Research Guides Evaluating Sources Identifying Bias

Bonisiwe Shabane

-Dec 6, 2025, 7:54 PM

research guides evaluating sources identifying bias

It's important to understand & be able to identify bias when you are researching because it helps you see the purpose of a source and determine the reliability and accuracy of the information. Use the following questions to help you identify bias: Whether it's a book, journal article, website or photograph, sources are influenced by the ideas of the person who created them. Any type of source you look at will reflect the society and time in which it was created. So, it's useful to think about the events, people, ideas - or historical context - that surround it. Writers, artists, historians, photographers and other creators will sometimes use their work to persuade people about a particular viewpoint or interpretation of an idea or event.

So, it's important to work out why the resource was created. This is how the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary defines bias: BENT , TENDENCY: an inclination of temperament or outlook; especially: a personal and sometimes unreasoned judgment: PREJUDICE: an instance of such prejudice i.e., (1): deviation of the expected value of a statistical estimate from... or from Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition: Exhibiting bias: biased, one-sided, partisan, prejudiced, prejudicial, prepossessed, tendentious. See LIKE, STRAIGHT.

2. Disposed to favor one over another: favorable, preferential. When it comes to modern media like news, advertising and the Internet, bias on demand has become the profession of spin-doctors who specialize in spinning anything negative into something positive. E.S.C.A.P.E - The acronym for evaluating information explained Evidence - Do the facts hold up? Look for information you can verify. Source - Who made this, and can I trust them?

Trace who has touched the story. Context - What's the big picture? Consider if this is the whole story and weigh other forces surrounding it. Audience - Who is the intended audience? Look for attempts to appeal to specific groups or types of people. Purpose - Why was this made?

Look for clues to the motivation. Use the links below to discover where your favorite news source falls on the political spectrum and the bias it may have. Bias is a leaning or prejudice in favor of or against one side, person, item, or group compared with another, often in an unfair manner. Since anyone can write and publish anything, we have articles that focus on legitimate research and reporting and we have articles filled with lies, "fake news", and propaganda. Authors of scholarly and research-oriented articles (Scholarship) seek to identify the truth as they understand it. All authors (and publications) have a Bias, some write to that bias and others try to be more balanced in their writing.

When the author focuses on persuasion using bias, emotional appeals and distortion of facts, the article enters the category of Propaganda. The University of Michigan Library offers an excellent chart on: Indicators of Scholarship vs. Indicators of Propaganda While scholarship and objective news reporting is created with a focus on the ideal of truth, propaganda actively seeks to influence through the use of deception. Presenting a point of view is different from deliberately using psychological techniques to shape the opinion of others.

Library Hours Call 864.592.4764 Text 864.756.8008 Ask a Question Make an Appointment Bias is everywhere. Therefore, it is necessary to evaluate bias to determine if it is negatively influencing your research. Here are some questions to ask. Be careful to avoid bias when researching. For example, watch how you word your research question.

Consider these two research questions: How does social media influence teenagers? The first question uses the word "harm," which means the researcher will just be looking for evidence that shows social media harms teenagers. In contrast, the second question provides space for the researcher to potentially find evidence for the positive and negative influences of social media. MSU Library P.O. Box 173320 Centennial Mall Bozeman, MT 59717-3320

Administration (406) 994-3119 Service Desk (406) 994-3139 Bias is when a statement reflects a partiality, preference, or prejudice for or against a person, object, or idea. Unless otherwise noted the content on this LibGuide is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Many tend to search for information the CONFIRMS what they believe rather than INFORM what they do not know or a different point of view. Bias is not just found in news reporting. Sometimes scholarly articles also fall victim to bias and articles will be redacted.

Be wary of any sort of bias or slant - political, religious, etc. Is the author affiliated with some organization that would have a vested interest in swaying your opinion? Is the language calm and neutral or inflammatory? What is Bias? Bias refers to the tendency of a person, group, or institution to favor or oppose certain viewpoints, ideas, individuals, or groups over others. It influences how information is presented, interpreted, and perceived.

What is Perspective? Perspective is the particular lens or viewpoint through which information is observed, interpreted, and communicated. Perspectives are shaped by a multitude of factors, including cultural background, societal norms, personal experiences, and ideological beliefs. 1. Consider the source of the information you are evaluating. 2.

Next, take a closer look at the information itself. On this learning guide, you will find the following methods: Information resources reflect their creator's expertise and credibility and are evaluated based on the information need and the context in which the information will be used. Authority is constructed in that various communities may recognize different types of authority. It is contextual in that your information need may help to determine the level of authority required. Using this concept means you have to identify the different types of authority and why the author considers themselves credible, as well as why their community considers them credible.

An author can be a person, journalist, scholar, organization, website. Author is different from authority, which is the quality that gives an author trustworthiness. A short list of four things to do or moves that may help you sort fact from fiction. All four moves are meant to help you reconstruct the context you need to read your text. Related to SIFT, lateral reading is the third move of SIFT. You are meant to leave the website you are evaluating to read elsewhere and check up on the content in the original website.

Identifying bias can be tricky because it is not clearly stated. Bias can exist on a spectrum of political ideology, religious views, financial influence, misinformation, and more. All sources should be evaluated for potential bias -- from a tweeted link to a scholarly article. This guide shows different types of bias you might encounter and gives strategies for how to identify biased sources. Find the source of the information you're evaluating. Ask yourself the following questions:

To find the answer to these questions, you need to read the text carefully and you may have to do some background/fact-checking research to help determine if the source is reliable or biased. Sources with strong bias often aren't reliable or useful for academic work. If you spot the signs below, it’s a good clue the source may not be credible. These are some common types of bias you may encounter. This list isn’t exhaustive, but it can help you start recognizing when information may be skewed.

Research Guides Evaluating Sources Identifying Bias

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It's Important To Understand & Be Able To Identify Bias

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Look For Clues To The Motivation. Use The Links Below