• Engage with a community of people working in your space and keep each other informed of what is happening in the landscape. 
• Consider whether your research project could qualify for a Certificate of Confidentiality (CoC). CoCs protect the privacy of research participants by preventing the disclosure of identifiable and sensitive research information to anyone not directly involved in the research unless the participant provides consent or in other specific circumstances. Inquire with program officers at federal agencies about whether a CoC will be automatically granted, and, where it is not, consider applying to NIH for a CoC before the research begins.
• Find strength in numbers. Keep a mental list of people or organizations that would be willing to put out a statement of support if needed. If it makes you feel more prepared, connect with them during calmer times and ask them to prepare statements.
• Protect yourself online with cybersecurity best practices. If you are active on social media, be sure to have the most up-to-date security engaged on each platform and manage your online footprint. PEN America offers many guidelines to get you started.
• Educate those on your team about the safest ways to communicate with each other about the work you are doing and offer guidance on how to label and store files.
• Talk with your team about possible attacks, and strategize ways to address these proactively.
• Consider making an FAQ page on your professional website. Talk positively about your work while debunking some of the potential arguments that might be made about it. For example, instead of explaining what your research is not about, highlight what it is about. Remember that some people may be coming to your page with little or no knowledge of the controversy, so make sure to use language that doesn’t appear defensive.
• Remove your personal information from websites, search engines, and data broker sites, or use a service such as DeleteMe which can scrub the web for you.
• If you are immersing yourself in an online community that you are studying, take steps to limit your footprint. Be covert, refrain from participating, and consider using a VPN, firewalls, and/or ad blockers to protect yourself from malicious code. Consider consulting with an IT security specialist that can recommend software and hardware safeguards.
• Consider removing your personal contact information and office location from any public-facing websites or CVs. 
• If you must list a physical address on any public-facing websites or CVs, use your institution’s main address. You may also wish to remove your office address from websites, directories, or published materials. Consider whether you should remove physical identifying information from your office.
• Use a different email address on your institutional or professional domain that forwards to your primary email address, and use it anytime you have to publish your contact information online. You can also create a filter to have emails from this address forwarded to a specific folder in your inbox if you want to keep them separate. Further, if you’d like to track where messages are coming from, you could use different email addresses for different online platforms or purposes. Consider public information laws, especially if you work for a public institution.
• If you are emailing with research participants, use a separate email address with the project name to protect the individual names of the researchers.
• Use a Google voice number (or a different phone number using your phone carrier) that forwards to your personal phone. Not only does this protect your private phone number, it is also easy to disconnect if necessary.
• If you plan to join online public talks, as either a participant or speaker, request that the event require registration and make sure that it is password-protected. You can also request for the link to be withheld until a day or two before to reduce the chance of nefarious activity. Another suggestion is to designate a person to be responsible for monitoring and responding to any unwanted behaviors from the audience.
• If you receive explicit, extreme, or persistent abuse from one or more persons, ask your employer’s IT specialist to assess the level of threat. If someone poses an extraordinary threat, ask security for extra safety measures. Ask them to consider the use of surveillance equipment if you operate a lab or work in a potentially vulnerable space.

• First and foremost, assess your personal safety. If you have any reason to be concerned with your physical safety, connect with your institution’s security department or call local police.
• Don’t feel pressured or rushed into responding or sharing information prematurely. Take some time to digest what you know and create a high-level plan. Share information with your team when you have concrete next steps or specific asks—and stick with the facts. 
• Prioritize your mental and physical health. What you are experiencing can be overwhelming and even traumatic, and you may benefit from talking to a counselor or therapist. In addition, there are nonprofits and other organizations that may be able to offer you assistance.
• Resist the urge to isolate yourself. Connect with your colleagues, family, and friends. 
• Refrain from criticizing or blaming yourself. The abuse is not your fault, no matter what you did (or did not do). 
• In most cases, the number of people who strongly oppose your work is very small–but their voices may seem very loud. These people have become experts in amplifying their voices, making it appear that their group is much larger than it actually is. Remember that the group supporting your work is likely the majority.
• Turn off notifications on mobile devices and consider asking a trusted individual to monitor your social media accounts and email. They can let you know if anything requires your attention.
• If any comments are defamatory or criminal in nature—inciting violence or harassment, for example—or if they glorify terror, record them. You (or your trusted individual who is monitoring your account) should note the date, time, and sender. A screenshot works well.
• Report abusive comments to social media platforms and when an individual targets you, block them immediately. 
• Create a strategy on how you plan to respond (or not respond) to people who are contacting you about your work or posting hateful or combative messages. We offer a few suggestions below.
• If you are considering talking with the media about your work, be selective and be prepared. Decide with whom you will talk, what you will say, and how you intend to say it. It can also be helpful to connect with your institution’s communications department for advice. See our tips below for developing a communications strategy.
• Prepare a rationale for your work and fine-tune your elevator speech. 
• People who wish to learn more about your work will start searching online. Make sure that accessible and accurate information about your research is available on your website, your institution’s website, and/or your funder’s website. These pages can also be used as points of reference for online discussions.

