BIAS

A bias is a prejudice favoring a particular point of view, perspective, ideology, or person. A biased person does not have neutral views nor can they serve as a neutral and impartial judge. When errors are random they tend to cancel each other; however when a systematic bias exists, the errors no longer cancel out and the assessment of the system overall becomes biased. Bias in critics or judges can result from unacknowledged favoritism. Ethical behavior requires disclosure of biases on the part of judges if the biases are known by the judges.