Ad hominem bias
Definition: From Latin meaning “to the person”; Judgment of an argument or piece of work influenced by the characteristics of the person who forwarded it, not the characteristics of the argument itself. Ad hominem bias can be negative, as when work from a competitor or target of personal animosity is viewed more critically than the quality of the work merits, or positive, as when work from a friend benefits from overly favorable evaluation.
Related term: Peer review
References:
- Barnes, R. M., Johnston, H. M., MacKenzie, N., Tobin, S. J., & Taglang, C. M. (2018). The effect of ad hominem attacks on the evaluation of claims promoted by scientists. PloS One, 13(1), e0192025. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0192025
- Tvina, A., Spellecy, R., & Palatnik, A. (2019). Bias in the peer review process: can we do better? Obstetrics & Gynecology, 133(6), 1081–1083. https://doi.org/10.1097/AOG.0000000000003260
Originally drafted by: Mahmoud Elsherif
Reviewed by: Bradley Baker, Filip Dechterenko, Bethan Iley, Madeleine Ingham, Graham Reid
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