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Thesis Statement Guide

Thesis statements are essential parts of every essay or research paper. However, not all students understand the importance of this statement or its relation to their overall paper. Understanding how to write a good thesis statement can not only help you develop a strong argument for your paper, but it can also relieve some stress of worrying about whether the topic you have chosen is strong enough for the essay.

What is a thesis statement?

A thesis statement is a clear and concise sentence (usually at the end of your first paragraph, the introduction ) that tells the reader what your paper is about. A thesis statement is also known as a thesis statement, thesis claim, thesis topic sentence, or the controlling idea of an essay .

It outlines the main argument or claim of your essay and serves as a roadmap for what you will discuss in your paper. A thesis statement should be arguable, meaning that it should be debatable whether or not it is true.

Thesis statement types

When it comes to essay types , there are three main kinds of thesis statements in academic writing: argumentative, exploratory, and analytical.

• An argumentative thesis statement presents a clear position that the author plans to defend in the essay.
• An exploratory thesis statement simply introduces the topic and provides some initial thoughts on it. It tells the reader what you are going to explain and in what order.
• An analytical thesis statement is a clear and specific statement of what you plan to analyze in your paper and what your findings are.

Also, a thesis statement can be explicit or implicit :

• An explicit thesis statement states the main argument or claim of your essay explicitly with a lot of facts and proof. These are usually used in argumentative and persuasive texts.
• An implicit thesis statement does not state the main argument or claim of your essay. Such theses can be used in expository (informative) or narrative writing .

Example of an implicit thesis statement:

The novel “ To Kill a Mockingbird ” is about a young girl, Scout, who learns about racism and injustice in her small town in Alabama during the 1930s.

Characteristics of a strong thesis

• A strong thesis is specific. It should not be a broad, general statement that could be applied to any topic. Instead, it should focus on a specific issue that you can support with evidence from your research.
• A strong thesis is debatable. A thesis like “Euthanasia is wrong” is not debatable because there is no room for debate; everyone agrees that euthanasia is wrong. A thesis like “Euthanasia should be legalized” is debatable because people can disagree with it.
• A strong thesis is concise. A thesis statement should not be more than one or two sentences long, regardless of the overall length of your entire paper. If your thesis is too long, you might need to shorten it.
• A strong thesis is clear. A thesis statement should be easy for your readers to understand. It should not be vague or confusing.
• A strong thesis gives direction to the rest of your paper. Your thesis should tell your reader what your paper is about and give an overview of the main points you will be discussing in each body paragraph .
• A strong thesis is well-researched. A thesis should be based on evidence, not just opinion. You will need to do some research to find supporting evidence for your thesis.
• A strong thesis requires evidence. A thesis is not a statement of fact. It is an arguable claim or opinion. This means that you will need to support your thesis with specific evidence from your research.
• A strong thesis is not a list. A thesis should not be a list of the main points you will be discussing in your paper. A thesis should be a single, clear sentence that tells your reader what your paper is about.
• A strong thesis is not a question. A thesis is an assertion, a declarative statement, but not a question. It should be something that can be argued and supported.

How to write a good thesis statement

A thesis statement should be the product of your own critical thinking after doing some research, as it will be the main idea of your entire project.

Here are some steps you would need to take to write a thesis statement:

1) Start by writing down your topic. 

If you don’t have a topic yet, try to brainstorm a few ideas until you find one that you’re really excited about.

Your topic can be anything you’re interested in, but it helps if you pick something that will interest other people as well.

2) Narrow down the topic from the assignment (if it’s broad)

Often, your assignment will be pretty broad. For example: “Write about the American Revolution.”

You’ll need to narrow it down to something like: “What were the motivations behind the American Revolution?” or “How did the American Revolution affect British-American relations?”

3) Research the narrowed down topic

This is where you’ll start to form your thesis statement. After doing some research, you may find that the original idea you had about your topic has changed. That’s okay! Your thesis statement should be flexible and adapt as you learn more about your topic.

4) Focus on one specific aspect

Once you’ve done some research, you should have a better idea of what you want to focus on. For example, if you’re writing about “How did the American Revolution affect British-American relations?” you might want to focus only on the economic effects of the Revolution.

