...Bias exists and is unavoidable in many disciplines of study. As a systematic error that can affect scientific investigations and the experimental processes, bias can significantly negatively affect a research study. Different types of bias may influence a research in different ways. This paper discusses three types of bias that affect research: the first type is design bias, second is reporting bias, and the third is unconscious bias. Design bias is often introduced when the researcher fails to take into account the bias that can potentially distort the results and their analysis. For instance, in the TED-talk by Ben Goldacre, he mentioned a 2001 Australian study found that olive oil offered protections against skin wrinkling; however, he questioned about the validity of this finding. He noticed there was a clear design bias in the study, since back in the 1930s, those who eat olive oil would likely be wealthier, do less outdoor chores, and have higher socioeconomic standings. Although people in the study who eat olive oil did found to have fewer wrinkles, there were interlocking social, political and cultural reasons that altered the finding (Goldacre, 2011). When researchers fail to recognize the existing bias in their study, as shown in this example where the study fails to recognize the external variables that affected the finding, the research loses its validity....
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...Introduction The purpose of this paper is to explore the bias of the drug industry that highlights drug research. The drug industry brings forth criticism for portraying an unfair view on bestselling drugs. It is necessary to review the key components that sociological research formulates from, to obtain satisfactory in a research assignment. First Step in Student’s Guide to Research Sociological research builds off of a basic structure. Student sociologists use the structure as a guide when carrying out their research projects. Sociological research starts with the creation of a question or multiple questions needing answers. When creating a question sociologist focus on characteristic features and how they can clarify relations between the variables they study. Research questions arise from a variety of bases, such as problems that form the groundwork of sociology, socioeconomic imbalances and their causes and effects, or the yearning to comprehend of how power can apply in social relationships. Creating a worthy research question is the most significant step to guaranteeing a successful research. First Step of Research in My Own Words Several measures direct sociological research. The first step is to form a question or questions to be replied. A well-meaning research question is shaped wisely with a precise definition of terms. The research question formation is an essential step toward achieving an effective research development. Sociologists generate questions that concentrate...
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...Evaluating Bias in Research Bias is a characteristic of results that systematically misrepresent the true nature of what is being studied (1). The first step in the student’s guide to research is identify how to effectively and efficiently perform a search to locate information that will best fit the research process. This process includes understanding the various sources available to assist in finding this information. Research that has no creditable sources to back up the findings will not provide efficient results. Drug research in the drug industry can be categorized based on general information or statistics and not the evaluation of people. This information can have conclusions based on the effects a drug may have but not everyone will have the same reaction. On the other hand, some biases are based on gender, race, or ethnicity. Most people learn biases at home, at school, in church, or in other social settings. Which can lead to understanding all sides to the story, knowing what’s right and wrong, and moral development. On the contrary, if morality were nothing more than common sense, why are there so many biases that require disputes and issues in research? The best explanation for these differences is that all people are individuals who have different thoughts, processes, and reactions. Research has to follow legal rules and laws in order to keep results unbiased, ethical, and accurate. We also use research strategies and principles to criticize, assess, advise...
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...The first step in the students guide to research is to frame your research question. You must pose a question carefully and precisely. Whether you have noticed a problem that you think you could help fix or have a desire to understand something. You are forging the unknown. It’s important that you define your terms when coming up with a question so you know exactly what you are measuring, observing, and how to collect your data. When you evaluate your findings you must have a clear picture of what exactly you are looking for. The major assumptions and biases of the drug industry that underlie drug research is that the drug companies are for profit. So it is a huge conflict of interest and unethical for drug companies to be funding any research. Healthcare somewhere along the way got turned into a business, it is no longer about what is best for patients. Drug companies are only interested in making money and therefore they skew the research using varying tactics so that the public is none the wiser. They basically coerce everyone involved in the research process. They use manipulative PR tactics to cover up findings unfavorable to their research or products. To confuse and mislead the public. The offer varying degrees of truth on how the research is conducted, how they evaluate the findings, what they are and are not made aware of, and how exactly everyone involved is finically compensated. Another example of this would be paying for expert testimony in a trial...
