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College Research Skills: Detecting Bias

A guide to College Research and Writing

What is Bias?

Its simplest definition is: “a particular tendency, trend, inclination, feeling, or opinion, especially one that is preconceived or unreasoned...
Ex. illegal bias against older job applicants; the magazine’s bias toward art rather than photography; our strong bias in favor of the idea” (“Bias”, Dictionary.com). 

Other types of bias:

  • Conflict of Interest: "A conflict of interest arises when what is in a person’s best interest is not in the best interest of another person or organization to which that individual owes loyalty” (from the McCoombs School of Business at University of Texas, Austin)
  • Propaganda: Defined as “the spreading of ideas, information, or rumor for the purpose of helping or injuring an institution, a cause, or a person; ideas, facts, or allegations spread deliberately to further one's cause or to damage an opposing cause; also : a public action having such an effect” (“Propaganda”, M-W.com)

When you read through a source, ask yourself a few questions and think about the motives behind the source:

  • Is the author or organization leaving out essential facts, or only presenting one side of the argument?
  • Does the author's affiliation with an institution or organization appear to bias the information? Do you see any conflict of interest?
  • Is the information covered fact, opinion, or propaganda? It is not always easy to separate fact from opinion. Facts can usually be verified; opinions, though they may be based on factual information, evolve from the interpretation of facts. 
  • Does the information appear to be valid and well-researched, or is it questionable and unsupported by evidence?
  • Does the writing use inflammatory language?
  • Look for an "about us", “who we are”, or "FAQ" (frequently asked questions) page. Does the overall organization or company have a bias towards one side of an issue over another? Are they a well-respected organization, known for their  objectivity? (Hint: Look them up in Wikipedia!)
  • Authors often have their own agendas, for example to sell products, influence legislation or capture converts. When using any information resource, you must decide whether the information is sufficiently objective for your purpose or whether it is biased. Of course a highly biased presentation can be included in scholarly research as long as that bias is described and weighed against alternative views or interpretations.

More Resources

Want to take a deep dive into fact-checking and source evaluation? Try Michael Caulfield's online book, "Web Literacy for Student Fact-Checkers." It's a comprehensive approach to analyzing information, using a similar method to the CRAAP test. Caulfield uses the SIFT method: Stop, Investigate the source, find better coverage, trace the original context.

  • More info on the SIFT method from Los Angeles Valley College.

The Center for News Literacy at Stony Book College has yet another method: IMVAIN. It's part of their in-depth course on Source Evaluation.

I: Independent sources are better than self-interested sources

M: Multiple sources are better than single sources

V: Sources who Verify with evidence are better than sources who assert

A / I: Authoritative / Informed sources  are better than uninformed sources

N: Named sources are better than unnamed sources