5) Make sure the topic you chose is worthwhile to write about

You don’t want to spend all your time writing a paper only to find out that your topic is too boring, too difficult to research, or written about too many times.

Such topics often lead to thesis statements that are either too vague or too simplistic. If your thesis is too vague, it isn’t easy to prove. If it’s too simplistic, it doesn’t give you enough to write about.

6) Narrow down that one specific aspect

Now, you can narrow down that one aspect you have chosen even more by brainstorming some specific thesis statements. For example: “The American Revolution had a positive effect on British-American relations because it led to increased trade between the two countries.”

7) Make sure your thesis statement is arguable

You want to make sure that your thesis statement is something that people could reasonably disagree with. If it’s not, then it’s not a strong thesis statement.

Argumentative thesis statements are more interesting than factual thesis statements. They’re also more likely to lead to interesting, well-researched papers.

Here are some argumentative thesis statement examples with supporting details (with three supporting points).

Note: Each supporting detail usually serves as the main idea for your body paragraph. It is presented with broader significance in the first sentence, also called a topic sentence .

Good: The Internet is good for humanity because it has created a more global society, simplified access to information, and changed how people interact.

Bad: The Internet is a good thing.

Good: The death penalty should be banned because it is a morally questionable form of punishment that does not deter crime, is biased against the poor, and has been shown to be ineffective.

Bad: Should the death penalty be banned?

Good: American industrialization brought about significant economic and social changes that have shaped the country to this day as it was marked by great advances in technology and production, the rise of large corporations and trusts, and the growth of labor unions.

Bad: The Industrial Revolution was good for America.

As you can see, a strong thesis statement should be clear, specific, and arguable. When writing it, make sure to use clear and concise language. Don’t be afraid to revise your thesis statement as you write your paper. Often, your thesis will change as you learn more about your topic.

Examples of thesis statements for a few popular topics:

For Macbeth:

Macbeth is a tragic hero because he is astatic, his downfall is brought about by his own actions, and he has a moment of realization before his death.

The government in George Orwell’s 1984 controls its citizens through a combination of surveillance, intimidation, and violence.

For Romeo and Juliet:

Romeo and Juliet are star-crossed lovers because they are from different families, their relationship is forbidden by society, and they are forced to commit suicide.

For The Great Gatsby:

The characters in The Great Gatsby are all pursuing some version of the American Dream, but they are all ultimately unsuccessful because the dream is impossible to achieve.

For An Inspector Calls:

The Inspector in An Inspector Calls symbolizes morality and justice, and he forces the characters to confront the consequences of their actions.

For Hills Like White Elephants:

The characters in “Hills Like White Elephants” are not able to communicate effectively with each other, which leads to their relationship falling apart.

For Living Like Weasels:

The weasel is a symbol of independence and self-sufficiency, and the narrator of “Living Like Weasels” learns from the weasel to live a more wild and free life.

Examples of thesis statements for some essay types:

Cause and effect essay :

The increase in gun violence in America is due to the easy availability of guns, the lack of gun control, and the idea that violence is the only way to solve problems.

Compare and contrast essay :

While both the Harry Potter and Percy Jackson series are about young boys who find out they are wizards and go on adventures to save the world, they are different in many ways, such as the tone of the books, the characters, and the plots.

Definition essay :

The word “love” is an elusive concept that has many different meanings to different people.

Descriptive essay :

The Eiffel Tower is one of the most recognizable structures in the world and is a symbol of French culture.

Reflection essay :

My experience volunteering at the animal shelter has taught me the importance of compassion, responsibility, and patience.

Narrative essay :

The day I got lost in the city was one of the most frightening and exciting experiences of my life.

Argumentative essay :

Junk food should be banned in schools because it is unhealthy, it increases the risk of obesity, and it sets a bad example for children.

Informative essay :

The Industrial Revolution was a time of great social and economic change that had a significant impact on the world.

