This paper mainly describes the research progress of spectral induced polarization method in the aspects of the system of instruments such as SIP-FUCHSII,V8, characteristics of the electrode arrangement and the methods of inversion. The data models include Cole-Cole model, CPA model, common Cole-Cole model and theoretical model SNP. The inversion methods include fromleast square inversion from 1D to 2D and even 3D. The applications of the spectral induced method in many fields in recent years are enumerated. In the end, the research direction of SIP is predicted: (1) 3D electromagnetic forward based on EM effect and IP effect simultaneously is the research focus and frontier in the future; (2) the detection of organic pollution used by SIP will become the new application field in the future.