resources > Toolkit > Setting UP
Preparing for Attacks
Knowledge production and provision is critical for a healthy, prosperous society. Yet researchers across disciplines are facing unprecedented levels of intimidation and harassment from actors outside of their institutions who aim to discredit, delay, or end their work altogether.
Whatever the source or tactic, this abuse represents an occupational hazard. It is the work itself that places researchers at risk. And it has severe consequences for researchers, for their institutions, and for society as a whole.
The following step-by-step guide will help your university prepare for incidents of abuse against researchers and scholars.
Procedure
1.
Review and adopt an official policy regarding external intimidation and harassment.
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When developing this policy and other materials, be sure to use trauma-informed language. Acknowledge that these forms of harassment are real and significant problems. They can impact morale, lead to burnout, produce self-censorship and silence, generate fear and trauma, among many other common consequences. This is as true of online abuse as it is of other types of harassment. In most cases, ignoring the problem—including “ignoring the trolls” or simply “staying off the internet”— is neither feasible for researchers nor effective in ending the harassment and its impacts. See our sample policy to get started.
2.
Create a reporting form for researchers and scholars to report instances of external intimidation and harassment.
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Note that just as with reporting other forms of abuse and harassment, recounting instances of external harassment can be difficult—even traumatizing—especially when the researcher is in the midst of a crisis. While researchers should be encouraged to provide as much information as is comfortable for them, especially as it supports institutional planning and response, researchers should never face undue pressure to complete reporting forms. We’ve created a sample reporting form. Alternative methods of reporting, including working with a member of the institution’s Researcher Support Team (see #3 below) to gather information, should be made available.
3.
Proactively create a Researcher Support Team that can activate immediately when external intimidation and harassment occurs.
Include members of the following departments, as applicable:
- Administration
A member of the dean’s office in each school or college should be designated as part of the university’s Researcher Support Team. Designations at this level signal that the university takes the matter seriously, and designees within the dean’s office can help facilitate information and communication flows across units and to university leadership.
- Academic Affairs
At least one member of the Researcher Support Team should be designated to assist when professional responsibilities and development considerations arise. In some instances, researchers may need to take a step back from certain professional responsibilities, with possible implications for career advancement. Having someone who is familiar with university policies and can assist the researcher in planning (or communicating with those in other colleges or schools who will assist with planning) is essential.
- Academic and Staff Assistance Programs
Including someone from the university’s academic and/or staff assistance programs on the Support Team can help to ensure access to consultation and referral services for the mental health and well-being of those experiencing external intimidation and harassment.
- Office of Faculty Development and Diversity (or similar)
Researchers from historically underrepresented and marginalized backgrounds are much more likely to face external intimidation and harassment—especially the most severe forms of abuse. A representative from the university’s Office of Development and Diversity or equivalent administrative unit should be available to help navigate concerns that are specific to, or specifically acute for, researchers with such identities.
- Campus and Student Life
The impacted individual may be a PhD student or a research assistant, so it is important to include advocates from a student affairs department. In addition, intimidation and harassment of faculty can be upsetting to students. Ensure that students have advocacy and support where appropriate.
- Human Resources
Human Resources can provide support and resources to the person facing abuse while also offering support to other affected faculty and staff.
- Public Relations or Strategic Communications
Offices specializing in communication can help with public messaging, media inquiries, and social media.
- Information Technology
IT can help with matters concerning changes to university email, phone systems, and websites. These changes might include the use of filters, proxies, and monitors. IT may be helpful with digital security by collecting and reporting abuse to different platforms. IT may also offer to collect and retain abusive emails sent to the scholar’s university account as evidence for future efforts or potential legal action. In this case, the scholar/researcher may be instructed to forward these emails to a specific person within the IT department.
- Security Division
Security can help assess danger and the possibility of potential criminal investigations and serve as a liaison between the harassed individual and the police.
- Legal Counsel
While university counsel does not typically provide legal advice to individual university employees, the university’s counsel can collaborate on any communications that need to be issued and/or potential legal actions.