Typically, a thesis statement is composed of two parts: the topic of your paper and the claim you’re making about that topic. For example, if you’re writing a paper on the American Revolution, your thesis statement might be, “The American Revolution was a watershed moment in American history because it led to the formation of a more democratic government.”

No, your thesis statement should be a declarative sentence that makes a clear and concise argument. Questions are often too vague and open-ended to be arguable thesis statements.

Some common mistakes include thesis statements that are too vague, too broad, or too simplistic. Other thesis statement mistakes include failing to make an argument, making an assertion that is not supportable, and making an argument that is not debatable.

You can revise a thesis statement by making sure it is clear, specific, and arguable. You can also revise it by ensuring that it is well-supported with evidence from your paper. Finally, you can revise your thesis statement by ensuring that it reflects the overall argument of your paper.

The benefits of writing a thesis statement are as follows:

• It helps you to focus on the main point of your paper.
• It helps you to organize your thoughts and structure your paper.
• It helps you to develop a clear and concise argument.
• It helps you to communicate your ideas to others.
• It can help you to receive feedback from others.
• It can help you to revise your paper.

If you are having trouble coming up with an idea, try brainstorming. Brainstorming is a process whereby you come up with ideas by free-associating. To brainstorm, simply start writing down any and all ideas that come to mind, no matter how far-fetched or random they may seem. Once you have a list of ideas, you can start to narrow down your focus and develop a thesis statement.

A thesis statement typically goes at the beginning of an essay, often at the end of the introductory paragraph. However, it can also be placed elsewhere in the paper, such as at the end of the paper, which is often the case for narrative essays. In narrative writing, the thesis statement can be placed in the middle of the action to reveal what the story is about. In these types of essays, it’s often best to place the thesis statement at the end, after the events have unfolded and the reader has a better understanding of what the essay is about.

No, thesis statements should not be in the form of a question. A thesis statement is a declarative sentence that assertively states your position on a particular issue or topic.

Yes, it is possible for a thesis statement to be two sentences. It depends on the complexity of the overall paper and the purpose of the thesis statement. However, it is generally advisable to keep thesis statements as concise as possible, so you may want to consider editing them down to a single sentence.

• Harvard College Writing Center – Developing A Thesis
• Indiana University Bloomington – How to Write a Thesis Statement
• University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill – Thesis Statements

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Research Writing Process (Book)

Find the following links to be useful in learning about the research writing process., writing a thesis statement, open thesis vs. closed thesis.

Open Thesis vs. Closed Thesis

Implicit Thesis vs. Explicit Thesis

The thesis is a declarative sentence. It is a clear, specific statement, which states the main point of a the paper, thereby limiting the topic and indicating the researcher’s approach to the topic. For this research paper we will be discussing the difference between the open (implicit) thesis approach, and the closed (explicit) thesis. Open (implicit) thesis: Let’s say you are writing a paper on the relationship between the United States criminal court system and the media. You have read on article related to this topic, but you have not yet begun your research. Still, it is possible for you to arrive at a very basic and general opinion without going into detail, secondary topics, or supporting reasons for your assertion. Broad Topic:  The United States criminal court system and the media. Example of an open (implicit) thesis statement: The media plays too influential a role in criminal court trials. To assist you in formulating your preliminary thesis, ask basic “W” questions that are related to your topic: who, what, when, where, and why? This will help you determine your particular interests and a possible starting point for your research. Based on the topic above, the following list demonstrates the different kinds of questions that can be generated. *Why is the media involved in court cases? *When did the media start reporting court cases? *What is the media’s role in criminal court cases? *What aspects of the media am I going to write about? *What kind of criminal case is it? *When did the case take place? *Where did the case take place? *Who were the people involved in the case? If you are writing a research paper and you have come up with a long list of random questions, select three or four questions that hold the most interest for you. These questions will narrow your focus and help you to plan your research strategy.

