This bias can occur in various forms of research, such as surveys, experiments, and observational studies.
[1] Some scholars believe that common source bias is a significant concern for any study as it can lead to unreliable results, and therefore must be controlled.
[2][3][4][5] It is most prevalent in the field of public administration research, where performance measures subject to common source bias can produce false positives when organisational performance is evaluated with explanatory and perceptual measures from the same source.
[7] For example, if a survey is conducted by a single individual, their own beliefs, biases, and perspectives can influence the responses of the participants.
A recently proposed ex ante remedy for common source bias is the supplementation of survey data with administrative and/or archival data, however the majority of relevant studies seem to present the view that of the proposed statistical remedies for the bias, none appear to reliably counter the issue.