Primary Source Assignment
P.henish333
BiasRvised.docxBias
This information comes from several sources on bias. As you are reading historical texts and documents (and anything else, for that matter), it is important to think critically about bias.
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General Definition Bias is when a statement reflects a partiality, preference, or prejudice for or against a person, object, or idea. Much of what you read and hear expresses a bias. Bias is when a writer or speaker uses a selection of facts, choice of words, and the quality and tone of description, to convey a particular feeling or attitude. Its purpose is to convey a certain attitude or point of view toward the subject |
Questions to Consider · What facts has the author omitted? · What additional information is necessary? · What words create positive or negative impressions? · What impression would I have if different words had been used?
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Taken From: http://researchguides.njit.edu/evaluate/bias
How To Identify Bias
It's important to understand and identify bias when you are researching because it helps you see the purpose of a text, whether it's a piece of writing, a painting, a photograph - anything.
When was the resource created?
Any type of resource you look at will reflect the society and time in which it was created. Think about historical context.
* the less time between the event and the time of writing, the more likely certain details – such as dates, names and locations – will be accurate
* older documents show us what life was like in the past, and can also reveal attitudes that may be uncommon or unacceptable today
* particular formats – such as diaries, emails, video, etc. – reflect the era in which they were created, so think about what the format reveals about the resource.
Who created the resource?
Books, articles, websites, photographs – all sources are influenced by the ideas of the person who created them. Consider:
* The creator’s age, religion, race and occupation
* is the creator presenting the whole story –read widely to get all perspectives
* is the creator an expert on the topic?
* EX: An essay on the importance of homework might be very different from the student versus from the teacher.
Why was the resource created?
Creators sometimes use their work to persuade people about a particular viewpoint or interpretation of an idea or event. Think about why it was created. Remember:
* the creator's purpose is often the message you remember long after you've finished reading or looking at it
* look for a range of opinions that are supported by different sources.
* in secondary sources a bibliography is often a good sign of a reputable source, but you'll need to check whether the references listed are reliable and credible.
For Whom Was the Resource Created?
It's important to think about how the intended audience has affected the format and overall message in the resource. Ask yourself:
Who is the target audience?
A teen magazine, travel website or tabloid newspaper has a very different audience than an academic journal, government report or a reputable newspaper. Expect the approach to text in each of these publications to be very different.
Did the creator intend for their work to be looked at by someone else?
A diary is a great primary source, but know that it presents a person's opinion. The author probably wasn't expecting their writing to be read by others, so they wouldn't necessarily have presented an objective and balanced account.
Taken From: http://ergo.slv.vic.gov.au/learn-skills/research-skills/select-resources/identify-bias
Thoughts About Bias
“When I began this line of enquiry, I thought that bias was not a loose or fuzzy term, that it has a very specific epistemological meaning. That it, surely, did not mean any of the following:
1. Lying
2. Having an opinion
3. Arguing a point
4. A non-specific synonym of racist, sexist or classist
These four definitions, the most commonly used … were absurdly vague. Indeed, taken to their natural extreme, the use of the term bias was simply a way of discounting all of what has been previously written by the essayist. For example:
Thomas Jefferson believed that different races could never successfully integrate into a single society, but, he owned slaves, so he was biased.
On a basic, gut-reaction level, this sentence makes perfect sense. But let us examine the second clause more closely. Rephrased, all it argues is that because he owned slaves, he was racist, and because he was racist, we can ignore him. That is not critical analysis. It is not even analysis. It is uncritical dismissal, and it is the very shoddiest of historiographical argument.
From W. Mabbett’s Writing History Essays (Palgrave):
A bias is a built-in tendency to lean to one side, a preference that inclines one to favour one side in an argument. Again, what matters is whether this inclination prevents us from being influenced by evidence to the contrary. This amounts to much the same thing as being unwilling to take account of anything that conflicts with one’s prejudice. It is important to avoid confusing prejudice or bias with the mere possession of an opinion. We all have opinions; what matters is the extent to which we are ready to let our opinions be changed by examination of the evidence. (p. 49)
