Most students approach EE research the wrong way: they open a blank essay document and start writing while frantically Googling for sources. The result is a disorganised, thin essay with weak sourcing. The EE Dump Method flips this entirely — you research first, completely, and only then do you write.
What Is the EE Dump?
The EE Dump is a separate Google Doc or Word document where you dump every relevant piece of information you find during research — no filters, no word limits, no pressure. Think of it as your research brain dump. You are not writing your essay yet. You are building a resource.
Tip
Create a folder on your laptop called PROJECT A. Inside it, create your EE Dump document. This is your research home base for the entire EE process.
Step 1: Divide Your RQ Into 5 Subtopics
Before you start Googling, break your research question into 5 distinct subtopics. These become the sections of your Dump document. For example, for the RQ "To what extent can quantitative analysis of social media sentiment explain variations in voter behavior during the 2024 US elections?"
- 1Quantitative analysis (methodology)
- 2Social media sentiment
- 3Engagement metrics
- 4Voter behaviour
- 5The 2024 US elections
These don't need to be perfect. Just divide your RQ like you'd divide a pizza — roughly equal parts that cover the whole thing. They're just for organisation, not your final essay structure.
Step 2: The Dump Process
Retrieve
Google each subtopic. Read every relevant result — articles, reports, news, papers. Don't skip anything that looks relevant.
Dump
Copy the relevant information into your Dump doc under the right subtopic heading. Always paste the source URL directly underneath the dumped content.
Repeat
Do this for Google first, then Google Scholar. There is no word limit for your Dump. More is always better at this stage.
Google vs Google Scholar: What Each Is For
| Google Scholar | |
|---|---|
| Definitions and context | Peer-reviewed arguments and frameworks |
| Policy documents | Academic models and debates |
| Government data | Evidence you can evaluate, not just report |
| Intro-level understanding | Foundational academic sources |
| Think tank reports | PhD-level research and methodology |
Note
Do NOT ask AI to find sources for you. AI hallucinates citations — it will give you journal article titles and DOIs that look completely real but do not exist. Every source in your EE must be something you found and verified yourself.
Why This Method Works
After a certain point, researching the internet while writing your essay is not productive. You lose momentum, you lose your train of thought, and you spend more time looking for sources than actually writing. The Dump solves this: when you sit down to write, everything you need is already in one document. You can be 10x more knowledgeable and write with much more confidence because you've already done the intellectual work.
Tip
The Dump is also where you should finalise your research question. After completing the Dump, if you want to make any changes to your RQ — do it now. After this, it's one and done. No more changes. Your EE needs a clear purpose and a fixed direction.
When to Stop Dumping
You know you're done when each of your 5 subtopics has at least 3-4 solid sources with meaningful content. At that point, you have more than enough to write a well-evidenced 4,000-word essay.
Key Takeaways
- Create a separate Dump document — never write your essay and research at the same time
- Divide your RQ into 5 subtopics before you start
- Always paste the source URL under every piece of dumped content
- Use Google for context, Google Scholar for academic arguments
- Finalise your RQ after the Dump — then lock it in