While academic integrity is more commonly attributed to publishing research via traditional means, the same rigour and responsibilities also apply when communicating about and sharing research via social media.
Promoting your research on social media is a powerful opportunity for researchers to improve visibility and engage with the public but it can come with risks.
A report, ‘Feeling Better Connected’: Academics’ Use of Social Media, written in 2014 by Dr. Deborah Lupton, Centenary Research Professor at the University of Canberra, some researchers expressed concerns around:
An ABC News article addresses the issues of Privacy, Consent and Good Manners describing the impact on an individual when consent was not obtained for them to be filmed and the resulting footage used as a Tik Tok entry. While this may not be research related activity, it highlights the importance of obtaining consent and of the use of basic courtesy when working with your subjects. Obtaining consent, ensuring subjects are not misrepresented, and making efforts to tell their story while not exploiting them or risking their privacy, is all about practising good research integrity.
Lupton, D. (2014) ‘Feeling better connected’: Academics’ use of social media. Canberra: News & Media Research Centre, University of Canberra.
https://www.canberra.edu.au/about-uc/faculties/arts-design/attachments2/pdf/n-and-mrc/Feeling-Better-Connected-report-final.pdf
Your digital footprint is data that shows a record of your online interactions and includes:
What does your digital footprint look like? Is there regrettable content? Web content is indexed and may be accessible, even if you have deleted the content. Some tips to follow include:
What Do Your Digital Footprints Say About You? (8:23 min) by TEDx Talks (YouTube)
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