Closed (Explicit) Thesis: If you make an assertion and include the reason or reasons which support your assertion, and it is broad enough in scope, yet specific enough to be unified and to perform as a substantial generalization of your essay, you have written a closed thesis statement. The evidence can take many forms: facts, opinions, anecdotes, statistics, analogies, etc., but the essential relationship between the thesis and the major points of support is one of conclusion to reason:   This is believed to be true because… (reasons). Broad Topic:  The United States criminal court system and the media. Example of a closed (explicit) thesis: The media plays a very influential role in criminal court trials because of their access to the people, their bias, and because of the special privileges. Based on the topic that YOU have chosen, ask yourself basic “W” questions that are related to YOUR topic to help you plan your research strategy and form a thesis. (Written by Lisa Tolhurst for the Hunter College Reading/Writing Center, 1998) WHY – WHEN – WHAT – WHERE – WHO – HOW – KEEP GOING!.....

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25 Thesis Statement Examples That Will Make Writing a Breeze

Understanding what makes a good thesis statement is one of the major keys to writing a great research paper or argumentative essay. The thesis statement is where you make a claim that will guide you through your entire paper. If you find yourself struggling to make sense of your paper or your topic, then it's likely due to a weak thesis statement.

Let's take a minute to first understand what makes a solid thesis statement, and what key components you need to write one of your own.

A thesis statement always goes at the beginning of the paper. It will typically be in the first couple of paragraphs of the paper so that it can introduce the body paragraphs, which are the supporting evidence for your thesis statement.

Your thesis statement should clearly identify an argument. You need to have a statement that is not only easy to understand, but one that is debatable. What that means is that you can't just put any statement of fact and have it be your thesis. For example, everyone knows that puppies are cute . An ineffective thesis statement would be, "Puppies are adorable and everyone knows it." This isn't really something that's a debatable topic.

Something that would be more debatable would be, "A puppy's cuteness is derived from its floppy ears, small body, and playfulness." These are three things that can be debated on. Some people might think that the cutest thing about puppies is the fact that they follow you around or that they're really soft and fuzzy.

All cuteness aside, you want to make sure that your thesis statement is not only debatable, but that it also actually thoroughly answers the research question that was posed. You always want to make sure that your evidence is supporting a claim that you made (and not the other way around). This is why it's crucial to read and research about a topic first and come to a conclusion later. If you try to get your research to fit your thesis statement, then it may not work out as neatly as you think. As you learn more, you discover more (and the outcome may not be what you originally thought).

Additionally, your thesis statement shouldn't be too big or too grand. It'll be hard to cover everything in a thesis statement like, "The federal government should act now on climate change." The topic is just too large to actually say something new and meaningful. Instead, a more effective thesis statement might be, "Local governments can combat climate change by providing citizens with larger recycling bins and offering local classes about composting and conservation." This is easier to work with because it's a smaller idea, but you can also discuss the overall topic that you might be interested in, which is climate change.

So, now that we know what makes a good, solid thesis statement, you can start to write your own. If you find that you're getting stuck or you are the type of person who needs to look at examples before you start something, then check out our list of thesis statement examples below.

Thesis statement examples

A quick note that these thesis statements have not been fully researched. These are merely examples to show you what a thesis statement might look like and how you can implement your own ideas into one that you think of independently. As such, you should not use these thesis statements for your own research paper purposes. They are meant to be used as examples only.

