How to Aviod Bias in a Literature Review

Many essays include literature reviews, overviews of the current significant publications relating to the topic of the essay. Normally an essay writer presents a literature review in the introduction, before she declares her stance on the issue in her thesis. Because a literature review sets the stage for the thesis, you may find it tempting to want to present your research in a way that makes your thesis appear more persuasive. Your thesis might sound more agreeable if you left out certain findings in your academic field. However, to do so would be to create bias in your literature review.

Instructions

    • 1

      Include findings from a variety of viewpoints, not just those that agree with you. Cite publications that both support and challenge your thesis in an attempt to present a well-rounded survey of current scholarly work on your topic.

    • 2

      Find the latest publications on your topic to make your research more current. If you have some dated articles, try to find newer publications that address, build on or even challenge these earlier findings.

    • 3

      Paraphrase your findings objectively. Do not twist a writer's words or leave out major information pertaining to your topic. Read your findings carefully at least twice, taking notes, to ensure you thoroughly understand the writer's ideas and do not misrepresent them unwittingly.

    • 4

      Avoid lumping writers together whose arguments or research contain subtle but significant differences. It can be tempting to summarize an issue into two neat opposing sides in order to more easily challenge one and align yourself with another. However, you should think of writers as situated on a spectrum of perspectives, instead of polarized opposites.

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