What does Objectivity Mean? Definition and Example

Personal opinions, hopes and preferences of researchers have no place in empirical investigation. Scientific findings should always aim to be as objective, unbiased and impartial as possible. Objectivity is an important prerequisite for the examined facts to accurately and comprehensibly reflect our social reality.

General Definition of Objectivity

Objectivity (= intersubjective comparability) means that knowledge gained must be verifiable and comprehensible independent of researchers' subjective attitudes.

High objectivity can be spoken of when different researchers under the same conditions and independently of each other arrive at the same results.

Example of Objectivity:

High objectivity exists when a political scientist from Hamburg and a social researcher from New York conducting a study on the influence of fake news on the 2021 US election campaign arrive at the same interpretation of results with the same data.

 

 

Scientific Verification of Validity

Complete objectivity is considered unattainable, but it should be pursued in these most important areas of investigation:

1. Procedural Objectivity
2. Evaluation Objectivity
3. Interpretation Objectivity

 

Procedural Objectivity

Different researchers should obtain the same responses from the same test subjects.

 

Evaluation Objectivity

Different researchers should reach the same evaluation from the same answers of test subjects.

 

Interpretation Objectivity

Different researchers should arrive at the same or similar interpretation from the same test results.

 

A high degree of objectivity in empirical research can also be achieved through standardization, for example by researchers working with closed-ended survey questions and having their data analyzed using software like SPSS.