The BIAS FREE framework. A practical tool for identifying and eliminating social biases in health research

Posted 13/06/23
Institution: Global Forum for Health Research

This book presents the BIAS FREE Framework — a tool for identifying and avoiding biases in health research that derive from any social hierarchy. BIAS FREE stands for Building an Integrative Analytical System for Recognizing and Eliminating InEquities. The acronym is the statement of a goal, not an achievement.

The BIAS FREE Framework suggests a pathway towards this destination. In this book we concentrate on biases deriving from three social hierarchies only: those based on gender, race and ability, and on the application of the Framework to health research, although in principle it is applicable to all types of research that involve human beings.

Topic covered:

Addresses social biases including sex and gender

Citation:

Burke MA, Eichler M. The BIAS FREE Framework. A practical tool for identifying and elininating social biases in health research. Geneva: Global Forum for Health Research, 2006.

Languages: English
Target audience: Researchers
HRP-Logo

Integration of sex and gender considerations into health research is critical to achieving gender equality and health equity. This resource hub is a curated repository of resources to strengthen researchers’ capacity to consider sex, gender, and their intersections with other axes of inequality and discrimination throughout the research cascade, from conception to design, data collection, analysis, interpretation and reporting.

 

The two WHO-hosted special programmes for research – the UNDP/UNFPA/UNICEF/WHO/World Bank Special Programme of Research, Development and Research Training in Human Reproduction (HRP) and the UNICEF/UNDP/World Bank/WHO Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (TDR) – have identified an initial set of existing relevant, accessible and comprehensive resources that are immediately available to all researchers. In the longer term, the aim is to continue to expand the inventory by crowdsourcing relevant tools through this portal.

 

This inventory includes toolkits, guides, research articles, training and audio-visual materials that are readily available in English, French, Portuguese and Spanish.

The resources are categorized by type of resource, intended audience, topics covered and creators/developers.

Have something to share?

This resource aims to meet the needs of researcher in all contexts, working in all health topics and using different research methods. If you have a resource that supports consideration of sex and gender variables and considerations in health research and which is not yet included in this repository, you are invited to share it with us by completing the form below. A team from HRP and TDR will assess your submission for inclusion, depending upon it meeting the criteria of the portal and inform you accordingly. Please respond to the following the following questions before submission:

  • Does your resource address sex and/or gender variables and considerations in health research?
  • Is the resource readily available to researchers globally (i.e., published in open access journal, or free for download from a website or other source)?
  • In which language is your resource available? (Tick all those that apply)
  • Does your resource fall under one or more of the categories listed below?

File upload

HRP-Logo

Contact us

if you have any queries, please write an email to sghr.resourcehub@who.int with your question and specifying in the subject of your email sex and gender in health research resource hub.

Or fill in the following form: