The EE Dump is a research method built around one principle: knowledge confidence. Most students sit down to write their EE and immediately panic — they know their topic on the surface but have no depth. They don't know what to say, so they either pad with words or pull from AI. The EE Dump eliminates that problem entirely.
The idea is simple: before you write anything, you create a living document where you dump everything you know and everything you find about your topic — organised by subtopic. No word limit. No formatting requirements. No pressure. Just knowledge accumulation.
There is no word limit for your EE Dump and there is no such thing as too much information.
How the EE Dump Works
Break your RQ into 5 subtopics
These don't need to be perfect — they're for research organisation. Think of it like dividing a pizza into slices. Each slice gets its own section in your Dump document.
Level 1: Google every subtopic
Go through all relevant links. Read the information. Understand the landscape. This builds your contextual foundation.
Dump everything relevant
Copy the relevant information into your EE Dump document under the appropriate subtopic heading — along with the source link. Every paste gets a link. Always.
Level 2: Hit Google Scholar
Find peer-reviewed research that connects your topic to areas you hadn't considered. This is where your analysis gets its depth.
Review and connect
After completing your dump, you'll be genuinely knowledgeable about your topic. The connections between subtopics are where your original analysis lives.
Example: John's Five Subtopics
Using the sample RQ from Module 4 — "To what extent can quantitative analysis of social media sentiment and engagement metrics explain variations in voter behaviour during the 2024 US elections?" — here's how John divided his research:
1. Quantitative Analysis Methods
Methodology first — what statistical tools and frameworks exist for social media data analysis? Sentiment scoring, NLP models, correlation analysis.
2. Social Media Sentiment
How is sentiment measured? What tools exist (VADER, TextBlob)? What does the research say about their accuracy and limitations?
3. Engagement Metrics
What counts as engagement? How do platforms measure it? What correlations have been found between engagement and real-world behavioural outcomes?
4. Voter Behaviour Theory
What psychological models explain voting decisions? How has the research on media influence on political behaviour evolved over time?
5. The 2024 US Elections
Context, key issues, major platforms involved, demographic breakdowns, documented social media controversies, election data released post-election.
The Dump Method in Detail
- 1Retrieve — Search each subtopic on Google. Go through 5–10 relevant links per subtopic. Read, don't skim.
- 2Dump — Copy the relevant information into your document under the appropriate heading, with the source link immediately after every entry.
- 3Repeat on Google Scholar — Search narrowly for peer-reviewed papers on each subtopic. Read abstracts, introductions, and conclusions. If the paper doesn't directly relate to your RQ, discard it.
- 4Connect — After completing all five subtopics, review the whole document looking for unexpected links between sections. These connections are your analysis.
The EE Dump is also your reference system. Every piece of information in it has a source link attached. When you're writing and need to cite something, it's already there — you're not scrambling to find that article you read three weeks ago.
What Happens After the Dump
After completing your dump, you'll have something most students never have before they start writing: genuine knowledge of your topic. You won't need to keep scouring the internet mid-essay. You won't be unsure what to say. You'll have a structured body of knowledge to draw from.
This is also the point where — if you want to make any changes to your research question based on what you've found — you do it. After this, it's locked in. No more changes.
The interactive EE Dump Workspace on this site is built specifically for this process — add sources, organise by subtopic, and track your research all in one place.
A Note on Source Discipline
Never paste information into your dump without the source link immediately after. Not "I'll add it later" — right now, same line. Your future self will be grateful every time. This is how you avoid citation panic when your bibliography is due.
Key Takeaways
- Break your RQ into 5 subtopics before you start researching
- Use both Google and Google Scholar — Level 1 and Level 2 research
- There is no word limit — dump everything relevant, with source links
- The connections between subtopics become your analysis
- After the dump, lock in your final RQ — no more changes