Common Biases In Business Research

In research, bias occurs when an error is introduced into sampling or testing which results in selecting or encouraging one outcome, conclusion, or answer over others. Bias can happen at any phase of research, including study design, methodology selection, data collection, and stating conclusions [1]. Given the significant threats of these biases on the reliability and validity of research conclusions, understanding different types of biases, their consequences, and treatment methods is the corner stone in avoiding such biases and an important step in critically evaluating research. This chapter discusses biases that are common in quantitative research, biases associated with quantitative research and biases that usually occur in quantitative research using qualitative data. It will focus on introducing business researchers to their definitions and sources. The chapter also suggests methods to uncover those biases and provides remedies and ways to deal with such biases.