- Public Records
The Public Records office can help the department and the individual scholar or researcher determine what records should be retained and what information could potentially be made public in the case of an open records request.
For more information about how to identify and organize a Researcher Support Team, please see the worksheets included in this toolkit.
4.
Once your Researcher Support Team has been established, follow these steps:
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- Make sure that the Support Team has reviewed your institution’s policy and procedures addressing occupational abuse.
- Schedule regular (quarterly or biannual) workshops, meetings, and/or webinars to keep your support team up-to-date on current incidents of abuse, the landscape of harassment and intimidation, tactics of abuse, and specific ways that each department can assist in protecting researchers and their work. These meetings can also facilitate conversations about planning for upcoming challenges.
- Make sure you and your Researcher Support Team are familiar with the landscape of coordinated campaigns of intimidation and harassment on researchers. Often, the group behind the attack is small but skilled at using technology to amplify their messages. Mislabelling these attacks as spontaneous expressions of outrage gives them more credibility than they deserve and can also fuel the university’s fear of bad publicity.
- Educate departments and faculty about the role of the Researcher Support Team. Have Team contact information as well as the intimidation and harassment policy in an easy-to-access location.
5.
Encourage your Communications department to proactively develop a communications response strategy so that there is no delay or question about how to respond to incidents of abuse.
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Extended silence or a hurried response can escalate the abuse and leave the targeted individual feeling unsupported. Responses should be intentional and strategic. See our guide to developing a communications strategy in this toolkit.
6.
Encourage your Information Technology department to establish a security team that can recommend software and hardware precautions to faculty members engaging in sensitive research and fieldwork situations.
7.
Encourage your faculty to present sensitive results in a collective voice (such as a research group, lab, or department) rather than as an individual. This will help protect marginalized or minority individuals in particular.
8.
If you plan to release news regarding sensitive research, always inform the authors of the article in advance and give them the choice to be tagged or not, and on which social media platforms.
9.
Create recommendations for faculty regarding email usage and records retention in preparation for potential open records requests, letters of inquiry, and subpoenas. Collaborate with your institution’s General Counsel and Records Office regarding state and federal laws as you develop these recommendations.
10.
Share information about intimidation and harassment with the researchers and faculty members in your department and proactively develop educational materials, resources, and procedures to share with them.
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Educate your researchers on current trends and examples of online attacks; give them resources to mitigate the risk of abuse before it happens; explain how your institution is prepared to respond to potential abuse; share your suggestions for email usage and records retention; and let them know that your institution will be behind them every step of the way.
11.
While any faculty member or scholar could be a potential target, those who teach about or research sensitive or topics perceived to be political are especially vulnerable. Department chairs should help faculty anticipate risks, vocalize their support, and distribute responsibility for teaching sensitive or political classes across the department.
12.
If certain groups of people are more regularly experiencing abuse, meet with them to discuss their activities and read their work. This type of engagement demonstrates that you value their contributions and also helps you to support them better.
13.
Make sure the Faculty Senate and Union Contact have endorsed the AAUP’s 1940 Statement on Academic Freedom and that the endorsement is properly updated.
14.
Include code of conduct policies for students and employees that cover copyright protections against digital dissemination of classroom materials, and recommend to faculty that they include language on every page of their course materials that the materials are protected by copyright (© [Faculty Name] [year created]).
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The University of Massachusetts Amherst recommends providing the following language to faculty for dissemination verbally, on their course website, and in their syllabus:
“My lectures and course materials, including PowerPoint presentations, videos, assignments, tests, outlines and similar materials, and all course recordings, are protected by U.S. copyright laws and by university policy. I am the exclusive owner of the copyright in materials I create.
You may take notes and make copies of course materials for your own use in this class. You may also share those materials with another student who is registered and enrolled in this course.
You may NOT reproduce, distribute, upload, or display any lecture notes or recordings or course materials in any other way – whether or not a fee is charged – without my express written consent. If you do so, you may be subject to disciplinary action under [UNIVERSITY] Conduct.
Similarly, you own the copyright to your original papers and exam essays. If I am interested in posting your answers or papers on the course website, I will ask for your written permission.”
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