• Vaccinations Because many children are unable to vaccinate due to illness, we must require that all healthy and able children be vaccinated in order to have herd immunity.
• Educational Resources for Low-Income Students Schools should provide educational resources for low-income students during the summers so that they don't forget what they've learned throughout the school year.
• School Uniforms School uniforms may be an upfront cost for families, but they eradicate the visual differences in income between students and provide a more egalitarian atmosphere at school.
• Populism The rise in populism on the 2016 political stage was in reaction to increasing globalization, the decline of manufacturing jobs, and the Syrian refugee crisis.
• Public Libraries Libraries are essential resources for communities and should be funded more heavily by local municipalities.
• Cyber Bullying With more and more teens using smartphones and social media, cyber bullying is on the rise. Cyber bullying puts a lot of stress on many teens, and can cause depression, anxiety, and even suicidal thoughts. Parents should limit the usage of smart phones, monitor their children's online activity, and report any cyber bullying to school officials in order to combat this problem.
• Medical Marijuana for Veterans Studies have shown that the use of medicinal marijuana has been helpful to veterans who suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Medicinal marijuana prescriptions should be legal in all states and provided to these veterans. Additional medical or therapy services should also be researched and implemented in order to help them re-integrate back into civilian life.
• Work-Life Balance Corporations should provide more work from home opportunities and six-hour workdays so that office workers have a better work-life balance and are more likely to be productive when they are in the office.
• Teaching Youths about Consensual Sex Although sex education that includes a discussion of consensual sex would likely lead to less sexual assault, parents need to teach their children the meaning of consent from a young age with age appropriate lessons.
• Whether or Not to Attend University A degree from a university provides invaluable lessons on life and a future career, but not every high school student should be encouraged to attend a university directly after graduation. Some students may benefit from a trade school or a "gap year" where they can think more intensely about what it is they want to do for a career and how they can accomplish this.
• Studying Abroad Studying abroad is one of the most culturally valuable experiences you can have in college. It is the only way to get completely immersed in another language and learn how other cultures and countries are different from your own.
• Women's Body Image Magazines have done a lot in the last five years to include a more diverse group of models, but there is still a long way to go to promote a healthy woman's body image collectively as a culture.
• Cigarette Tax Heavily taxing and increasing the price of cigarettes is essentially a tax on the poorest Americans, and it doesn't deter them from purchasing. Instead, the state and federal governments should target those economically disenfranchised with early education about the dangers of smoking.
• Veganism A vegan diet, while a healthy and ethical way to consume food, indicates a position of privilege. It also limits you to other cultural food experiences if you travel around the world.
• University Athletes Should be Compensated University athletes should be compensated for their service to the university, as it is difficult for these students to procure and hold a job with busy academic and athletic schedules. Many student athletes on scholarship also come from low-income neighborhoods and it is a struggle to make ends meet when they are participating in athletics.
• Women in the Workforce Sheryl Sandberg makes a lot of interesting points in her best-selling book, Lean In , but she only addressed the very privileged working woman and failed to speak to those in lower-skilled, lower-wage jobs.
• Assisted Suicide Assisted suicide should be legal and doctors should have the ability to make sure their patients have the end-of-life care that they want to receive.
• Celebrity and Political Activism Although Taylor Swift's lyrics are indicative of a feminist perspective, she should be more politically active and vocal to use her position of power for the betterment of society.
• The Civil War The insistence from many Southerners that the South seceded from the Union for states' rights versus the fact that they seceded for the purposes of continuing slavery is a harmful myth that still affects race relations today.
• Blue Collar Workers Coal miners and other blue-collar workers whose jobs are slowly disappearing from the workforce should be re-trained in jobs in the technology sector or in renewable energy. A program to re-train these workers would not only improve local economies where jobs have been displaced, but would also lead to lower unemployment nationally.
• Diversity in the Workforce Having a diverse group of people in an office setting leads to richer ideas, more cooperation, and more empathy between people with different skin colors or backgrounds.
• Re-Imagining the Nuclear Family The nuclear family was traditionally defined as one mother, one father, and 2.5 children. This outdated depiction of family life doesn't quite fit with modern society. The definition of normal family life shouldn't be limited to two-parent households.
• Digital Literacy Skills With more information readily available than ever before, it's crucial that students are prepared to examine the material they're reading and determine whether or not it's a good source or if it has misleading information. Teaching students digital literacy and helping them to understand the difference between opinion or propaganda from legitimate, real information is integral.
• Beauty Pageants Beauty pageants are presented with the angle that they empower women. However, putting women in a swimsuit on a stage while simultaneously judging them on how well they answer an impossible question in a short period of time is cruel and purely for the amusement of men. Therefore, we should stop televising beauty pageants.
• Supporting More Women to Run for a Political Position In order to get more women into political positions, more women must run for office. There must be a grassroots effort to educate women on how to run for office, who among them should run, and support for a future candidate for getting started on a political career.

Still stuck? Need some help with your thesis statement?

