express ourselves?
• What are the positive effects of machine learning on healthcare?
• How does AI differ from human intelligence?
• Is it ethical to use social care robots to alleviate loneliness?
• Is it ethical to create an app which offers you an AI friend?
• What is the most efficient way to track down cyber criminals?
• How do cyber criminals cover their tracks on the internet?

EPQ ideas for Ethics

• Should people be able to sue their parents for bringing them into the world?
• Do men automatically have the right to be present at their child’s birth?
• Should we be allowed to dispose of spare embryos in IVF?
• Should we be allowed to use embryos for stem cell research?
• Should machines with AI have their own rights?
• Are Siri and Alexa slaves?
• Should we be allowed to mix human and animal DNA?
• Should we be allowed to clone humans?
• Do we have the right to experiment on animals?
• Do we have the right to visit other planets and the moon?
• Should a father have rights over an unborn child?
• Should there be an assessment process before people have children?
• Is sterilisation unethical in every circumstance?
• Should we be allowed to cuddle babies if they can’t give verbal consent?
• Should an embryo have protected rights under the law?
• Do we have the right to prevent someone from committing suicide?
• The disturbing eugenics around birth control
• Should parents be allowed to edit out genetic conditions before a child’s birth?
• Should testing fetuses for Down’s Syndrome be legal?
• Are our moral decisions innate or socially conditioned?
• Should we have the right to decide when life begins?
• If you need a heart transplant and you’re hoping for a heart, does that mean you’re hoping for someone else to die?
• Should we put a limit on the number of children people have?
• Does the means justify the end?

EPQ ideas for Politics

• Why has the USA never had a female president?
• If we colonised Mars, who would govern it?
• Has Great Britain lost its status as a world power?
• Are the government’s counter-terror policies effective?
• Is it acceptable to teach British values in primary schools?
• How does nepotism negatively affect politics?
• How has Donald Trump changed politics?
• Should there be universal freedom of information?
• Why did Brexit happen?
• What are the dangerous effects of conspiracy theories like Q-Anon on the public?
• Should it be illegal to publicly shame politicians?
• Will there ever be a viable mid-ground between socialism and capitalism?
• Would global governance be a better policy than individual governments?
• How are female politicians and prime ministers perceived?
• Should there be freedom of speech at all costs?
• Should countries be allowed to ban religion?
• An assessment of the case for anarchy.
• Should the UK’s land belong to everyone?
• An analysis of political cartoons in the UK
• Should everyone have to vote by law?
• Should politics be taught in primary school?
• Should everyone be made to take politics in secondary school?
• Should National Service be mandatory in Singapore?
• How did the war on drugs affect inner city US communities?
• How was Twitter revolutionised politics?

Sociology EPQ ideas

• How can we reverse stereotypes over drug use and misuse in different communities?
• What is the impact of the media on our perception of women from Muslim communities?
• Evaluate Marx’s account on the origins of the industrial revolution in Britain?
• Is it fair for today’s feminists to criticise the lack of gender commentary in classical sociology?
• How do human ideas, customs and behaviour come together to make culture?
• How do gender, class, race and sexuality affect us and our social relations today?
• A study of the effects of polyamorous family settings on children.
• Have sociologists neglected emotion in their studies of human behaviour?
• Do emotions come from society, or from within us?
• How do different models of socialisation affect children?
• Are eating disorders a social phenomenon?
• Should we ban face-altering apps?
• Should teenage pregnancy be so vilified?
• Can upbringing create a narcissist?
• Is perfectionism more prevalent in girls than boys, and how does that relate to the way we socialise either gender?
• Should we ban gendered toys?
• How can we assuage the social causes of substance abuse?
• An exploration of the sociology of food.
• Is it right to try and get someone out of a cult?
• How racial segregation in cities enforces poverty, and prevents upward mobility.
• What is the relationship between race and class?
• The effects of interracial marriage in the 1950s.
• The cultural diaspora of mixed race children.
• How Disney made princesses key role models for girls.
• Should weddings have to be registered to be legal?

