Beyond bias: building a more inclusive and rigorous research culture in animal behaviour

Wascher, CAF, Koyama, N ORCID: 0000-0002-3912-1550 and Nityananda, V (2026) Beyond bias: building a more inclusive and rigorous research culture in animal behaviour. Animal Behaviour, 239. pp. 1-4. ISSN 0003-3472

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Abstract

Research in animal behaviour, like all scientific disciplines , is subject to systematic biases, defined as consistent, nonrandom influences that shape the generation, analysis, interpretation and dissemination of scientific knowledge (e.g. medicine: Kadar, 2010; McGauran et al., 2010; Van Aert et al., 2019; psychology: Carter et al., 2019; Francis, 2012; Henrich, 2020; Nielsen et al., 2017; ecology: Baker et al., 2019; Konno et al., 2020; Lortie et al., 2007; Nakagawa et al., 2022). Biases can operate at multiple stages of the research process and often remain implicit, embedded in standard practices, theoretical traditions and practical constraints. When systematic biases are ignored or go unrecognized, they can threaten the robustness, reproducibility and generalizability of scientific findings. In Table 1 we outline different biases in the field of animal behaviour and potential solutions to address them. Importantly, these biases are not sporadic deviations but persistent features of scientific inquiry, progressively shaping research trajectories, standards of evidence and the resulting knowledge systems.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	30 Agricultural, Veterinary and Food Sciences; 31 Biological Sciences; 52 Psychology; 06 Biological Sciences; 07 Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences; 17 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences; Behavioral Science & Comparative Psychology; 30 Agricultural, veterinary and food sciences; 31 Biological sciences; 52 Psychology
Subjects:	B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology Q Science > QL Zoology
Divisions:	Biological and Environmental Sciences (from Sep 19)
Publisher:	Elsevier BV
Date of acceptance:	12 July 2026
Date of first compliant Open Access:	2 October 2026
Date Deposited:	01 Oct 2026 15:12
Last Modified:	02 Oct 2026 00:50
DOI or ID number:	10.1016/j.anbehav.2026.123671
URI:	https://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/id/eprint/29574

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