If you are still uncertain about how to write a thesis statement or what a good thesis statement is, be sure to consult with your teacher or professor to make sure you're on the right track. It's always a good idea to check in and make sure that your thesis statement is making a solid argument and that it can be supported by your research.

After you're done writing, it's important to have someone take a second look at your paper so that you can ensure there are no mistakes or errors. It's difficult to spot your own mistakes, which is why it's always recommended to have someone help you with the revision process, whether that's a teacher, the writing center at school, or a professional editor such as one from ServiceScape .

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Implicit vs. Explicit: What’s the Difference?

Home » Implicit vs. Explicit: What’s the Difference?

There are many words in English that despite having very similar sounds have completely different meanings. This can lead to confusion and usage problems for native and non-native speakers alike, and the words implicit vs. explicit are no exception to this.

These two words have almost opposite meanings but are regularly confused because of their similar sound. Since they do have such different meanings, you want to be sure you’re using the right one. In this post, I want to go over the definitions of these words, explain their differences, and have you take a quiz on their meanings.

After reading this post, you won’t ever again ask yourself the question, “Is it explicit or implicit?”

When to Use Implicit

• There is a morality implicit in his writings.
• She implicitly said she likes white shoes by saying she likes all colors but tan.

In the first example, the writer may not have clearly or directly laid out a moral vision, but it is understood through the characters, their actions, and their experiences.

In the second example, the woman states that she likes all shoe colors but tan. While she doesn’t directly say she likes white shoes, she implicitly does because white is not tan.

When to Use Explicit

The definition of explicit is, “to fully and clearly express something, leaving nothing implied.” Something is explicit when it is cleared stated and spelled out and there is no room for confusion, as in the writing of a contract or statute. For example,

• The law was explicit in whose tax rates were to be raised.
• He said explicitly, you will not attend that concert.

In both of these examples, the word explicit is used to demonstrate something that has been clearly and unambiguously expressed or stated. There is no room for doubt because everything is clearly and directly communicated.

This is what separates these two words. Something is implicit when it is implied but not directly stated. Something is explicit when it is directly stated and leaves no room for uncertainty.

Quiz and Sentence Examples

• The speaker’s intentions were not made ______.
• The students found an ______ political statement in their teacher’s remarks.
• Let me be ______, I do not support this.
• We have not finalized the decision, but have an ______ agreement.

Display the answers below .

Tricks to Remember

Here is a handy trick to remember the difference between these words. Remember this and you won’t ever fall short when thinking, “Is it implicit or explicit?”

A good way to keep explicit vs implicit apart is to remember that I mplicit is an I mplied or I ndirect statement. Both of these start with the letter “I.”

E xplicit starts with an “E” and is Sp e ll e d Out, so there is no confusion.

Implicit and explicit have near opposite meanings, so it’s important to remember their difference.

Implicit is indirectly stated or implied.

Explicit is directly stated and spelled out. If you have any other questions about commonly misused English words, feel free to check out our other posts on affect/effect , principal/principle , and countless others.

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Video: Explicit Versus Implicit Thesis Statements

The following video defines the key terms explicit and implicit, as they relate to thesis statements and other ideas present in what you read.  It also introduces the excellent idea of the reading voice and the thinking voice that strong readers use as they work through a text.

To help keep you on your toes, the author of this video challenges you to find her spelling mistake in one of her cards along the way!

According to author Pavel Zemliansky,

Arguments then, can be explicit and implicit, or implied. Explicit arguments contain noticeable and definable thesis statements and lots of specific proofs. Implicit arguments, on the other hand, work by weaving together facts and narratives, logic and emotion, personal experiences and statistics. Unlike explicit arguments, implicit ones do not have a one-sentence thesis statement. Instead, authors of implicit arguments use evidence of many different kinds in effective and creative ways to build and convey their point of view to their audience. Research is essential for creative effective arguments of both kinds.

Even if what you’re reading is an informative text, rather than an argumentative one, it might still rely on an implicit thesis statement.  It might ask you to piece together the overall purpose of the text based on a series of content along the way.