EPQ ideas for Geography

• How did Hurricane Catrina change the New Orleans community?
• Is there such a thing as collective trauma after a natural disaster?
• Does the earth belong more to humans than animals?
• To what extent should be allow deforestation?
• A study on how we will survive and adapt to climate change in 3020.
• Does the way we categorise developing countries increase stereotypes?
• How have the demand for super-crops impacted the agricultural systems in the countries where we grow them?
• Should companies be allowed to expand to developing countries if they won’t pay workers the same wage as at home?
• How does tourism affect a country’s culture?
• Should all new houses be built with solar panels?
• How can we reduce the effects of coastal erosion?
• How has global warming changed the world’s physical features?
• What are the socio-economic and political implications of migration policies for the UK?
• Should borders between countries exist?
• Are countries doing enough to meet their MDG targets?
• Can a country ever become fully developed?
• How does living as an illegal immigrant affect mental and physical health?
• To what extent is global warming caused by human beings?
• Was the civil war in Syria caused by climatic factors?
• Could the National Geographic be considered exploitative?
• A comparison of two earthquakes in different decades. to observe how advances in technology have impacted responses.
• How does climate change affect different biomes and ecosystems around the world?
• What are the environmental and social impacts of natural gas fracking?
• A prototype for the generation of sustainable energy.
• The effects of littering on marine health.

EPQ ideas for Religious Studies

• Why materialism can’t disprove the existence of God.
• Why science and religion are part of the same entity.
• Paley provides the best argument to issues surrounding the existence of God.
• To what extent can Freud’s view of religion and God be said to be accurate?
• Is C.S Lewis’ claim that atheism is weaker than theism correct?
• Is the belief in nothing still a belief?
• Can we reach God through the via negativa?
• Is atheism just ignorance?
• Can we prove that the universe exists outside our mind?
• Is the Catholic catechism biblical truth?
• How did the history of the church shape our society today?
• Should Religious Studies be compulsory in primary school?
• The existence of life on earth is evidence of the existence of a higher being.
• How do you explain the goodness of God in the light of the world’s evil?
• What are the boundaries between a cult and a religion?
• Should the church always be subject to the government?
• Should the Queen be head of the protestant church?
• Should the church form its own political party?
• Are expensive religious buildings insensitive to those living in poverty?
• Does baptising a baby save its soul?
• Should politicians interfere in religious conflicts?
• Is religion nothing more than a comfort blanket against death?
• Can you ever justify taking a life?
• Is religion the same as morality?
• Is religion just a set of rules disguised as something greater?

So, there you have it. 600 EPQ ideas to enhance your passion and imagination for this exciting qualification. Now get ready to kickstart your academic future with an amazing EPQ idea of your own. Don’t forget to fill out that activity log as you go along!

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A* (53/54 )Extended Project Qualification (PEARSON EDEXCEL) L3 (EPQ)

Subject: English

Age range: 16+

Resource type: Unit of work

Last updated

2 July 2019

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This is an A* EPQ dissertation for anyone taking part in the Edexcel variation. The piece received 53/54 marks and was also moderated to ensure it was a high A grade. * This is 50 page, and approximately 17000 word document. This is an an EPQ dissertation fully meeting every criteria outlined in mark scheme, clearly laid out and includes a fully descriptive and analytical activity log , which is the bulk of the marks for the EPQ. The question I answered was: ‘Public offenders deserve the right to rehabilitative programs in preference of being punished in prison or given lengthy sentences’. This is a great resource for any student doing an EPQ on law/crime/justice etc.

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EPQs: finding and using evidence

Finding the evidence that will help you understand a topic or answer a question is an important stage in the research process. And once you have found it, you will need to examine it closely and carefully, to judge how reliable it is and whether it is useful to help you answer your question.

The Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) is an opportunity for you to work independently on a topic that really interests you or that you think is important. It is equivalent to an A-level qualification. These articles are designed to help you if you are enrolled on an EPQ.

  See previous article in series: Designing your research question

Before working through this article, you should have settled on your research question .

This article will support you through the next steps in the research cycle (Figure 1): collecting evidence (or data) to help you answer your question and starting your analysis of that evidence.  First, let’s look at collecting data.

