Protect researchers from online abuse, universities told

Universities should publish clear guidelines about how they will support researchers who face online abuse, according to a report that reveals how often academics face social media vitriol for publicising their work.

According to the study by Economist Impact for Elsevier, which polled 3,144 researchers globally, almost one-third of respondents (32 per cent) report that they or a close colleague have experienced online abuse – with the proportion rising to 42 per cent in North America and 34 per cent in Europe.

Nearly a quarter of researchers (24 per cent) say the increased risk of bullying or harassment online is one of the main challenges to bringing more public attention to science.

“A hostile online environment will only make it more difficult for researchers to embrace a more public-facing role,” notes the report, Confidence in Research, which explores how the attitudes of scientists, scholars and researchers have changed because of the pandemic.

“While a safe online environment cannot be guaranteed, some researchers we engaged with felt unsupported by institutions in the face of online abuse.”

The report, published on 8 November, also draws on round-table events held in the US, the UK, China, Germany, Japan and the Netherlands. It recommends that “universities should draft clear codes of conduct on how to manage online abuse, and make clear how they intend to protect and support researchers”.

“Researchers who took part in the US roundtable even called for rewards for dealing with the abuse, rather than punishments, citing instances where they were professionally punished for standing their ground,” it adds.

That institutional support was crucial because researchers now felt a “greater sense of responsibility to counter misinformation from both the general public, media and policymakers, and at times the research community itself”, says the report.

Many researchers say they are more averse to public engagement since the pandemic, with 36 per cent of US researchers saying they are now less inclined than they were before the pandemic to share their opinions on social, economic or environmental issues via social media, compared with the global average of 23 per cent.

jack.grove@timeshighereducation.com