• Video: Explicit Versus Implicit Thesis Statements. Provided by : Lumen Learning. License : CC BY: Attribution
• Research Writing and Argument. Authored by : Pavel Zemliansky. Provided by : https://learn.saylor.org/mod/page/view.php?id=7163. Project : Methods of Discovery: A Guide to Research Writing. License : CC BY: Attribution
• explicit v implicit. Authored by : Michele Armentrout. Located at : https://youtu.be/eHjRogrFZ28 . License : All Rights Reserved . License Terms : Standard YouTube License

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• Knowledge Base
• Research bias
• What Is Implicit Bias? | Definition & Examples

What Is Implicit Bias? | Definition & Examples

Published on January 27, 2023 by Kassiani Nikolopoulou . Revised on December 18, 2023.

Implicit bias is a collection of associations and reactions that emerge automatically upon encountering an individual or group. We associate negative or positive stereotypes with certain groups and let these influence how we treat them rather than remaining neutral.

This can lead to discriminatory behaviour in a wide range of contexts such as healthcare, the workplace, and education.

Table of contents

What is implicit bias, what causes implicit bias, implicit vs. explicit bias, implicit bias examples, what is the harvard implicit bias association test (iat), how to reduce implicit bias, other types of research bias, frequently asked questions about implicit bias.

Implicit bias is an unconscious preference for (or aversion to) a particular person or group. Although these feelings can be either positive or negative, they cause us to be unfair towards others. Affinity bias or the tendency to favor people who are similar to us, is an example of this unfair behaviour. However, any aspect of an individual’s identity, such as age, gender, or socioeconomic background, can be the target of implicit bias.

Under implicit bias, we are unaware that our biases (rather than objective facts) affect our decisions and judgments. For example, when most people hear the word “kindergarten teacher,” they are more likely to picture a female. This can happen without intention or awareness and may even contradict openly held beliefs. Because implicit bias is unconscious, it is difficult to acknowledge and control.

Implicit bias occurs due to unconscious mental processes. There are several factors at play in the development of implicit biases:

• Our brains create categories . We have the natural tendency to assign everything we see into a category. Even though this happens unconsciously, after categorising things or people, we also assign a positive or negative association to them. Categories allow our brains to know what to do or how to behave. The downside of this is that classifications often cause us to overgeneralise.
• We rely on mental shortcuts. Most of the time, we rely on “automatic” information processing that involves little conscious thought. This allows us to exert little mental effort in our everyday lives and make swift judgments.
• Social and cultural influences. Our upbringing, social environment, and direct and indirect experiences with members of various social groups imprint on us. These shape our perception at a deeper level, even if we are not conscious of it.

Both implicit and explicit bias involve judging others based on our assumptions rather than the situation or the facts at hand. However, they are actually quite different.

• Implicit bias occurs when we have an inclination for or against a person or group that emerges automatically. In other words, our evaluation, positive or negative, is unintentional and beyond our conscious awareness.
• Conversely, explicit bias refers to positive or negative attitudes that we are fully aware of. We openly express them and share them with others, because these attitudes are part of our worldview.

Despite their differences, implicit bias can be just as problematic as explicit bias because both may lead to discriminatory behaviour.

Implicit bias can lead to discriminatory behaviour when it comes to hiring a diverse workforce.

In a field experiment measuring racial discrimination in the labor market, researchers responded to job ads in Boston and Chicago using fictitious resumes. To manipulate perception of race, each resume was assigned either an African-American-sounding name or a white-sounding name. The results showed significant discrimination against African-American names: applicants with white-sounding names received 50 percent more callbacks for interviews.

The amount of discrimination was uniform across occupations and industries. Additionally, federal contractors and employers who mentioned “Equal Opportunity Employer” in their ad discriminated as much as other employers.

The researchers concluded that there was little evidence that employers were trying to infer something other than race, such as social class, from the name.

The Harvard Implicit Bias Association Test (IAT) is a computer-based assessment measuring the strength of associations between concepts or stereotypes to reveal an individual’s implicit or subconscious biases.