What is already known about your topic?

The first step in answering a research question is usually to do a ‘literature review’ or ‘research review’.

These articles focus on the ‘research review’ type of EPQ, in which collecting and analysing evidence from what other people have written will be a major part of what you do.

Researchers need to do research reviews for two reasons. First, they want to uncover what is already known. A lot is already known about some topics and they want to be sure that they are researching a novel question. Second, they want to get a balanced view of what is known, rather than jumping in and relying on the first pieces of information they find.

A literature review starts with focused and serious reading, to help you develop your knowledge and understanding of the topic, and begin to gather evidence that will help you answer your question.

Julia , a researcher in AstrobiologyOU, whose research explores the possibilities for habitable environments in the Solar System, demonstrates how she starts a literature review. As you read through, think about the process Julia describes and how you could apply the steps she takes to your EPQ research review.

• Starting a literature review.

When you’re starting a literature review, where do you look for evidence? 

Any literature review requires a well-defined topic. Let’s assume the topic is something in planetary science!

Find an exciting topic: https://solarsystem.nasa.gov provides a good overview of our Solar System.  Let’s pick Mars.

Define a specific question. How did Valles Marineris form? 

Learn about Valles Marineris. You can use Wikipedia as a starting point and look up the references given there.

Use Google Scholar to find specific literature (e.g. search words such as *formation of Valles Marineris*). Look up research cited in the papers you read if they are also relevant to your topic. Make sure you always cite your sources.

My colleague Julia is a research fellow in AstrobiologyOU. She uses computer modelling to understand geological processes on planets such as Venus and Mars. For her, the process of starting a literature review is all about starting broad and gradually narrowing down. So, assuming that the topic is something in planetary science, start with something that gives you an overview. In this case, it’s the whole solar system. Then gradually coming in a step, first of all, focusing on one planet: Mars. Coming down to something on that planet; how did Valles Marineris form? And then having decided on the specific topic, learning more about it, Julia suggests using Wikipedia as a starting point, but looking up references given from it, and then using Google Scholar or other research engines to find specific literature, to look up research, and to find papers that are relevant to your topic.

Comments on Julia’s approach 

You’ll notice that Julia starts from the ‘big picture’ and gradually focuses down to more specific material. This is very similar to the process you followed in article 1 ( Designing your research question ) to move from ‘this is a topic I’m interested in’ to ‘this is the question I want to ask’.

You’ll also notice that Julia moves from a quite open, broad source of evidence (Wikipedia) to using more serious sources (Google Scholar). There’s more on where and how to look for evidence in Section 4.

You will know that Wikipedia, despite having information about hundreds of thousands of topics, is not a 100% reliable source. Wikipedia can be a good place to start your research, get your ideas moving and find places where you can look for more information, but you should always cross-check any information you find there against another source.

Finding keywords.

With so much information available online, how do you begin finding relevant material? Most researchers start by assembling a collection of keywords that relate to the topic and can be used to search for more information. But how do you find those all-important keywords?

In some ways, deciding on your keywords is like the ‘ten words’ activity you used in Article 1 to help you move from topic to question.

• Watch how Devyani creates a mind map
• Ann’s summary

Photo of mind map

But how do you come up with those all-important keywords? Devyani, who is a PhD student in AstrobiologyOU, gave me a few thoughts. As a PhD student, she’s just been through this process herself. 

She suggested looking for key concepts and words in the main topic, perhaps splitting your question up and looking at separate elements of it. So for her, space technologies, sustainable development, SDGs, would be good keywords. Perhaps writing down similar words to the keywords that you've identified, using a thesaurus to help you find alternatives. 

Once you start searching, using things like Google Scholar or the Web of Science, you can use advanced search options such as ‘and’ and ‘or’ functions to help you link topics that you need to look for. 

We’ll come on to different places you can actually do your searches in a couple of minutes.

You might want to try Devyani’s method, or you could try  this quick activity  from The Open University to get started on finding good keywords. 

