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How well do secondary research EE's usually do?


kristinamontinola

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I'm currently doing a biology EE with the research question: To what extent could stem cell therapy be used in repairing brain damage as a result of neurodegenerative components as seen in progressive diseases such as Alzheimer's?

I don't really have any intentions of changing my topic or shifting to a primary research topic, but I was just wondering since I've heard around that secondary research EE's never do so well for science EE's. Honestly a little worried but I really do like my topic and it's something I'm genuinely interested in.

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I have actually seen an EE on Alzheimer's a while ago, which scored 8 out of 36 marks (or something like that - it was 1 point away from being a grade E). The person had LOADS of research and many interesting points, but they were simply not what IB was looking for. It is easy to go wrong when doing secondary-data science EEs... you are missing out on tons of arguments regrading your scientific approach and all. 

Your current research question sounds more like a dissertation of a neuroscience undergrad rather than a 4,000 word essay of a Highschool student. The idea you are trying to explore is very, very complex and 4,000 will not allow you to explore it in a sufficient manner. There's also a comment my teacher said and it stuck with me - they don't like "to what extent" questions in science EEs. I am not sure how true that may be, but he's been doing this for years and I trust him. A much better approach is "How does change in X affect Y" or "What is the effect of X on Y when Z", for example. 

 

If I were you, I'd reconsider my EE topic. It doesn't have to be anything new or revolutionary. Your approach has to be simply something new, and you have to show your interesting and think outside the box. 

Edit: I remembered correctly. They got 8/36. Here's said example: http://ibchem.com/IB/pdf/ee13a.pdf

 

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9 minutes ago, mac117 said:

I have actually seen an EE on Alzheimer's a while ago, which scored 8 out of 36 marks (or something like that - it was 1 point away from being a grade E). The person had LOADS of research and many interesting points, but they were simply not what IB was looking for. It is easy to go wrong when doing secondary-data science EEs... you are missing out on tons of arguments regrading your scientific approach and all. 

Your current research question sounds more like a dissertation of a neuroscience undergrad rather than a 4,000 word essay of a Highschool student. The idea you are trying to explore is very, very complex and 4,000 will not allow you to explore it in a sufficient manner. There's also a comment my teacher said and it stuck with me - they don't like "to what extent" questions in science EEs. I am not sure how true that may be, but he's been doing this for years and I trust him. A much better approach is "How does change in X affect Y" or "What is the effect of X on Y when Z", for example. 

 

If I were you, I'd reconsider my EE topic. It doesn't have to be anything new or revolutionary. Your approach has to be simply something new, and you have to show your interesting and think outside the box. 

Edit: I remembered correctly. They got 8/36. Here's said example: http://ibchem.com/IB/pdf/ee13a.pdf

 

Thank you very much. This was a response I was looking for. I'll talk to my advisor about changing my topic to some degree so it's less complex.

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  • 3 years later...
  • 2 weeks later...
On 6/11/2021 at 10:37 PM, Sriya said:

Hello, I am working presently on secondary data based EE for Biology myself. I was wondering how yours faired out, and if you have any advice for me.

hi there, doing a secondary data based ee in 2021 would not be discouraged as the presence of the pandemic. However, to score well on a biology ee, you really want to approach the question in a strictly scientific manner. the primary reason of experimental ee scoring well is bc they have designed their own experiment and has provided reasonable and thoughtful rationale behind their choices, which may be difficult to do for secondary Data based. if you insist, I recommend you to do well on the discussion and evaluation part of your ee.

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11 hours ago, bigcauliflower said:

hi there, doing a secondary data based ee in 2021 would not be discouraged as the presence of the pandemic. However, to score well on a biology ee, you really want to approach the question in a strictly scientific manner. the primary reason of experimental ee scoring well is bc they have designed their own experiment and has provided reasonable and thoughtful rationale behind their choices, which may be difficult to do for secondary Data based. if you insist, I recommend you to do well on the discussion and evaluation part of your ee.

Thank you so much for that! Quick question, what would make my discussion and evaluation better- any advice here?

 

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1 hour ago, juggernautinsupernova said:

Thank you so much for that! Quick question, what would make my discussion and evaluation better- any advice here?

 

yes, so to have a really good discussion and evaluation, you really want to mention and discuss the relevant bits of your findings and result of your statistical test (if presence). you should elaborate on those findings instead of just naming them such as how does the number provide supporting evidence to your hypothesis or contradicting ones. for evaluation, make sure that you tackle the limitations of using non primary data and possible flaws or limits of your findings. it would be beneficial to mention suggestion to improve but do make sure to elaborate on them

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On 6/24/2021 at 6:35 PM, bigcauliflower said:

yes, so to have a really good discussion and evaluation, you really want to mention and discuss the relevant bits of your findings and result of your statistical test (if presence). you should elaborate on those findings instead of just naming them such as how does the number provide supporting evidence to your hypothesis or contradicting ones. for evaluation, make sure that you tackle the limitations of using non primary data and possible flaws or limits of your findings. it would be beneficial to mention suggestion to improve but do make sure to elaborate on them

Would this be safe to do though? I am doing a secondary data based on Human Biology- particularly a chemical impact on the Central nervous system. I was quite unsure on how to suggest improvements for this. Once again, thank you for the guidance!

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1 hour ago, juggernautinsupernova said:

Would this be safe to do though? I am doing a secondary data based on Human Biology- particularly a chemical impact on the Central nervous system. I was quite unsure on how to suggest improvements for this. Once again, thank you for the guidance!

could you maybe rephrase your concern I didn't quite catch that sorry

 

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22 hours ago, bigcauliflower said:

could you maybe rephrase your concern I didn't quite catch that sorry

 

I meant how might I suggest an improvement or addition to an experiment with secondary data based on Human Biology- particularly a chemical impact on the Central nervous system in my EE. Because it is completely secondary data based, I was wondering what I could do to suggest improvements.

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30 minutes ago, juggernautinsupernova said:

I meant how might I suggest an improvement or addition to an experiment with secondary data based on Human Biology- particularly a chemical impact on the Central nervous system in my EE. Because it is completely secondary data based, I was wondering what I could do to suggest improvements.

you could for example offer solutions to the chemical impact or offer an insight into how the impact affect the population 

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11 hours ago, bigcauliflower said:

you could for example offer solutions to the chemical impact or offer an insight into how the impact affect the population 

Oh, I see, like an alternative to the use of this chemical. I understand. Thank you so much for your help! How is IB going for you, I'm guessing you're done now?

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4 hours ago, juggernautinsupernova said:

Oh, I see, like an alternative to the use of this chemical. I understand. Thank you so much for your help! How is IB going for you, I'm guessing you're done now?

yes I am done with ib so ofc a bit anxious waiting for my result. Feel free to message me if you want me to look over your EE or ias I may be able to offer some advice

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  • 2 years later...

Hello, I am also working on a secondary information-based Biology EE. It is about how climate effects the shape of the nose, shown by nasal index values. I don't have enough time to work on another ee, and I'm genuinely struggling to understand what I should even do with my sources. HELP!!!💀

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