Eliminating Bias Writing

It's crucial to refrain from using wording that can be construed as biased when writing academically. When writers use language that is either nonspecific or insensitive to labels, bias results. The many ways bias can show in writing and how to avoid them are covered in Section 5 of the APA Manual. This summary can assist academic writers in learning how to minimize prejudice. Here are some tips on how to eliminate bias writing.

Use the third-person perspective.

First person plural pronouns like we, us, and our are used by authors to imply that the reader shares the same perspective as the author. It is preferable to use third person pronouns because this isn't always the case.

- An example of prejudice is the fact that Waxler Corporation, which is superior to Anderson Inc., distributes profits to its workers.

- The benefit of profit sharing is not offered by Anderson Inc., but it is provided by Waxler Corporation.

When writing about people, be specific

In academic writing, describing persons is frequently necessary. It's crucial to be as descriptive as you can while writing about people. For instance, instead of using terms like "elderly" or "senior," refer to someone by their precise age (or age range). In describing people's cultures and ethnicities, the same logic applies. The expectation is to be as explicit as you can.

- An example of bias is that Asian children's illness levels decreased by 25% after taking the medication.

- The medication caused a 25% drop in disease in Filipino youngsters, which is the correct correction.

Use the language of the people

Adjectives rather than nouns are sometimes used by writers to refer to persons. As an illustration, "the disabled person" would utilize the word "disabled" to describe the subject. Because it minimizes the individual to just one characteristic, this is problematic. The description should come after the reference to people as part of a complete noun phrase. Writers should use the phrase "person with a disability" rather than "disabled person." The advice is to always start by identifying the person.

- Example of bias: The student receiving special education received a 10 point advantage.

- Correct revision: The student who participated in a special education program received a score that was 10 points higher.

Use preferred or inclusive personal pronouns.

The use of personal pronouns other than he or she is a topic that is now being discussed, among other communities, in the linguistic community. Use the preferred personal pronoun, such as he, she, they, ze, or another preferred personal pronoun, where it is known.

You can identify someone without presuming their gender by using pronouns like they/their, ze/hir, or ze/zir. You can use an inclusive personal pronoun in place of he/his or she/her, which simply presume binary gender identification, rather than assuming a person's gender. Although they/their have historically only been used as singular pronouns, doing so is grammatically permissible.

- Bias illustration: The pupil was urged to turn in her assignment electronically.

- Correct revision: It was recommended that the student turn in their assignment electronically. The pupil was prodded to turn in his assignment. The pupil was urged to turn in his or her assignment.

- Ze is waiting, to use another example utilizing the preferred inclusive personal pronouns. I'm anticipating hir or zir.

Examine any gender assumptions.

In order to avoid mentioning specific people by name repeatedly in their writing, writers frequently employ pronouns like he or she. However, a writer may occasionally use these pronouns to refer to unidentified individuals or groups of individuals. When this is the case, academic authors must be careful to avoid presuming the gender of individuals in order to avoid displaying a bias. For instance, a writer may find themselves referring to a teacher as she when writing about teachers even though they are unaware of the teacher's gender. Use different pronouns or change the gender with which you refer to someone to avoid this.

- Bias example: The teacher in her class needs to have a management strategy.

- Corrected: The teacher must have a management strategy for the classroom.