Research Biases

Biases

Before you begin a major research project, it would be a good idea to identify and acknowledge your own biases towards your subject. Everyone has biases, but they are less likely to get you into trouble if you know what they are. Biases can manifest as anything from a research methodology to an unconsidered prejudice. Remember that a bias does not have to be untrue to be a bias.

Some Biases Are

Feminism
Racism
Humanism
Blind faith in capitalism and western democracy

In fact, many scholars argue that your particular bias has a great deal to do with your place in society.

Martin Luther King Jr.

As mentioned elsewhere, Martin Luther King Jr., has been accused of academic fraud. His case is a good example of the ethical problems in the humanities. There is a great deal of evidence that he borrowed or stole major portions of his dissertation and other writings. The question isn't whether he committed plagiarism, but rather what the implications of that plagiarism are. Here are two websites that treat the issue in radically different ways:

King's case is a good example of how the same facts can be interpreted many different ways. People who are sympathetic to the Civil Rights cause tend to minimize his plagiarism within the greater context of his larger accomplishments. On the other hand, people with an antithetical view use it to dismiss his legacy altogether.

You can usually discover someone's biases quickly. If the person or group is trying to hide their biases, then you probably need to weigh their arguments even more skeptically.

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This page created by Christopher Ryland 25 August 2000. Last updated 25 August 2000.