Going back to the example research question we used in Article 1:  ‘ How did young people use social media for activism?: comparing the content of Instagram posts on #blacklivesmatter and #FridaysForFuture during 2020’

What keywords might you use to search for relevant material to help answer this question?  Perhaps you’d come up with ideas like “social media”, “activism”, “black lives matter”, “Fridays for future”.

As you can see, keywords can sometimes be more than one word!

Searching for evidence.

Having identified your keywords, the next step is to use them to start searching for evidence that will help you answer your research question.

Evidence can come from many sources: books; academic articles (often called ‘papers’); reports from businesses, charities and other organisations; newspaper articles; radio and television; websites; social media … the list could go on!

With so much material out there, it’s helpful to make a plan before you start your search. Think about:

• the keywords you will use
• the most useful places to search
• the time you have available for searching.

Keeping track .

You will gather a lot of information, so you should keep good records. Knowing what you’ve looked for, where you looked and what you found there will help you avoid repeating something you’ve already done. You’ll also be able to fully acknowledge the sources you have used in your research (this will be discussed further in Article 3 ). Make notes of:

• what keywords and combinations of keywords you used (your ‘search terms’)
• where you looked
• what documents you downloaded or read online
• notes you made about what you read.

You could keep a record in a simple table, perhaps on a spreadsheet (you can download  an example here ).

For any documents you find, you’ll also find it useful to keep records of:

• the name of the author(s)
• when it was published
• the title of the article, report, book or chapter
• where it was published – i.e., the title of the journal, book or website
• a link to the document or its DOI (digital object identifier)
• (for books) the name of the publishing company and where it’s based.

The digital object identifier (DOI):  You might not have come across a DOI before. Most academic articles have a DOI – a unique string of numbers and letters that is permanently attached to an article. If you paste a DOI into a browser, it will take you straight to that article. Try this one: https://doi.org/10.14324/RFA.05.2.14

When it comes to writing up your dissertation, these notes can be good evidence in themselves, showing how you carried out your review, so it’s sensible to get your record-keeping method set up before you begin searching.

Where should I search?

It’s very likely that you will carry out your search using online resources. But there are so many to choose from that it can be difficult to know where to start.

• Search engines
• University repositories
• Social media
• Researchers’ websites
• Scholarly databases
• Collections
• Journal websites

You can use the well-known search engines, such as Google, Bing or Yahoo, but you will get more reliable results if you use a specialised search engine such as  Google Scholar , which returns links to articles and academic papers produced by researchers in universities and research institutions.

Many of the papers, articles, newspaper pieces and other items that you will find in your searching – but not all – will be  open access,  which means they are free to view and you can download them. 

Many universities have repositories that store the work of researchers at that university. The Open University’s repository is called  Open Research Online (ORO) . Most UK and international universities have something similar. Universities maintain these repositories because they want to make the work of their researchers available for others to use.

Repositories are often looked after by the university’s library team, so if you can’t find the repository easily, try looking on the library pages on the university website.

Online repositories usually allow you to search by a topic, or by the name of the author if you are trying to get hold of a particular resource.

If you’re interested in the work of a particular research group (such as  AstrobiologyOU ) or a specific researcher, you’ll often find them on social media. Most research groups keep copies of work published by their researchers; it’s always worth contacting them. Explain that you want to use the research for your EPQ.

Researchers often have their own websites ( here’s an example ), which you can find using a search engine. If you can’t get hold of an article that you need for your work, email the researcher. Researchers are often willing to share copies of their work to help other researchers, so explain that you want to use it for your EPQ.

Many researchers keep copies of their papers and articles on networking sites such as  ResearchGate , which also allow you to search by topic. However, these records are kept up to date by the researchers themselves, so you should always check against another source if you can.

Professional databases, such as Web of Science and EBSCO , bring together research from thousands of researchers across the world.

However, you will have to create an account, or pay a subscription to make full use of sites like this, which might not be practical for you.

If you find the researcher on the database but the paper you want isn’t there, use the database’s facilities to contact the researcher. Again, tell them why you want to read the article.

Universities and research institutions are increasingly bringing their resources together into large collections.

CORE  is the world’s largest collection of open access research papers and articles.

ARXIV.org  has more than a million articles, mainly in physics, mathematics and engineering.