Some researchers duties include leading teams, whether students, colleagues, or cross-sector partners, in which case, it is important to think through when the team’s work puts them at risk. Often this involves acknowledging the risks and benefits of sharing work publicly, and having conversations with the team on the potential for unwanted attention.

Facilitate conversations with your team where you can speak honestly about the potential for unwanted attention and the benefits of engaging with your research. As you determine how to talk with various groups, remember that different people, organizations, and partners have different needs and that these relationships might be different over time.

In early conversations with your team, come with a plan in place. To avoid creating unnecessary stress, stick to the facts and ask them what they need to know, then make an effort to find the answers together. Share specific things that you are doing and thinking about proactively. If there are needs, be bulleted and clear. You may wish to explain what could happen and what you think will happen. 

If you are experiencing intimidation and harassment, consider sharing information in stages and with specific audiences as needed. Take some time to sort through the information you have. There is typically not a need to act immediately, and, in fact, you are more likely to create more distress if you reach out in a moment of panic. Once you have digested and processed the situation, begin to make plans with concrete pieces. For example, you might plan to reach out to legal counsel, connect with your administrators, or seek the advice of others who have had similar experiences. If your plan feels a bit thin, you can focus on sharing the most essential priorities. It is also okay to talk through the unknowns and ask the team what they need. Once again, if you have needs, be specific. Finally, assure them that you will keep the team apprised of the situation and let them know that you are available for any further discussions.

Developing a proactive communication strategy can ground you so that your responses to harassment and intimidation are intentional and purposeful. As a researcher, feeling silenced or afraid to speak out about your work may be discouraging, or feel like it goes against the very reason you became a researcher. Remember, however, that you may be dealing with dishonest brokers or external actors who are looking to discredit your work or do harm to your cause. 

Whether you choose to make a statement or use strategic silence, a communication strategy can give you back a sense of control. Decide early on who or what will be responded to, what your objective will be, and the timing and duration of these engagements. Make sure to talk with your institution’s department head and communications lead to enlist their help and align your response strategies. Also consider asking allied people or organizations for statements of support and be strategic about when and how to use them. 

When you are the target of online abuse, there is no right or wrong strategy for responding. For some, speaking up is important, and for others, ignoring the abuse is the best way to move forward. Strategic silence is typically most useful for trollers or others who espouse extreme views while engaging in strategic messaging with those who are genuinely interested in your work may be worthwhile and empowering. Whatever path you choose, make sure that you prioritize your safety and your well-being. It is always okay to step away and ignore the abuse if that is what is best for you in the moment.

To protect yourself from a barrage of comments, block perpetrators in your social media and email accounts. Report incidents of abuse to the relevant social media platforms and work with your institution’s IT department to filter or forward abusive emails. It can also be useful to record all incidents of abuse to save for evidence, should the situation become legally actionable. One way to do this is to take screenshots of social media incidents and to create a filter for incoming emails to save for later retrieval. If you need to take a break, consider asking a friend or other trusted individual to monitor your emails, social media, and/or voice messages for you. They can let you know if anything is urgent or requires a response. 

If you choose to engage with a specific audience online, refrain from responding to individual comments. Instead, start a new comment on your platform. Avoid repeating the claim as that can amplify the harassment, legitimize it for discussion, and show the trolls that you are listening. Furthermore, it could make new believers out of people who are following the trolls. If you want to refute a particular claim, make a “truth sandwich” by presenting the truth, stating the claim without repeating it, and finishing with another statement of truth. Enlist the support of your online community and key social media influencers in your research space. You may also choose to link to your research webpage and give context for your work.

If you plan to talk with the media, consider taking a media training course first. You could also reach out to your institution’s public relations department to ask for tips on engaging with the media. Some training topics you may want to review include: a) how to reframe the question to answer with information you want included in the story, b) how to handle journalists who bait or pressure you to to make statements that you’d rather not say, and c) how to establish what is considered on or off the record. Don’t ever assume that the journalist you are speaking with will keep certain things private if you don’t explicitly request it. Agree to talk with journalists you already know and make sure you have done due diligence on their previous work. Ask what the story is or what the angle will be, and ask if they are willing to share questions ahead of time. In the interview, stick to the facts. For example, you can say, “These are the facts, and this is the message I’m trying to get out.” Also request that they link to your research website or FAQ page directly from the article.

No matter how you choose to respond or not respond, remember that this abuse is not your fault. Stay connected to your colleagues and those who support your work, enlist the support of your institution, and talk with other researchers who have experienced similar situations.

Dealing with abuse can be emotionally and mentally debilitating. Protect your health and protect your mind with these tips:

• Take breaks and engage in your life outside of work. There are many simple but proven ways to reduce stress and promote resilience in your everyday life, including
  • Exercise and physical activity,
  • Healthy eating,
  • Spending time with loved ones, 
  • Keeping your mind busy by learning something new or playing games,
  • Getting restful sleep,
  • Meditating, praying, or intentionally relaxing,
  • Moderating alcohol and drugs,
  • Spending time in nature, and
  • Keeping perspective.
• Consider switching to projects that are not as draining.
• Consider talking to a counselor or therapist. What you are feeling and thinking is likely a normal response to this stressful or even traumatic situation. A professional can help you find ways to cope, connect with your community, and tap into your inner resources.