While all scholarship is – and should be – subject to critique, questioning and challenging a research project is different than maligning and threatening an individual researcher. What’s more, some fields of research and some researchers (e.g., those from backgrounds marginalized in academia) face disproportionately more and more severe scholarship harassment.
If you or a York colleague is experiencing scholarship harassment:
- Contact the relevant Chair/Director or Associate Dean Research within the faculty as well as the Associate Vice-President Research at avpr@yorku.ca
- If the scholarly credibility of a research project is being challenged, reach out to the Office of Research Ethics at ore@yorku.ca
- If harassment raises human rights concerns, consult with the Centre for Human Rights, Equity and Inclusion CHREI at rights@yorku.ca
To explore the issue and find support beyond York:
- Avenues of Support for Researchers Facing Coordinated Campaigns of Intimidation and Harassment (Research Support Consortium)
- Advice for Science Researchers Experiencing Harassment (Science Media Centre)
- Best Practices for Conducting Risky Research & Protecting Yourself from Online Harassment (Marwick, Blackwell, & Lo, 2016)
- “I’m a Professor, which isn’t usually a dangerous job”: Internet-facilitated Harassment and its Impact on Researchers (Doerfler, Forte, De Cristofaro, Stringhini, Blackburn, & McCoy, 2021)
For tips on engaging with public audiences & popular media:
- Knowledge Mobilization Resources (Innovation York)
- Guides for Scientists in Working with Popular Media (Science Media Centre)
- Checklist for Communicating Science and Health Research to the Public (National Institutes of Health; NIH)
- Engaging with the press: Vet journalist requests and get interview-ready (Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health)
- Op-Ed Writing: Tips and Tricks — The OpEd Project (The OpEd Project)
- Contact York’s Media Relations team for media-related support and guidance