Funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, this Knowledge Synthesis Report examines the existing body of work related to the online abuse of knowledge workers in the research and public education fields and provides evidence-based recommendations to guide the organizations that hire them.
We conducted a systematic scoping review focused on academic and grey literature, including policy papers, news reports, and organizational guidelines relating to online abuse across a wide variety of disciplines. In total, we reviewed 241 documents.
Our results demonstrate that the impacts of online abuse extend beyond the targeted individuals to affect communities, organizations, and the health of a functioning democratic society. This report details five areas of research findings that help illuminate the consequences of online abuse for workers of the knowledge economy: 1) the risk factors associated with experiencing online abuse; 2) the impact and consequences of online abuse; 3) responses to abuse; 4) recommendations made to support and protect workers; and, 5) knowledge gaps within the research.
Based upon our analysis of the literature on this issue, we provide a series of evidence-based recommendations for employers and other institutions to implement to better support and protect their workers targeted for online abuse.
Read our report to learn more: