• Objectivity is an important idea in the scientific method.
• Personal and cultural beliefs influence both our perceptions and our interpretations of natural phenomena.
• Use of standard procedures and criteria minimize those influences when developing a theory.
• The scientific method attempts to minimize the influence of bias or prejudice in the experimenter when testing an hypothesis or a theory.

Knowing that bias exists will help you...

• recognize it when you see it.
• understand and analyze different perspectives about your topic.
• eliminate bias in your own work.