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...Student’s guide to research: a four step process The first step to research is to know where to start… your library! Step 1: Define your topic Understand your assignment. Get an overview of your topic using general reference sources, such as text books, dictionaries and encyclopedias. List keywords for searches (e.g. names, places, people, dates, issues, ideas) Step 2: Locate and evaluate your resources Explore a variety of resources: o Books o Magazines, journals, newspapers – Using Article Databases, see page 3. o Internet Review your resources. Check for: o Authority (author’s expertise, reputable organization) o Point of view (bias) o Accuracy (verify the facts) o Dates (how current is it? does currency matter?) o Relevance (does the information address your topic?) Choose the best and most reliable sources Ask your school librarian Step 3: Searching Use your list of keywords in your searches Try synonyms (different words that mean the same) in your searches Organize your search results into a logical order Step 4: Document your sources When taking notes, photocopying, or printing, be sure to record: o Author o Title o Place of publication o Name of publisher o Page numbers used o Date of publishing o Last updated date (for websites) o URL (for websites) Use the MLA, APA, Chicago/Traditional bibliographic style guides to ensure proper format. Ask yourself: Have I answered the questions about my topic? Are the...
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...The first step in a student's guide to research is to understand the concept that needs to be analyzed. This enables the learner to study widely and efficiently. The process allows the researcher to determine the sources to utilize throughout the research process. As a result, one reduces the time used in writing a research paper. The failure to apply compelling sources is likely to yield a less appealing paper. Basically the first step of the research is to identify where to start in writing the paper. You can read the general information related to the topic. The sources can be established from books, online sources, and even the encyclopedias. An individual can start analyzing the general materials and narrow down to specific details by listing the keywords required in the topic. When the writer gains an understanding of what he or she is working on, writing the research paper becomes less complicated. Thus, the writer should select a topic carefully to limit the time taken to write the research paper. There are many assumptions and biases in the drug industry that can hinder accurate research results. One major hypothesis is relying on the generalized information to analyze a concept. When the study is based on a generalized idea, the accuracy of the research is undermined. An example of a widespread notion is assuming that certain effects must occur to every person who is exposed to a certain drug. The other common bias is assuming that drugs’ effects vary with...
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...Should all cars be required to have backup cameras? Tanard Hill Professor Christian Faught English 215 March 13th, 2016 The government, in April 2014 passed a law that all cars built new after May 2016 must have backup cameras. Have backup cameras reduced accidental deaths? The National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration (NHITSA) reports that “58 to 69 lives are expected to be saved each year once the entire on-road vehicle fleet is equipped with rear visibility systems.” USA Today’s website listed an article written by Chris Woodyard (2015) who investigated that many automakers, responding to consumer demand, have gotten ahead of the regulation by putting standard or optional cameras on new models as they are redesigned, even on their smallest, most economical cars. Vehicles should not be required to have a backup camera because it is not always as clear of a picture as you may think, especially during weather and foggy days. (Woodyard, 2015 Administration, 2014). The backup cameras fog up in a little rain or any other precipitation, which causes the backup camera to be insufficient to use. Although having back up cameras has reduced the accidents by a large percentage; once it is completely abolished in 2018; will drivers attempt to only use the backup camera without the notion of looking behind them? In a 2010 report, the DOT's NHTSA said, “that each year 210 people die and 15,000 are injured in light-vehicle backup incidents, with about 31% of the...
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...The first step in the students guide to research is to “Frame Your Research Question.” Framing a good research question is the most important step toward having a successful research project. Your research question should use multiple sources to back up your own distinctive argument and it should be developed accurately and carefully avoiding questions that can be answered in just a few statements. One of the major assumptions of the drug industry is the fact that all research is accurate and the results are true. In fact the results may not even be valid on the research of humans. Some companies that want to promote their product will sometimes add generalizations to the research criteria so that the results will look good in their favor. These research studies are being done by employees of the drug companies and/or parties that are being financially compensated for their input. Companies that are doing this are actually putting the consumer at risk for many other medical problems or even death, all for the sake of making money. My opinion about the drug industry is that these companies are so hungry for money that they just don’t care that they are endangering other people’s lives. They are willing to let money get in the way of having a trustworthy and reliable company. They must not forget that some of their own family members may one day be prescribed the exact medicine that they have falsely claimed is safe with minimal side effects. I would recommend that...
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...private interest has on a bias media message. Inherently, drawing the connection with a biased media and what effect it has on presidential candidates running for office in the United States of America. Being done so by looking at examples of media playing a factor on past presidential candidates. Through examination of past and current events of media effecting presidential candidates, the goal is to draw a connection making it clear that private interest creates a biased media effecting presidential candidates. Through showing what effect media has on presidential candidates, the research that will be conducted in this paper will emphasize and make aware the public that the media has its own...
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...Evaluating Bias in Research J. Ward Lucy Rabenda-Bajkowska, Ph.D. SOC 100: Introduction to Sociology January 25, 2015 The first step in the student’s guide to research is to frame your research question. The process of formulating a research question has to be precise. Research projects come from many sources which can include empirical data. In the first step you also have to define your terms and how the terms will be measured. The student’s guide to research first step is to frame your research question. The question has to be precise if not it will mess up the entire project. You have to have many sources to base your question off of the information in order to have accurate information to form the question. Defining your terms and measurements will set up the research project by giving the sociologist a guide to work the question that has been presented. To frame your research question you have to be precise, have many sources, and have definitive terms and measurements if all of these things don’t work together you will not have an accurate question to start the project. In the article “As drug industry’s influence over research grows, so does the potential for bias” they explained how drug companies can make there drug look better in order for it to sell better. The New England Journal of Medicine features articles that the pharmaceutical companies and employees have influence over creating bias against the drugs. There is an assumption that there pharmaceutical...
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...We are able to check numerous sources before deciding on what is right or wrong. Even though this could make us more skeptical and occasionally second-guessing, it makes us smarter and allows us to think for ourselves instead of blindly believing just about anything that is on the media. Also, according to Pew’s research, that is related to the fact that we think our news is more objective than what people on the opposite side enjoy listening to (Mitchell et al. 2014). Even though we are second guessing, this could be related to the fact that the material simply doesn’t match up with what we believe in. Another factor that plays a part in the belief of people that the media is biased as explained by Frahi are these new watchdog groups such as FAIR (Fairness in Accuracy and Reporting) and AIM (Accuracy in Media). FAIR is considered more liberal while AIM is conservative. They are on the lookout for reporters who fall into these biases and they criticize them for it, allowing for people to pay closer attention to what they are hearing. Although it’s great...
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...reporters, commercials, magazines, and newspaper often are bias in a topic that is being discussed. The media wants the viewers to choose a side without anyone really knowing the truth behind a topic. Majority of the population deals with bias in the media every day because it has been shown in the types of sources people use. Also the media sometimes provides one sided information to get the audience interested in an event that is happening. Getting to know both sides of a story shows the true meaning in journalism. The truth in journalism helps the audience know which side is a better choice because the positives and negatives have been provided in a certain idea or topic. Bias in the media has got to control the actions and words that are being used because the viewers believe what is...
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...Different terms have different connotations, and even if they are synonymous, they can have differing impacts. An “illegal alien” and an “undocumented migrant” are the same thing, but they have different implications and evoke a different tone. Which term a news outlet uses may show where the bias lies. Some news outlets may avoid certain words altogether: BBC, for example, refrains from designating someone as a “terrorist” because it contains “political overtones” (“Terrorism”). BBC is a British news source but it widely used and trusted by Americans and it is worth noting. American news sources can be much more toxic in the words they use. It has long been an argument from conservatives that the media are “politically correct” and refrain from telling the whole truth by using euphemisms (Weigel). Journalists are not supposed to let their opinions get in the way of the news they are reporting, but the words they use, or refrain from using, can hide the unfeigned, unfiltered truth from the public. Take, for instance, the Fox News article...
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...Assignment 1: Evaluating Bias in Research By: Andrew Snyder Professor: Dr. Belinda Hartnett Introduction to Sociology 23JAN2016 Assignment 1: Evaluating Bias in Research By: Andrew Snyder The first step in the Students Guide to Research is to frame your research question. In order to frame your research question properly you need to be formulating the research question precisely and carefully, which makes this one of the most important steps toward ensuring a successful research project. I would say that in order to accomplish this step I would need to build my research question by defining the subject of the research and then proceeding to explain as to how I would measure or evaluate it in order to answer the question at hand. In identifying the major assumptions and biases of the drug industry that underlie drug research you can pretty much find out that the research has been rigged to favor the drug itself and or the drug company. The reason being is that the research will one way or another point to the manufacturer of the drug paying off the people that are reviewing the drug so that the article will favor the drug company and will lead to the company making more money. These companies favor money far more than helping people. As a consumer, I feel pretty much the same way about what the article speaks about. I feel that the only reason why we don’t have cures for many diseases in this day and age is because the greedy chief executives of these pharmaceutical...
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...Bias in the Media Bias in the media still exists today and many sources have them. You might not catch the fake news but it is still out there. Many sources take each article differently whether it is bias or true. The information is key to these articles to spot the bias in them. We must be careful on what sources you choose to hear from because you might just be completely lied to. I brought up one topic that took many bias turns. Trump declaring Jerusalem as Israel's article is very bias in many different sources. ABC News was straight into the facts however CNN took some turns and had bias views. CNN showed me less of the topic at hand and kept arguing that one side is mores superior than another. I see why CNN is at the bottom because...
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