Research Questions

A research question is a question that a scientific investigation aims to answer.  There are two general categories of research questions:

1. ​Confirmatory research question aims to test a specific hypothesis by collecting data to see if it supports an existing idea. Confirmatory research occurs when researchers have a pretty good idea of what's going on and what to expect and the purpose is to find out if the hypothesis is supported by the data that was collected.  Usually experiments performed for IB Biology internal assessments and extended essays are “confirmatory.”
2. Exploratory research is conducted when the expected outcome is not clearly defined, with the goal of generating new hypotheses or insights by exploring a topic without a preconceived notion.

Research questions must be formulated to take into account the time, materials and knowledge required to answer the question.  A good research question is one that is clear, focused and arguable. 

• Clear - Will the reader understand the nature of the research?  Will it direct the research being undertaken?
• Focused - Will the research question be specific enough to allow for exploration within the scope of the task (that is, the number of words and time available)?
• Arguable - Does the research question allow for analysis, evaluation and the development of a reasoned argument?

There are three types of research question that are commonly asked in IB Biology investigations:

Descriptive	Comparative	Correlative
Descriptive research questions ask questions that involve describing parts of a natural system. Scientists might try to answer descriptive questions such as, “Where do cougars go when their habitat gives way to a new housing development?” or “What areas do cougars select for den locations?”	Comparative research questions are used to investigate the similarities or differences under different conditions. A researcher might ask a comparative question such as, “Is there a difference in lichen growth in areas of high pollution and areas of low pollution?”	Correlative research questions involve measuring or observing two variables and searching for a pattern. Correlative questions focus on two variables to be measured together and tested for a relationship: “Do animal tracks increase with greater forest canopy cover?” “Does the salmon population go down when dissolved oxygen concentrations go down?”