Step 1: Carefully follow the teacher's EE instructions and materials below. Moreover, carefully internalize our school's EE Handbook. Furhtermore, if you have time, carefully read the EE Guide below.

AI disclaimer! It is not recommended to use AI at all with your EEs, but there are some acceptable ways to do this. If you opt for using AI, carefully internalise the principles for using AI from the IBO document Evaluating 13 scenarios of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in student coursework. Use AI only according to these guidelines and be completely transparent with it. Carefully report your use of AI into your Researcher's Reflection Space (RRS) in ManageBac. 

Step 2: Choose a tentative topic and a tentative research question for your EE. Then, consult your EE supervisor. The supervisor will give you feedback on whether your ideas are suitable for the IB Psychology EE or not. Make adjustements to your topic and research question if needed and update your EE related information in ManageBac. This is your first check-in session. 

Step 3: Start looking for ACADEMIC sources for your topic and research question. You should find around 10 ACADEMIC sources for your EE. You can use more, if you have resources to cover them all. Make adjustements to your topic and reseach question if needed. 

- Start with Google Scholar, Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) and JSTOR. Choose the "Articles" option with DOAJ.
- Continue your search with JYKDOK. JYKDOK is a user interface for all electronic and printed material of the Jyväskylä Universty Library. JYKDOK is part of nationwide Finna search service. Please, use Finna as well for academic searches.
- Physically go to the Jyväskylä University Library and ask the librarians for a permission to access the PsycNET database. This is the cornocupia of academic sources for your Psychology EE. The librarians will help you with any kind of academic sources and searches. They are the experts of academic information. 

AI disclaimer! AI can never be a source per se, but you can find sources with the help of the AI. Never mark AI as your source in the references!

Step 4: Consult your EE supervisor for the second check-in session. This check-in session is done during the research skills week after you have made the visit to the university library. At this point, you should have at least some sources and your topic and your research question should be more specific. Based on the second check-in session, update your EE related information in ManageBac.

Step 5: Start writing your EE. Use the following instructions:

- Download the EE Base Document below and rename it. Start writing your essay to this very document. Do NOT use the online version of the word. Use the full desktop version. Do NOT change the settings of the Word-document. Use the styles to fully implement the APA style. The EE in IB Psychology should be written with APA style. Ask the teacher for help if encounter any difficulties in APA referencing system.
- It is recommeded to use the phrase "The scope of my essay is..." in the introduction of your essay.
- Develop your argument with careful and appropriate citation of relevant concepts, theories and studies from academic psychological research articles and/or books. 
AI disclaimer! Never input any parts of your EE into any form of AI software! If you do this, you lose the copyright of your own work and the parts you have uploaded starts to appear in anti-plagiarism software as well, raising your Turnitin index. 

Step 6: Consult your EE supervisor for the first reflection session. This should be done before the summer break. Prepare yourself for the first reflection session with the help of these questions:

- Why am I interested in this topic and why is it important?
- Is my topic appropriate for IB Psychology? If so, why?
- What sources, contents, theories and/or approaches can I use? Why would these be suitable?
- What possible questions and potential problems have emerged from my initial reading?
- Are there any ethical issues that I need to consider at this early stage? Have been able to fulfill the requirements for academic integrity?

After the first reflection session, make a summary of the discussion into your RRS. You are not allowed to proceed with your EE before your supervisor has checked this is done. 

Step 7: Continue writing your EE. Keep in mind the instructions in step 5 and teacher's feedback from step 6. 

Step 8: Consult your supervisor for the third check-in session. This check-in session should be done before the first submission of your EE. In this session you should address any problems you have encountered with your EE. The aim of this session is to help you to complete the first submission. 

Step 9: Upload the first submission of your EE to ManageBac for your supervisor's annotation by the end of August. Supervisor will annotate your EE's first submission as soon as possible. Try be as finished as possible with your EE at this stage. Remember that this is the only time during your EE process when you receive extensive feedback on your EE.

Step 10: Consult your supervisor for the interim reflection. This should be done as soon as the superviser has annotated your EE in ManageBac. Prepare yourself for the intermin reflection with the help of these questions:

- Is my topic still important to me and to others?
- Does my research question need amending?
- Are there any barriers I need to overcome to move forward?
- Are the sources, contents, theories and/or approaches I have chosen working effectively?
- Am I satisfied that I have: (a) a clear, focused research question, (b) a viable line of argument (c) a good range of resources and (d) a good understanding of next steps to complete the writing of my essay?
- Are there any ethical issues that have emerged since my first reflection session? Have I still been able to fulfill the requirements for academic integrity?

After the interim reflection session, make a summary of the discussion into your RRS. You are not allowed to proceed with your EE before your supervisor has checked this is done. 

Step 11: Finish your EE with the help of your supervisor's feedback.

Step 12: Count the words of your EE with the help of the IBO's EE word count system. Title page, Table of contents, References, possible Appendices, headers and parenthetical references are NOT included in the word count. Make sure that you don't exceed the word limit of 4000 words!

AI disclaimer! If you have used AI in your EE process, you should make an AI statement after your reference list. This AI statement should specify (a) WHAT AI software you have used and (b) HOW and TO WHAT EXTENT you have used it. This includes all the prompts you have used with the AI. You must be completely transparent with the use of AI. Any effort to try to hide the use of AI is a breach of regulations, even if the use of AI might have been correct. The AI statement is not part of the word count. 

Step 13: When completely finished, upload the final submission of your EE to ManageBac. After this you can't do any modifications to your EE. You should be completely finished with your EE by the end of October.

Step 14: Consult your supervisor for the Viva Voce final reflection. This should be done as soon as the supervisor has read the final version of your EE. Prepare yourself for the Viva Voce final reflection with the help of these questions:

- Can I confidently say that my essay is authentic? 
- Does my essay conform to the IB Academic integrity policy?
- What skills and understandings have I learned? How could these be transferred to other situations, now and in the future?
- What challenges have I experienced and how have these been overcome?
- What aspects of the extended essay experience have I enjoyed the most?
- What attributes of the IB Learner Profile have been able to approach with my EE process?

After the Viva Voce final reflection session, make a summary of the discussion into your RRS.

Step 15: Write your reflective statement in ManageBac to the Reflection and Progress Form (RPF). Your reflective thinking is recorded as a 500-word reflective statement, written at the end of the extended essay process and included on your RPF. Keeping a thoughtful, regular record of your reflective thinking along the way is essential to putting together a satisfying, effective reflective statement to accompany your essay.

What resources can I use to help me write the reflective statement?
- My record of the viva voce
- My record of the other reflection sessions with my supervisor
- My completed extended essay
- My RRS or any other record of my reflective thinking
- Informal feedback from my supervisor and others

What might I address in my reflective statement?
- The main ideas discussed in the viva voce
- Learning skills I developed that I could use elsewhere as a learner
- Insights I gained from researching and writing the extended essay
- Changes in my perspective on the topic
- The impact of the choices I made during the extended essay process
- Experiences and insights that could shape my future thinking

Please note! The total number of words in your reflective statement must not exceed 500!

Step 16: Upload the final version of your EE to the IBO's eCoursework by the deadline provided by your supervisor. Your supervisor will upload the RPF form for you. 

Step 17: Relax and enjoy life!