Research credibility is subjective. By which I mean that dependant on the reader’s view of a given topic and any bias which may exist surrounding the evidence produced by a researcher, the context of the findings can be distorted in the mind and inform a personal view.
The message contained within research can affect the perception of the reader, which can raise further questions in an inquisitive mind.
If strong evidence is used to support a theory then this can lend credibility to a report, but the situation remains that if the reader holds any bias in either direction this can influence the opinion of the reader.
Similarly if the writer holds a bias in a certain direction this can distort the facts given in the report, also the tone of the report could mislead the reader, not all the facts are discussed by the writer, which by omitting these facts can give weight to the authors opinion.
I agree with you. I believe it is very hard for the researcher to detach themselves from the issue they are researching.
ReplyDeleteMost people choose to research about something that interests them, in which case they would already have an opinion/bias on the subject, this can become apparent in their results. Although this is not the case for all Research projects.