Journals are the places where researchers publish the articles that discuss their research. There are many thousands of academic journals in existence, covering every topic imaginable.

For example, try typing the phrase "ecology journal" (complete with speech marks) into a search engine. You will find a long list of possible titles is returned.

On the journals’ websites, you can search by topic to find relevant articles. If you are searching for a specific paper, and know the journal it was published in, you can use the journal’s search function to find it. However, many journals are commercial organisations and keep articles behind a ‘paywall’, meaning they are only available to people or institutions that subscribe to them.

Fortunately, more and more journals (for example PLoS – Public Library of Science ) are fully open access and many journals make some articles freely available.

Print media: If you’re looking for material published in newspapers or magazines, first try the website of the newspaper or search for their digital archive. If you can’t find it online, try your local public library; they often have access to hard-copy archives or can advise you where to find them.

Book publishers:  There are many academic publishers, such as  Ubiquity Press , that produce open access books you can download.

Organisations:  research funders, such as the  Wellcome Trust , make available copies of papers and reports written by their researchers. Other organisations’ websites, such as those from the government or charities, often have copies of project reports or annual reports available.

Public libraries: Finally, don’t forget your local public library. Even if they don't have the exact article or book you’re looking for on the premises, they have trained librarians who can help you find it or suggest alternative routes to get the information you need.

Refining your search.

Even if you use very specific keywords, an online search might return hundreds, if not thousands of results. How can you cut hundreds of results down to a sensible level?

Focusing and refining the keywords you use for your search will help you be realistic, making the best possible use of the limited time you have available for the EPQ, and cutting down your results to an amount that you can realistically deal with.

• Thoughts from Michael

Here are Michael’s key tactics for refining your searches:

• Linking several search terms to narrow down your search.
• Starting broad and then refining – he used a personal example where he started by looking for ‘bacteria associated with plants’ and narrowed down to ‘bacteria associated with peas’.
• Keeping track of your topics and sub-topics with a list, spreadsheet or mind map.
• Remembering you don’t have to read every single resource you find.

My colleague Michael, who’s a microbiologist, is particularly interested in looking at life in extreme environments on Earth that might be similar to places such as Mars. 

He had some useful ideas on how to start refining your searches. He suggests linking search terms, so when searching online you can use symbols such as the plus sign and quotation marks that are incredibly helpful. Typing in ‘this’ plus ‘ that’ will return results that have both of those elements. Conversely, typing ‘this’  minus ‘ that’ will mean you only get results that include the phrase ‘this’. You can use quote marks to make phrases stick together, so quote marks "this stuff" and plus quote marks "that thing", will enable you to find papers that refer to both of those topics. 

Michael also suggested it’s good to start broad and then refine searches. For example, for his PhD, he had to write several chapters for his thesis about bacteria that are associated with plants. The first searches were in the obvious place ‘plant-associated bacteria’, which he then refined to think about specific types of plant, such as ‘pea-associated bacteria’ or ‘legume-associated bacteria’. Those initial searches and papers allowed him to identify other useful terms that then meant he could be even more specific with his searches. For example, searching for ‘nitrogen’ plus ‘ plant-associated bacteria’ or ‘legumes’ minus ‘ disease’.

When searching, he also suggested it’s really helpful to keep track of topics and subtopics with a list, spreadsheet or a mind map. Whatever works for you. He found this helped him keep his notes organised and meant he didn’t have to repeat searches, because he had a record of what he had looked for.

But the most important point, he felt, was not to feel overwhelmed when doing a literature review. It’s possible to turn up hundreds of papers on any topic, but you don’t have to read all of them. As a start, he suggested that you look for review papers. These are papers in which the authors have pulled together material from several other sources. They give a really good introduction and overview of a topic, and can give you some clues on where to look next.

Practising searching using Google Scholar.

Google Scholar is a freely-available search engine that only returns links to scholarly literature, so it’s a good place to practise your searching techniques.

Imagine  that you have decided to research this question:

What are the health benefits of people spending time in nature?

