Mitigating Confirmation Bias

  • Partner: USAID LEARN Program
  • Publication Type: Learning Brief
  • Date: 2017
  • Team: Ben Fowler, Ilana Shapiro, Keith B. Ives, Dave Algoso
  • Recommended Citation: Ben Fowler, Ilana Shapiro, Keith B. Ives, and Dave Algoso. 2017. Mitigating Confirmation Bias. Prepared under the USAID-funded LEARN program.

It’s easy to notice and look for information that supports our pre-existing beliefs and ignore that which doesn’t—i.e., confirmation bias. This is a guide to mitigate confirmation bias in research and how to structure studies, so they acknowledge and counter existing biases. This guide discusses:

  1. What is confirmation bias and how do we mitigate it?
  2. A checklist to counter confirmation bias in research.
  3. Other biases that impact research studies.

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