VCE Extended Investigation cheat sheet

A research question must be answerable, focused, and feasible within the student's time and resources; it should identify the key variables or concepts and imply the type of data required.

The methodology section must justify the chosen approach (qualitative, quantitative, or mixed methods) by linking it to the research question and the nature of the phenomenon under investigation.

Ethical considerations include informed consent, confidentiality, minimisation of harm, and, where applicable, approval from a human research ethics committee before data collection begins.

Validity refers to the extent to which a tool measures what it claims to measure; reliability refers to the consistency of results across repeated administrations or raters.

Triangulation-using multiple data sources, methods, or investigators-strengthens the credibility of findings by cross-checking evidence.

A literature review must critically synthesise prior research to identify a gap, justify the research question, and establish the theoretical framework guiding the investigation.

Data analysis must be planned in advance: quantitative data may require descriptive and inferential statistics, while qualitative data may require thematic or content analysis with transparent coding procedures.

A research timeline should allocate time for literature review, methodology design, ethics approval, data collection, analysis, and report writing, with contingency for delays.

The investigation report must include an abstract, introduction (including literature review and research question), methodology, results, discussion, conclusion, and reference list in a structured format.

The oral presentation must clearly state the research question, justify the methodology, summarise key findings, and discuss implications and limitations within the allotted time.

Referencing must follow a consistent style (e.g., APA) with in-text citations and a complete reference list; all sources must be acknowledged to avoid plagiarism.

The discussion section should interpret findings in relation to the literature, acknowledge limitations (e.g., sample size, bias), and suggest directions for future research.

Visual aids in the oral presentation (slides, graphs) must be clear, relevant, and professionally presented, enhancing rather than replacing the spoken content.

The externally-assessed task is scored against criteria that typically include formulation of the research question, quality of the literature review, appropriateness of methodology, analysis and interpretation of data, and quality of communication.

Time management for the oral presentation requires rehearsal to ensure all key points are covered without exceeding the time limit; a concise structure aids clarity.

Academic integrity requires that all data be collected and reported honestly, with no fabrication, falsification, or inappropriate manipulation of results.