What are the keywords you could use in your search? You might think of:

• health               
• nature therapy              
• green health                 
• forest bathing

Experiment with entering the search terms into Google Scholar . For example, type the words ‘ green health ’ into the search box and press enter. 

Using a simple search term like this can generate a long list of articles. In this example (Figure 10) it was somewhere around five million, which is  far too many for you to review meaningfully!

Combining search terms and using punctuation to keep two or more words together can help you focus your search and return fewer results to look through. Try typing “forest bathing” + health + ”open access” into the search bar:

Quote marks (“…”) keep words together. With quote marks (“forest bathing”) the search will return articles about forest bathing. Without them (forest bathing), you’d get articles on woodland and swimming pools (among other things!).

Using the + symbol combines “ forest bathing”  AND  health.  Adding + “ open access ” means you will only see results where you have free access to the full article.

This cuts down the number of results to around 1600 (Figure 12):

You can then click on the search results to access the articles. Clicking the  top link   brings up an article about forest bathing (at time of writing – the top result may well have changed since then).

To refine your search even further, Google Scholar has filters you can use to tweak your search. For example, if you are only interested in very recent material, you could filter so that only material published after 2021 is shown. This is useful if you want to access material published in a particular time range.

Most search engines or search facilities on repositories, collections or websites have an  advanced search  function that allows you to refine your search to cut down the number of results to something more useful. You can search for material published before or since a specific date, include or exclude specific words, or look for articles by a specific author.

To access advanced search on Google Scholar, click on the menu hamburger in the top left.

What is the right number of resources to include in your EPQ research?

It’s difficult to give an exact number of resources you should aim to use in your EPQ research. You could keep going for ever – new articles come from researchers in a constant stream! A rule of thumb is to stop reading when you sense you are no longer finding new ideas.

Credibility.

Even a refined search is likely to throw up lots of material from a range of sources. Wherever your material comes from, you should always scrutinise it carefully. But how do you decide what you can trust (therefore making it useful), and what you can’t?

Assessing a source’s credibility is a good place to start. Making sure you draw your evidence from credible, believable, trustworthy sources is very important for your research.

Quiz: judging credibility.

Comments on credibility of sources.

In order of least to most credible, below we explain why each source is credible or not:

• Tabloid newspaper article:  this kind of reporting puts a priority on the sensational and doesn't always give a full and balanced story.
• Podcast:  podcasts often present the podcaster’s personal opinion, and it’s not always obvious whether that’s based on research.
• Popular science books:  authors usually draw material from a range of sources, and sometimes interview the researchers to get a first-hand view.
• New Scientist article:  this magazine has a good reputation for serious science journalism, and the articles usually have links to the original research so the reader can investigate further for themselves.
• Original research paper:  research papers usually give the reader the evidence that the researchers gathered, so the reader can review it for themselves.

Judging credibility – Thomas’ thoughts.

Thomas, who is a lecturer in space governance, discusses the credibility of materials. As you watch his video, listen out for the ways in which he judges credibility.

‘How do you judge the credibility of a source? That is, what questions do you ask yourself when you read or review a source?’

So this is one of the more important questions for any researcher, particularly one in the humanities such as myself. It’s also one of the hardest, especially when you’re just starting out because the honest answer is: it’s experience. I’ve learned enough about my field that I can differentiate between ‘I don’t agree with this’ and ‘this is nonsense’ but obviously that wasn’t always the case. So in the early days, in high school and undergraduate, there are a few things you can look at to get an understanding of what makes a good source. First port of call is always what your teachers and lecturers recommend, they’ve got that experience that you don’t have, so they’ll be pushing you in the right direction. Pay attention to how those sources are written, that’ll give you clues as to what makes a good source.

But how to find them on your own? Well again, when just starting out, it’s best to be conservative, to err on the side of caution, so there are a few things you can look to. First is publisher. Academic presses (like Oxford University Press) specialise in publishing scholarly work, so that acts as a form of quality filter. Author is another one. Who is this person, why are they qualified to write an article or a book on this topic? There are other indicators you can use. For example: are there footnotes, references, a bibliography? What sort of sources do they use? How up-to-date are they?