The idea behind IAT is that, while we can measure explicit bias by asking respondents directly about their views regarding something like gender roles, the same does not apply for implicit biases. When we want to measure hidden or implicit attitudes, we need to do so indirectly. Otherwise, respondents will not answer truthfully due to social desirability or a lack of awareness of their own biases.

There are different versions of the IAT, but it typically consists of five rounds. In each round, respondents need to quickly sort words (e.g., “parents”) into categories that are on the left- and right-hand side of the screen (e.g., “career” and “family”). The key assumption underlying any IAT is that the stronger the association a respondent has between two concepts, the faster they are to make these associations.

Understanding implicit bias is critical because both positive and negative unconscious beliefs can lead to structural and systemic inequalities. However, because it operates outside our awareness, if we want to reduce it, we first need to become conscious of it. The following strategies can be helpful:

• Taking the IAT can help you realise that everyone, including you, has implicit biases. Recognising them for what they are increases the likelihood that next time you won’t let these hidden biases affect your behaviour.
• Positive intergroup contact. Unconscious bias towards a particular group can be reduced through interaction with members of that group. For example, you can make it a point to engage in activities that include individuals from diverse backgrounds.
• Counter-stereotyping. Exposure to information that defies stereotypes that persist about groups or individuals, such as images of female scientists, can counter gender stereotypes.
• Implicit bias training. Although raising awareness is important, it’s not enough. The most successful training programs are ones that allow individuals to discover their biases in a non-confrontational manner and also give them the tools to reduce and manage their biases.

Cognitive bias

• Confirmation bias
• Baader–Meinhof phenomenon
• Availability heuristic
• Halo effect
• Framing effect
• Optimism bias
• Negativity bias
• Affect heuristic
• Representativeness heuristic
• Anchoring heuristic
• Primacy bias

Selection bias

• Sampling bias
• Ascertainment bias
• Attrition bias
• Self-selection bias
• Survivorship bias
• Nonresponse bias
• Undercoverage bias
• Hawthorne effect
• Observer bias
• Omitted variable bias
• Publication bias
• Pygmalion effect
• Recall bias
• Social desirability bias
• Placebo effect
• Actor-observer bias
• Ceiling effect
• Ecological fallacy
• Affinity bias

Bias can be either positive or negative. However, all forms of bias (whether favorable or unfavorable) prevent us from judging others fairly.

For example, because of explicit bias , a teacher might openly claim that students from a certain ethnic background are exceptionally good in math. Even though this sounds positive, it means that other students are automatically treated as second-rate. For this reason, bias is linked to unfairness and thus has a negative connotation.

There are two main types of bias:

Implicit bias is the positive or negative attitudes, feelings, and stereotypes we maintain about members of a certain group without us being consciously aware of them.

Explicit bias is the positive or negative attitudes, feelings, and stereotypes we maintain about others while being consciously aware of them.

Bias is a systematic error in the design, administration, or analysis of a study. Because of bias, study results deviate from their true value and researchers draw erroneous conclusions.

There are several types of bias and different research designs or fields are susceptible to different types of research bias. For example, in health research, bias arises from two main sources:

• The approach adopted for selecting study participants
• The approach adopted for collecting or measuring data

These are, respectively, selection bias and information bias .

The opposite of implicit bias is explicit bias , or conscious bias. This refers to preferences, opinions, and attitudes of which people are generally consciously aware. In other words, explicit bias is expressed openly and deliberately.

Sources in this article

We strongly encourage students to use sources in their work. You can cite our article (APA Style) or take a deep dive into the articles below.

Nikolopoulou, K. (2023, December 18). What Is Implicit Bias? | Definition & Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved August 5, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/research-bias/implicit-bias/

Bertrand, M., & Mullainathan, S. (2004). Are Emily and Greg More Employable Than Lakisha and Jamal? A Field Experiment on Labor Market Discrimination. American Economic Review , 94 (4), 991–1013. https://doi.org/10.1257/0002828042002561

Daumeyer, N. M., Onyeador, I. N., Brown, X., & Richeson, J. A. (2019). Consequences of attributing discrimination to implicit vs. explicit bias. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology , 84 , 103812. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2019.04.010

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