2.

Common Myths About The

Scientific Investigation

MYTH 1: You Need a Completely Original Topic

Has your teacher said this to you?

"You aren’t supposed to do your IB Physics

Scientific Investigation on a topic that
someone else has done already.”
- Random Science Teacher…

Please let me ease your concerns here… YOU DON'T

HAVE TO BE ORIGINAL!

Every year there are around 25,000 IB Physics students and

every student will submit a scientific investigation.
Everybody’s investigation has to be within the scope of the
IB Physics syllabus. Soooooo, it is pretty much impossible
to get a topic/research question that is completely original.

"You will not lose marks in your Physics

Scientific Investigation if you choose a topic
that is not completely original to you."
-Sally Weatherly
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Now you know the truth!

You can choose a topic quickly, it doesn't have to be

original and it won't have a significant effect on your
grades.

MYTH 2: SL and HL Investigations Are Graded

Differently

I have honestly lost count of the emails I receive saying

this…

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Please believe me when I tell you that there is no difference
between an SL and HL Scientific Investigation.

The examiner's are not told what level you are studying
AND the marking criteria is the same for both.

Please don’t waste time trying come up with an “HL idea”.

Ideas to Avoid (for both SL and HL)

The only ideas you really want to avoid are standard

experiments that you'd find in the syllabus.

Examples include:

- How does the length of a pendulum affect the time

-
period?

-
Finding the specific heat capacity of Iron
Determining ‘g’ from a simple pendulum

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Keep It Simple (Even in HL!)

A seemingly simple idea will still get you full marks. It's all
about how you approach the experiment and write it up.

So you might think if you’re an HL student, you should

widen the investigation and study two independent
variables instead of one.For example, you might choose
this research question:

An investigation into how the tension, length, diameter, and

mass all affected the frequency of a musical string

There are four independent variables here (tension, length,

diameter, and mass) and one dependent variable
(frequency). This is a bad idea…

Stick to one independent variable and one dependent

variable.

Here's some examiner feedback:

Weaker investigations often had two or more

independent variables and often attempted
too much; in fact, they were multiple
investigations rolled into one: for example, an
investigation into how the tension, length,
diameter, and mass all affected the frequency
of a musical string. Such an experiment could
not provide the depth and quality needed for
a well-focused investigation.

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Avoid these!

Stay away from topics like:

- Simulating the double pendulum:

requires numerically integrating the appropriate
differential equations without using the linear
approximation. A tough ask for most high school
students.

- How does the length of a wire affect the wire’s

resistance? Too simple.

MYTH 3: Your Investigation Should Be 12 Pages

Or Less

That's not strictly true.

The IB have issued guidance, saying that the maximum

overall word count for the report is 3,000 words.

The following are not included in the word count:

-
-
Charts and diagrams

-
Data tables

-
Equations, formulas and calculations
Citations/references (whether parenthetical, numbered,

-
footnotes or endnotes)

-
Bibliography
Headers

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To produce an internal investigation of the quality the
examiners are looking for - you can produce 3000 words
within 12 pages.

However, if it's 13 pages or 14 pages, that's okay. As long

as you're not repeating things, as long as you're not
blabbering on or being vague.

If you write with precision, the examiner will read more

than 12 pages.

Don’t Lie…

You must state your word count at the start of the report.
You might think that examiners will not check this.
However, the way that artificial intelligence is moving,
examiners will soon have a very quick tool to measure the
word count exactly (including all the exceptions above).

Please ensure that you stick to the word count.

MYTH 4: You Need A Title Page And Contents

I’ll be blunt.

There is no requirement to include a cover page or a

contents page.

All you need to include at the start of the report is:

-
-
Title of the investigation
IB candidate code (alphanumeric, for example, xyz123)
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-
-
IB candidate code for all group members (if applicable)
Number of words

This information can be given in as little as 4 lines of text.

You should not waste space, time and energy on creating a
title page and contents.

In fact, I’d say that a title page and contents are a

distraction to the examiner.

The investigations are marked digitally. If they have to keep

scrolling back to the title page to remind themselves of the
research question, it would be annoying.