Then there’s the work itself. Is it well-structured and thought out? Do they actually make an argument? Do they explain their reasoning to you, or do they just declare things to be true? ("Well of course it’s true, I said it" – it happens more often than you would think it does!)

Finally, you need to read widely and broadly. You need to read authors you agree with, and authors that you disagree with, and then work out what you think. Gradually you’ll be able to work out what constitutes a good source without being dependent upon some of these indicators – which is good, they’re not ironclad rules; some excellent works of history have been written by people without history degrees. And more importantly, you’ll be able to discern the difference between ‘I don’t agree with this’ and ‘this is nonsense’.

Thomas’ main points

Thomas’ main points were:

• Ask people you trust, such as teachers, what they recommend.
• Look at the quality of the writing – good sources are well-written and well-structured, with evidence to back up the arguments they present.
• Go to reputable sources such as academic publishers.
• Look at the writer’s qualifications on the topic.
• Look at the sources the writer has used.
• Read lots for yourself and build your ability to judge gradually.

Judging credibility – Charlotte's thoughts.

Charlotte, who is a researcher in geochemistry, also has some thoughts about how she judges credibility.

• Thoughts from Charlotte

Figure 16 Charlotte, a researcher in geochemistry Show description A photograph of Charlotte

• the data support the conclusion the authors have come to
• the methods are appropriate and up-to-date
• they haven’t cherry-picked the best data and ignored others
• the authors don’t have any financial interest in coming to a particular conclusion.

If it’s an area she’s less familiar with, she starts with newspapers, online news and experts. She looks for:

• links to the original research
• what qualifies the writer to be an expert in that area
• whether other experts agree with the author
• any hint of conspiracy theories
• whether the authors have any financial interest in a particular conclusion.

Another colleague, Charlotte, who’s interested in extremophiles – life that lives in very extreme environments on Earth – said that for her, essentially the rule of thumb that she uses is, one: peer-reviewed research. This is a term that means that the paper, before it’s published, has been looked at by two or three colleagues who are knowledgeable in the area. They offer comments and the original authors are then able to improve what they’ve written.

Peer-reviewed research is typically what’s published in academic journals, and that’s the most credible source. Everything else; social media, newspapers, online news forums, is less credible. Charlotte says that when she is reading or researching in the field that she’s an expert in – geochemistry – she always develops her ideas using peer-reviewed academic articles, asking herself: do their data support their conclusions? Are they using the most appropriate and up-to-date methods?

Are there signs that they’re cherry-picking the best data, or ignoring data that doesn’t quite fit what they want it to be? And, super important: do the researchers have financial interests in the conclusions? You might not necessarily trust someone who was working for a toothpaste firm to give you the absolute disinterested best data on tooth decay.

However, Charlotte said that when she’s reading about a topic that’s outside her field of expertise, perhaps in something in health and medicine, she finds it much harder to read and understand the peer-reviewed literature, as sadly it will often use specialist language or jargon. Therefore, in such situations, she often uses a larger range of sources, which might well include newspapers, online news, and things written by people who have been deemed experts.

In that case, some of the questions she asks herself are things like: does the expert or the news article refer back to the original research?  Is the news article or expert giving an opinion that’s backed up by a range of research? If it’s someone giving their opinion, what qualifies them to give that opinion? Is there anything about conspiracy theories? Those red flags that Thomas talked about. And again, do the authors seem to have a financial interest in the opinion that they’re pulling out? If the sources she looks at refer to specific academic articles, it  makes her think that these sources may be more credible than those that don’t. And if the experts on news articles are spreading an idea that feels like conspiracy, has been widely debunked, or for which there is very limited evidence, then she doesn’t count that as a credible source.

• Similarities and differences
• Similarities
• Differences

What are the similarities and differences between how Charlotte and Thomas judge credibility? Charlotte is a science researcher, whereas Thomas is a law researcher – do you think this affects their processes? 

Thomas and Charlotte both:

look at where the article has come from – a reputable source or one where work is reviewed by experts

consider the writer’s qualifications to be an expert on a subject

review whether other experts or sources agree with the writer

• check that the arguments or conclusions are supported by data.

Charlotte will look for  links to the original research and any  evidence of financial interests.

