Terms & Methodology

Purpose of the Study

This research study aims to understand how people engage with and think about science in the digital age. We're particularly interested in learning how social media influences the way people access, share, and participate in scientific discussions and activities.

What We're Studying

  • How people interact with science-related content on social media
  • Different approaches to engaging with scientific information
  • The relationship between social media use and attitudes toward science

Your Participation Involves

  1. Completing a survey about your views on science and social media use — which you have already done
  2. Sharing your social media data via this data donation platform

Data Collection Process

  • We will provide step-by-step instructions for downloading your social media data when you login to this platform
  • You will upload your data to a secure server
  • Our system will automatically filter out all your personal information
  • Our team will process your submission to make sure it was uploaded correctly and that your files include sufficient data
  • You will receive follow up instructions to the same email that you used to sign up to this platform, including information about compensation if you are eligible

Data we collect

We DO collect:

  • Pages you follow
  • Public posts you have interacted with
  • General engagement patterns with science-related content

We DO NOT collect:

  • Private messages
  • Account information
  • Contact details
  • Photos
  • Any sensitive personal information

Data Protection & Privacy

  • All data is automatically anonymized before analysis
  • Data is stored on encrypted, secure servers
  • Only authorized researchers can access the anonymized data
  • Your data will never be shared with third parties such as companies

How Your Data Helps

  • Ways people engage with science outside traditional institutions
  • How social media shapes scientific discussions
  • Patterns in science communication across different countries

Questions or Concerns?

This research has been reviewed by the Yale University Institutional Review Board. For general questions about your rights as a research participant, contact Yale IRB at hrpp@yale.edu.

You can contact our research team at hello@yaledatadonation.com.

We value your contribution to this research. Thank you for your participation in our study.