History IA HELP!

[susanne]

I am currently doing my history IA, except the problem is that my research question is too broad.

 

As of the moment, my RQ is "to what extent can we be sure of the authenticity of the Nanjing Massacre?"

 

I personally think that if I hand up my investigation as it stands, it will be one of the examples IB put in their guide as "what not to do"

 

Currently I have several RQs

 

a) To what extent is Japanese Nationalism important as a catalyst of the Nanjing Massacre?

 

b) to what extent is the Nanjing Massacre a reflection of breakdown in Japanese military?

 

c) To what extent is the Nanjing Massacre a propaganda fabricated by the GMD/CCP? (the obvious answer is: yes to an extent, but mostly no)

 

PLEASE GIVE ME SOME ADVICES

 

Disclaimers: I came from Nanjing and while I may not be 100.000000000% sure that Nanjing Massacre happened, I do believe that it happened

[Ryoika]

Well, first of all, I think the only way you can do well with your current RQ is if you define clearly and specifically what you mean by "authenticity." 
I think c) is a best RQ out of all you have proposed. 
IA is very short, it's better for you to deal with a specific event, army division during Nanzing Massacre rather than Nanzing Massacre as a whole. 
Personally, the RQs you have made sound like the ones fitting for a History EE. 
I do not know a lot about the massacre, so I cannot suggest better ones. Sorry I can't be much help  
Contact your teacher for help on your RQ. 
 

[Blackcurrant]

I think your first choice is the best, though you'd have to be sure that you have various contending (and complicating) factors somewhere at hand, so that you don't just end up listing down reasons why it was or was not a question of nationalism. You want to *argue* for nationalism over other strongly contending options.

 

Of course, as with English studies, much of this may be what you can conjure up from the materials and deft use of language. It is not the same as BSing, by the way. Making something out of (apparently) nothing is a real skill. 

[ozymandias24]

Question A is a good one: a) To what extent is Japanese Nationalism important as a catalyst of the Nanjing Massacre?

What you're leaning towards are the questions of why it happened: was it a one-off? Was it part of a systemic policy? Who was responsible? What factors helped it happen? Trouble is, I am not sure you can cover all this in 1600 words. It might be best to do it as an Extended Essay and choose something more straightforward for your History IA.