Thomas will look at the quality of the writing and the structure of the article.

Whether you use PROMPT, RAVEN or another method of assessing credibility, this will help you determine that you have the best sources possible for your project. Then it is time to get started reading for the literature review.

More about the PROMPT checklist

PROMPT stands for:

• P resentation: Is it clearly written, and can you follow it?
• R elevance:   Does it meet your needs?  Tip: for a speedy check, read the first and last sections (often called the Introduction and Conclusion) and decide whether it’s worth reading the rest.
• O bjectivity:   Does the author make their position clear? Are there any ‘hidden’ interests such as advertising or sponsors?
• M ethod:   Is there any information about how the work was done? For example, if the paper is about the results of a survey, do they tell you what the questions were?
• P rovenance:   Where does the article come from – university? Government? News media? Someone’s personal website? How much can you trust the source?
• T imeliness:  W hen was the information produced? Could it be out of date? Have ideas changed? (But remember that old is not necessarily bad; you could use older information to compare with current thinking.)

Try using the PROMPT checklist on the articles you have found.

There is more information about  PROMPT  on the OU’s Library Services website. Click here for a downloadable and printable version.

• Reading critically

A good research review is more than just a list of ‘she says this ... they say that … he says the other’. It’s an opportunity to test and show the strength of different arguments and the contribution they have made to your thinking.

The key is to  critically read   the material you have found.

The aim of critical reading is to assess the strength of the evidence and the argument. It is just as useful to conclude that a study, or an article, presents very strong evidence and a well-reasoned argument as it is to identify the studies or articles that are weak.

As you read, it is useful to keep asking yourself questions such as:

Why am I reading this? –  Because it’s interesting? Useful? Has good information for me?

Do I trust the source? –  What evidence do I have that the source is trustworthy?

What claims are the authors making? –  Have they included their conclusions?

Do I think those claims are trustworthy? –  Have the authors given me the evidence they are basing their claims on so I can judge for myself?

Imagine you were researching the question: ‘what is the influence of advertising on people’s consumption of junk food?’

Remembering that you will find material from a range of sources. Here we’ll use an article from the  Guardian newspaper’s website.

What information in the article do you think would be relevant or useful to help you answer this question? Use the questions in the ‘Reading critically’ tab to help you reflect.

What did you think about as you read the article?

You might have picked up points such as:

• Why am I reading this?
• It is about the effect of advertising on people buying junk food, so it is relevant to the question.
• Do I trust the source?
• It comes from the Guardian , a well-known UK newspaper.
• The writer is named, so you could check on other things they have written – for example, if they specialise in writing articles about food or have a background in food science.
• What claims are the authors making?
• That a ban on junk food advertising has led to a reduction in purchasing of unhealthy food.
• Do I think those claims are trustworthy?
• The article mentions that the research was done by researchers at a university – you could look for them on the university website.
• One of the researchers is named and there is a quote from them.

At this stage, no one expects you to come up with all these possibilities! But keep those critical questions at the front of your mind as you search for and examine the evidence. Remember to ask:

For more ideas on how to judge the credibility of the material you find and think critically about the contents, watch this short video on critical thinking , produced by the BBC and The Open University. It discusses five key strategies you can use to sharpen your critical thinking.

In this article, we have looked at the second part of the research cycle – how to find the evidence that will help you answer your research question, and how you can start to read it critically and analyse its relevance to your question. When you have finished searching, reading and analysing, you are ready to move on to the next step: writing your dissertation.

Other articles in this series...

EPQs: designing your research question

You’ve already decided to do an EPQ, so it might seem a little odd to start this resource by asking you to consider why you want to do a research project. People do an EPQ for all sorts of reasons. Why do you want to do an EPQ?

EPQs: writing up your dissertation

You have collected and analysed your evidence and considered it in relation to your research question. The next step is to communicate all that you have done. Your dissertation is the element of the EPQ that is read and assessed by others who haven’t been involved in your research.

EPQs: why give a presentation?

What are the guidelines for the presentation?

Become an OU student

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• Originally published: Wednesday, 3 May 2023
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