How Scientists Can Respond to Criticism and Personal Attacks

The Union of Concerned Scientists provides a resource for experts facing harassment, outlining how to differentiate between good-faith inquiries and disinformation tactics. It offers specific protocols for responding to attacks on social media, via email, through blogs, and in mainstream media, while emphasizing the importance of documentation, institutional support, and legal counsel.

• Scientists are advised to distinguish between legitimate, good-faith inquiries and unfounded criticisms that are part of a disinformation "playbook" used by financial or ideological interests to undermine research.
• When facing social media attacks, scientists should document the abuse via screenshots, avoid impulsive responses, and use their own platforms to control the message rather than engaging in hostile comment sections.
• For harassing correspondence via email, the guide recommends avoiding protracted arguments and ignoring non-constructive messages, as explanations are unlikely to persuade those driven by motives other than scientific disagreement.
• Responses to hostile bloggers should be based on the blog's reach; obscure blogs should be ignored, while prominent ones may warrant a factual rebuttal hosted on the scientist's own controlled outlet to avoid granting the attacker unwarranted legitimacy.
• Regarding open-records requests and subpoenas, scientists are cautioned that institutions primarily protect themselves and that experts should maintain professional email habits, as all work correspondence is potentially discoverable.
• Attacks from mainstream media or public officials require a different approach than blog attacks; scientists should engage promptly with reporters to shape the story and seek assistance from PR offices or scientific societies to navigate the policy environment.
• Marginalized groups, including women and people of color, are frequently targeted for attacks based on their identities, necessitating active defense and support from their colleagues.

APA

Union of Concerned Scientists (2020). How Scientists Can Respond to Criticism and Personal Attacks. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2020-09/science-in-an-age-of-scrutiny-2020.pdf

Chicago

Union of Concerned Scientists. How Scientists Can Respond to Criticism and Personal Attacks. 2020. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2020-09/science-in-an-age-of-scrutiny-2020.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Union of Concerned Scientists |title=How Scientists Can Respond to Criticism and Personal Attacks |date=September 2020 |url=https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2020-09/science-in-an-age-of-scrutiny-2020.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{unionofconcernedscientists2020how, author = {{Union of Concerned Scientists}}, title = {{How Scientists Can Respond to Criticism and Personal Attacks}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2020}, month = sep, url = {https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2020-09/science-in-an-age-of-scrutiny-2020.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }