Appropriate Use of First Person and Avoiding Bias

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Appropriate Use of First Person and Avoiding
Bias
Kayla Skarbakka Writing Consultant Walden
University Writing Center
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Webinar Overview

• First person I, me, my
• Appropriate uses
• Inappropriate uses
• Bias
• Objectivity
• Avoiding bias what, how, and why
• Tips for reducing bias

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Webinar Overview

• 40 minutes
• Questions
• Technical issues? GoToWebinar support
  http//support.gotomeeting.com/ics/support/default
  .asp?deptID5641

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Use of First Person Background

• In early 2007, Waldens provost declared that
  students may begin using first person, as
  appropriate, in all Walden work (including
  first-person qualitative dissertations).
• The phrase as appropriate, of course, is key.

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When to Use the First Person

• To avoid referring to yourself as the author or
  the researcher.
• Calling yourself the author may confuse your
  readers as to whom you are referring you, the
  author of the paper, or an author or researcher
  from your source.
• Use the first person when talking about yourself
  in your paper.
• Example The author will describe the
  after-school program. ? I will describe the
  after-school program.

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When to Use the First Person

• To avoid anthropomorphism (using human
  characteristics or actions to describe nonhuman
  things).
• This paper will examine ? In this paper, I will
  examine
• This section will explore ? In this section, I
  will explore

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When to Use the First Person

• To avoid the passive voice.
• A healthcare initiative will be suggested. ? I
  will suggest a healthcare initiative.
• Three education theories will be analyzed. ? I
  will analyze three education theories.

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When to Use the First Person

• In simple exposition.
• I will do this
• I will show that
• I will summarize this
• I will conclude with

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When to Use the First Person
For example, use first person to change
this This section explores the ideas of three
theorists, after which their perspectives on
health care will be analyzed in light of
contemporary problems in affordability and
access. Into something like this In this
section, I will explore the ideas of three
theorists, after which I will show how their
perspectives on health care can be analyzed in
light of contemporary problems in affordability
and access.
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Use of First Person

• DANGER!!
• With this first-person rule, you now may also
  feel inclined to share first-person opinions and
  experiences.

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Inappropriate Use of First Person

• Avoid statements of opinion.
• I feel, I believe, I think
• Example
• I feel that public policymakers reluctance to
  tackle global warming shows how beholden they are
  to the moneyed corporate interests.

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Inappropriate Use of First Person

• Allowing first person may be seen as license to
  write a well-meant but thinly supported statement
  of opinion.
• First, remember that in academic writing, your
  opinion seldom advances your research argument.
  Rather than relying on your feelings or
  experience, you should rely on published
  evidence.

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Why?

• Damages scholarly tone
• Threatens objectivity
• Not retrievable

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First Person Examples

• Examine these sentences
• 1. The author believes that eating white bread
  causes cancer.
• 2. Eating white bread causes cancer.
• 3. I believe that eating white bread causes
  cancer.
• Without sufficient supporting evidence, what this
  student has written is baloney, first person or
  not.

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First Person Examples

• 4. I found several studies (Marks, 2006 Isaac,
  2005 Stuart, in press) that pointed to the
  consumption of white bread as a possible cause of
  certain cancers.
• Here, the author brings him- or herself into the
  picture unnecessarily (if youre writing a paper,
  naturally you found these studies!).

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First Person Examples

• Consider this alternative
• Results of several recent studies (Marks, 2006
  Isaac, 2005 Stuart, in press) suggested a link
  between white bread consumption and certain
  cancers.

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First Person Examples

• Now that statement may or may not have scientific
  credibility. Your reader can judge that only by
  the authority of the references (for starters,
  were these studies published in peer-reviewed
  journals?).

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First Person

• Still, check with your instructor. Some faculty
  members who may be disinclined to allow first
  person in student writing should be alerted to
  the provosts policy.

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Objectivity

• Objectivity is
• The standard for social science publication
• Different from what appears in popular press
• A skill that can be learned
• Objectivity is NOT
• Passionless
• Missing the authors voice

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Objectivity

• Maintain objectivity by
• Using the first person appropriately
• Avoiding bias in your writing

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Avoiding Bias What

• According to APA (2010), scientific writing
  must be free of implied or irrelevant evaluation
  of the group or groups being studied (p. 233).

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Avoiding Bias How

• Stay away from generalizations by avoiding stated
  or implied all or never assertions
• Biased
• People from Tennessee are obsessed with UT
  football.
• Better
• Many Tennesseans are avid fans of UT football
  (Manning, 2009).

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Avoiding Bias How

• Answer the question says who?
• Biased
• Third-grade boys are chronically disruptive,
  while the girls are always eager to please.
• Better
• In Clooneys (2008) study of Kansas City
  third-graders, 35 of the boys and 68 of the
  girls were able to complete instructions for a
  tedious assignment without showing
• signs of agitation.

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Avoiding Bias How

• Be aware of your own biases
• Assumptions about professions
• Beliefs about specific populations
• Preference for familiar people/situations
• Oversympathy

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Avoiding Bias Why

• Avoid bias for several reasons
• You do not want to offend your reader(s)
• You want your reader to see you as an authority
  on the subject
• You want to appear to be (and be!) open-minded on
  the subject

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Reducing Bias APA

• APA (2010) is committed both to science and to
  the fair treatment of individuals and groups, and
  this policy requires that authors. . .avoid
  perpetuating demeaning attitudes and biased
  assumptions about people in their writing (pp.
  70-71).

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Reducing Bias

• Gender (APA 3.12)
• Gender is cultural and refers to role, not
  biological sex.
• Do not use a masculine pronoun (he) to refer to
  both sexes, or when speaking about people in
  general.
• Do not use masculine or feminine pronouns to
  define roles by sex (for example, always
  referring to nurses as she).
• Transgender is an adjective used to refer to a
  person whose gender identity or expression is
  different from his or her sex at birth. Do not
  use transgender as a noun.
• For more information, see page p. 73-75 in APA
  6th edition.

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Reducing Bias

• Racial and Ethnic Identity (APA 3.14)
• When using the word minority, use a modifier such
  as ethnic or racial to avoid association with
  meaning of being less than or oppressed.
• Avoid describing groups differently. For
  example, White Americans refers to color, while
  African Americans refers to cultural heritage.
  Have parallel designations White Americans and
  Black Americans, or European Americans, African
  Americans, and Asian Americans.
• Racial and ethnic terms change often. Consult
  Guidelines for Unbiased Language at
  www.apastyle.org or 3.14 in the 6th edition of
  the APA manual for appropriate language and
  terminology.

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Reducing Bias

• Disabilities (APA 3.15)
• Use language that maintains the integrity of all
  human beings. Avoid objectification and slurs.
• Avoid pictorial metaphors (such as confined to a
  wheelchair) and excessive and negative labels
  (such as victim or brain damaged).
• In writing, use people-first language rather than
  focusing on disability. For example, say person
  with autism rather than an autistic or an
  autistic person.
• Avoid condescending euphemisms when describing
  people with disabilities, such as special.
• For more information, see p. 76 in APA 6th
  edition.

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Reducing Bias

• Age (APA 3.16)
• The terms girl and boy should be used for
  individuals under 12 years of age.
• The terms young man and young woman are
  appropriate for individuals aged 13 to 17 years
  of age.
• The terms man and woman are used for anyone aged
  18 years or more.
• Do not use senior and elderly as nouns.
• For more information on appropriate language
  concerning age, please see page 76 in APA 6th
  edition.

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Resources

• Writing Center http//writingcenter.waldenu.edu/
• Library http//library.waldenu.edu/
• Residency Information http//residencies.waldenu.e
  du/

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Want more?

• The recording from tonights presentation will be
  available on our webinar archive page
• http//writingcenter.waldenu.edu/26.htm

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Questions?
E-mail the Writing Center any time writingsuppor
t_at_waldenu.edu http//writingcenter.waldenu.edu/