Supplemental Material riting Clearly and Concisely General Guidelines for Reducing Bias - PDF document

SupplementalMaterial: ritingClearlyConciselyGeneralGuidelinesforReducingBiasGuidelines forUnbiased Language ProblematicPreferred 1. The client is usually the best judge of the value The client is usually the best judge of the value of his counseling.of counseling.people, humanity, human beings, humankind, man a projectstaff a project, hire personnel, employ staffmanÐmachine interfaceuserÐsystem interface, personÐsystem interface, manpowerworkforce, personnel, workers, human resources3. males, femalesmen, women, boys, girls, adults, children, 4. same sex, opposite sexsame sex, other sex Specific nouns reduce the possibility of stereotypic bias and often clarify discussion. Use as adjectives wher ,male participant may be appropriate when the age range is quite broad or ambiguous. Avoid unparallel usage suchas 10 and 16 Avoid consistently placing socially dominant groups first (e.g., Whites racial minorities ch scientists often neglect their wives Research scientists often neglect their spouses and children.and children. Alternative wording acknowledges that women as well as men are research scientists.lady lawyer, male nurse, doctor or physician, lawyer, nurse, driver Specify sex only if it is a variable or if sex designation is necessary to the discussion (Ò13 femaledoctors and 22 male doctorsÓ). oman is the adjective counterparto 7. motheringparenting, nurturing [or specify exact behavior]of an academic departmentof an academic departmentchairperson, chair [use only if it is known that the institution has established that form as Comment: Department head opriate; however, the term is not synonymous with moderator, discussion leader In parliamentarusage, man is the official ternatives areacceptable in most writing. Guidelines for Unbiased Languagecontinuedcontinued ProblematicPreferred foreman, mailman, salesmanshipsupervisor or superintendent, postal worker or letter carrier, selling ability 10. The authors acknowledge the assistance The authors acknowledge the assistance of Jane of Mrs. John Smith.Smith. 11. cautious men and timid womencautious women and men, cautious people Participants were 16 men and 4 women. The men were [specify], and the women were The women were housewives.[specify]. Describe women and men in parallel terms, or omit description of both. Do not use identify occupation, a term that indicates sex and marital status and excludes men. Use homemaker, can denote a man. Sexual orientation 1. The sample consisted of 200 adolescent The sample consisted of 200 gay male homosexuals.adolescents. Avoid use of 2. Manuscript title: ÒGay Relationships in the 1990sÓ툀Gay Male Relationships in the 1990s팀 Specify gender equitably.3. Participants were asked about their Participants were asked about the experience of .being a lesbian woman or a gay man. void the label . 4. The women reported lesbian sexual fantasies.Thewomenreportedfemale퀀femalesexualfantasies. Avoid confusing lesbian orientation with specific sexual behaviors.5. It was the participantsÕ sex, not their sexual It was the participantsÕ gender, not their sexual orientation, that affected number of friendships.orientation, that affected number of friendships. intercourseintercourse The first preferred example specifies kind of sexual activity, if penileÐvaginal intercourse is what Guidelines for Unbiased Languagecontinuedcontinued ProblematicPreferred Ten participants were married, and five were single.Ten participants were married and living together, four were unmarried and living with partners, and The preferred example increases specificity and acknowledges that legal marriage is only e.g., married couples may be separatede.g., married couples may be separated, or sexual orientation. Racial and ethnic identity 1. The sample included 400 undergraduate The sample of 400 undergraduates included participants.125 women and 125 men125 women and 125 men espect to gender, age, and, when relevant to the study, race or ethnicity. Where appropriate, additional information should be presented (generation, African American 2. The 50 American Indians represented....The 50 American Indians (25 Choctaw, 15 Hopi, and 10 Seminole) represented.... When appropriate, authors should identify American Indian groups by specific group or nation;when the broader designation is appropriate, note that Native American may be preferred to Indian. In general, American Indian, African, and other groups prefer 3. We studied EskimosWe studied Inuit from Canada and Aleuts Native peoples of northern Canada, Alaska, eastern Siberia, and Greenland may prefer for plural) to Alaska Natives include many groups in addition to Eskimos. First Nations RaceRaceWhite2115White2115Non-White154African American101Asian53 Comment: Non-White ofessorthe Mexican American professor Qualifying adjectives may imply that the ÒarticulateÓ Mexican American professor is an exceptionmay not be relevant and thereforshould not be mentioned. Put people first, not their disability disabled personwho haswho hasmentally ill personperson with mental illness Preferred expressions avoid the implication that the person as a whole is disabled. Guidelines for Unbiased Languagecontinuedcontinued