A House Style for the Formal Presentation of the Extended Essay
Darryl D. Toerien
Smallbone Library, Oakham School
Group … Extended Essay: …
Candidate Number: …
Supervisor: …
Word Count: 827
Abstract
Given that the extended essay is a substantial piece of scholarly research that needs to be formally written up, the purpose of this essay is to outline the development of a house style for scholarly writing, based on the latest edition of the style guide developed by the American Psychological Association (APA), hereafter referred to as Oakham APA. After placing APA in context, the essay then considers APA as the basis of a house style, specifically in relation to the expectations of the IB for the extended essay as outlined in the current edition of the Diploma Programme Extended Essay Guide. Some practicalities associated with Oakham APA, initially within the framework of the extended essay, are then dealt with. The essay concludes that the long-term benefits of developing a house style for scholarly writing substantially outweigh the difficulties that will inevitably accompany its adoption. This essay serves the further purpose of illustrating what an essay based on Oakham APA would look like.
Acknowledgements
The foundation upon which Oakham APA is built is the Sixth Edition of the American Psychological Association’s Publication Manual (2010). Two further sources that were invaluable in researching this essay but that are not explicitly referred to in the body of the essay are the Online Writing Lab (OWL) at Purdue University (Purdue Writing Lab, 2010) and the Writer’s Handbook at the University of Wisconsin – Madison (UW-Madison Writing Center, 2009), the latter recommended by the International Baccalaureate Organization (2007, p. 17).
I am also indebted to Mr. N. Neve of the Information & Communication Technology Department at Oakham School for assistance with setting up the Oakham APA template.
Contents
A House Style for the Formal...