The Ethical Researcher

The 2027 Extended Essay places a far stronger emphasis on ethical research than any previous guide.

Students must show that they understand and follow ethical principles throughout their investigation.

This is part of Criterion A (Framework) and is reinforced in Criterion E (Reflection)

Don't get too side-tracked with your essay sounding "academic", your voice should be present. Using Grammarly or QuillBot to perform anything other than a spell check will likely lead you down a route which causes a lack of integrity. 

It is possible to be academically honest, but lack academic integrity. Please make sure that you don't patch write or be selective in a way that may be considered p-hacking. 

The Five Principles of the Ethical Researcher

Topic and Research Design

• Choosing a safe, respectful and appropriate topic

• Awareness of cultural, social and environmental contexts

• Consent, privacy, anonymity (if people are involved)

• No primary research in subjects where it is prohibited (eg, Psychology)

• Safety in science practicals and fieldwork

• Following subject-specific ethical expectations

Environmental and Global Responsibility

• Awareness of environmental impact

• Sustainability and waste minimisation

• Respect for habitats during fieldwork

• Considering fairness and global implications

• Reducing unnecessary travel, printing, or materials

Authentic Authorship

• Original thinking and ownership of ideas

• No rewriting or editing by supervisors, tutors or AI

• AI transparency: prompts + outputs must be acknowledged

• No collusion or work-sharing

• No reused work from other assignments

Responsible Use of Sources

Use credible, reliable and scholarly sources

Evaluate bias, reliability and perspective

Avoid misinformation and “fake” or fabricated sources

Avoid over-reliance on AI-generated summaries

Correct citations and reference list

No unattributed material

Reflection

• Ethical decision-making must appear in the RPF

• Students reflect openly on challenges (not excuses)

• Show integrity, awareness and growth

• Comment on changes made for safety, ethics or accuracy

IB Rules You MUST Follow

A small section for the “non-negotiables”:

1. No experiments that harm or distress animals

2. No collecting personal data without consent

3. No interviewing vulnerable groups

4. No dangerous or unsupervised lab work

5. No primary data in Psychology

6. No fieldwork that damages environments

7. No publication or public sharing of private information

8. No unsafe or illegal activities

9. No fabricated or falsified data