Myth 5: Working In Groups Is Not Allowed

One of the most common misconceptions about the IB

Physics Scientific Investigation is the idea that you must go
it alone. However, the reality is more collaborative and,
frankly, more exciting! The new rules for the 2025 IB
Physics syllabus offer a refreshing twist on traditional
approaches to scientific inquiry.

Under these new guidelines, you are not only allowed but
encouraged to work in small groups of up to three
students for the data collection phase.

This collaborative approach reflects real-world scientific

research, where teamwork and data sharing are often key
to breakthroughs. However, it's crucial to understand the
boundaries of this collaboration to ensure that your
investigation remains uniquely yours.
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While you can work together to collect data, each member
of the group must investigate a different independent
variable. This ensures that while you share a common
experimental setup or theme, your research question and
focus remain distinct. For example, if you're investigating
the properties of a pendulum, one student might focus on
the length of the pendulum, another on the angle of
release, and a third on the mass of the pendulum bob. This
way, you're all exploring different facets of the same
phenomenon.

It's also important to note that each student must gather

their own set of raw data. Sharing data might seem like a
shortcut, but it undermines the integrity and individuality of
your investigation. The IB values personal engagement and
independent analysis, so while your initial setup might be
the same, your data, conclusions, and report must be your
own work.

Lastly, remember that your teacher plays a crucial role in

guiding this collaborative process. They are there to ensure
that every student is fully engaged and understands the
requirements of conducting an individual investigation
within a group setting. However, don't expect them to
direct your investigation. The journey from question
formulation to conclusion is yours to navigate.

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Myth 6: You need to show real life application

Ugggghhhhhh! There’s literally nothing worse than

reading,

“I’m passionate about bungee jumping and the last time I

stood on top of a bridge, about to leap, I suddenly thought
that I could combine my fascination for SHM with bungee
jumping. So I decided to investigate….”

As soon as the examiners see the words; passionate,

fascinated, etc - they switch off.

In the old specification, there were 2 marks awarded (out of

2 4 ) f o r Pe r s o n a l E n g a g e m e n t . M a n y s t u d e n t s
misunderstood this and felt they had to write a statement
saying why they were engaged in the experiment.

These marks have disappeared from the marking criteria.

However, examiners are still looking to see that you are
engaged in your investigation. What that means is showing
independent thinking, interest and curiosity into the write-
up of the report. By doing this you might want to modify a
traditional experiment OR conduct a ‘preliminary
experiment’ to find out the range of independent variable -
something that sets your investigation to be different from
the rest.

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Myth 7: My Teacher Is Not Allowed To Help Me

This is the exact opposite of the messaging from the IB.

They have stated that it is not the intention that you should
decide upon a title or topic and be left to work on the
internal assessment component without any further
support from your teacher.
Your teacher should play an important role during both the
planning stage and the period when you are working on
the internally assessed work.

It is the responsibility of your teacher to ensure that you are

familiar with:

- the requirements of the type of work to be internally

-
assessed

-
the Sciences experimentation guidelines publication
the assessment criteria. You must understand that the
work submitted for assessment must address these
criteria effectively.

Teachers and students must discuss the internally assessed

work. You should be encouraged to initiate discussions
with the teacher to obtain advice and information, and you
must not be penalised for seeking guidance.

Teacher Feedback On Your Report

As part of the learning process, your teacher should read

and give advice on your first draft of the report. Your
teacher should provide oral or written advice on how the
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work could be improved, but not edit the draft. The next
version handed to the teacher must be the final version for
submission.

Myth 8: Your report Will Be Scanned For

Plagiarism

Your report will be scanned for plagiarism! BUT the reality

is so much more than that.

It is the responsibility of your teacher to ensure that you

understand the basic meaning and significance of
concepts that relate to academic integrity, especially
authenticity and intellectual property. Your teacher must
ensure that your work for assessment is prepared
according to the requirements. Simply, your work must be
entirely your own.

Where collaboration between students is permitted, it must

be clear to you what the difference is between
collaboration and collusion.

First your teacher will discuss your work with you, then your
teacher will scrutinise:

-
-
your initial proposal

-
the first draft of the written work

-
the references cited
the style of writing compared with your usual style

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Only THEN will your teacher submit the report to a web-
based plagiarism detection service such as
www.turnitin.com

It’s going to be very difficult to use someone else’s work

and get away with it…

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