What Are IB’s Expectations for Academic Honesty in the Extended Essay (EE)?

Why Academic Honesty Matters in the EE

The IB demands that every Extended Essay reflect the student’s own original work, free from unauthorized assistance. Upholding integrity is critical—not only to the EE itself, but to the credibility of your entire Diploma candidacy.
👉 Explore the RevisionDojo article: IB IA and EE Collaboration Rules: What’s Allowed and What’s Not, which outlines academic honesty boundaries clearly (revisiondojo.com, International School of Athens).

Authorship, Plagiarism & Collaboration

• Only your own words: Your EE must represent your independent thinking. Tutors or others may offer guidance, but must not write or heavily edit.
• Cite everything: Any time you quote, paraphrase, or refer to someone else’s work, you must include a proper citation and bibliography.
• No collusion: You cannot submit work that resembles other students’ submissions or share content with others—even if you conducted group research.
  👉 These policies and guidelines are covered in the same RevisionDojo collaboration rules article mentioned above (revisiondojo.com).

IB’s Academic Integrity Policy

The IB’s own documents affirm these key principles:

• A holistic, school-wide academic integrity policy is expected at IB World Schools.
• Malpractice includes plagiarism, collusion, duplication, and falsifying work. Even unintentional breaches are still treated as academic misconduct.
  👉 Insights are available in the official IB Academic Integrity Policy document (International Baccalaureate®, International Baccalaureate®).

Penalties for Misconduct

IB assessments are strict:

• Copying more than ~100 words without attribution, even if later credited, can lead to a Level 3a penalty—resulting in no grade for your EE.
• Lesser violations can still drastically reduce marks or invalidate the EE component.
  👉 These details stem from IB’s integrity documentation (revisiondojo.com, Reddit, revisiondojo.com).

Role of Schools & Supervisors

IB requires schools to:

• Create and uphold a clear academic integrity culture across students, parents, and staff.
• Train supervisors to guide research, not to author or heavily edit students’ writing.
• Encourage students to maintain drafts and evidence of their independent work progress.
  👉 These expectations are outlined in IB’s academic integrity guidelines (International Baccalaureate®, isstavanger.libguides.com, revisiondojo.com, revisiondojo.com).

Best Practices to Stay Honest

Area Practice Authorship The EE must be entirely your own work—no unauthorized edits. Citation & Paraphrase Every borrowed idea or quote must be clearly cited and credited. Draft Logging Save multiple versions to show development and independence. Referencing Style Use a consistent format (APA, MLA, Chicago) for citations and bibliography.

Community Feedback on Misconduct

Discussions in the IB community (e.g., Reddit) emphasize that misuse of AI tools or improperly attributed content is a serious violation:

“If AI-generated content exceeds ~60%, it’s considered a breach of academic integrity—even if sourced.”
👉 This sentiment connects to IB’s stance on originality and the use of generative tools (Reddit).

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Can AI tools help me write the EE?
   Use AI only to support initial idea-generation. Substantial AI-authored content must be avoided, and all secondary information must be cited. (Reddit)
2. Can my supervisor edit my grammar or phrasing?
   They may suggest improvements, but any rewriting should remain your own—no direct content drafting by others.
3. Can I submit similar work for EE as my IA?
   No. Presentation of overlapping material in multiple diploma components is considered duplication and not allowed. (revisiondojo.com)
4. Does IB treat unintentional plagiarism seriously?
   Yes—both deliberate and inadvertent citation errors can trigger penalties, including no grade awarded. (International Baccalaureate®)

Conclusion & Call to Action

The EE is meant to be a reflection of your own research and writing—guided, but not created, by others. Proper citation, authorship transparency, and integrity are non-negotiable. Any lapse can jeopardize not only your EE grade but your entire IB Diploma.

🎓 Need help with citation styles, draft tracking, or academic honesty tools? I can help you build a personalized academic integrity checklist or reflection tool to keep your EE fully compliant with IB expectations.