Blind analysis in nuclear and particle physics

During the past decade, blind analysis has become a widely used tool in nuclear and particle physics measurements. A blind analysis avoids the possibility of experimenters biasing their result toward their own preconceptions by preventing them from knowing the answer until the analysis is complete. There is at least circumstantial evidence that such a bias has affected past measurements, and as experiments have become costlier and more difficult and hence harder to reproduce, the possibility of bias has become a more important issue than in the past. We describe here the motivations for performing a blind analysis, and give several modern examples of successful blind analysis strategies.