5 Tips for Protecting Your Research and Academic Work Online

The interwebs is a real boon to academic writing (just ask anyone who started their research pre-1991). 

But, there are risks involved, and it’s a bad idea to launch into an academic career under the assumption that, as long as you avoid dodgy sites and downloads, your research (and, with it, your personal information) will be safe and secure.

Unauthorised use, plagiarism, and data breaches can compromise the integrity of your research, which can be devastating even at the undergrad level. 

By the time you’re a postgrad researcher, the risks of losing your hard-earned findings before you can publish them properly are all too high – not to mention the risks to your sensitive data and banking information. 

Use these five security measures to protect your academic work online.

Think original when it comes to your research…and your passwords

As a researcher, you’re probably used to finding a new angle or fresh perspective on an old problem, but are you doing the same thing for your passwords? 

A weak password can make your research vulnerable to unauthorised access. 

Strong passwords – that’s what you want, let alone unique ones. Mix upper- and lower cases, add those special characters, and stick in a few numbers. It’s the recipe for a password that can’t be cracked. 

Obviously, you’ll know some browsers do the hard work for you and concoct crazy passwords only they’ll remember. 

If you need to be told to stop using your birthday or ‘password123’, you’re in a great position because that’s rock bottom! You can only go upwards!

A password manager can help you manage your catalogue of passwords. Don’t write them down.

Make use of that Virtual Private Network

A VPN enhances online security by encrypting your internet connection. It masks your IP address and protects your data from cybercriminals. VPNs are even more important if you’re working on public Wi-Fi (in libraries and coffee shops, for example). 

Not all VPNs are built the same. Some companies log your activity – a little bit of a contradiction if you think about it – and nobody has the time to trawl through the fine print, even when they’re a dedicated bookworm. 

If you’ve wondered, “Is Surfshark VPN good?”, check the reviews by tech websites like Tom’s Guide and CNet. 

Avoid free VPNs, which often sell your data to third parties, defeating the purpose of a VPN. 

Free trials are okay since they’re designed for you to get a feel for the software, but don’t fall into the trap of thinking that the bare minimum will carry you through. It’s a false economy, truly. 

Be private! Shun public!

Open access fosters knowledge sharing, but wide public sharing of research work can lead to unauthorised use. 

To balance accessibility and security use institutional repositories or academic sites like ResearchGate and Academia.eu with controlled access settings and don’t forget to tweak privacy settings on cloud platforms to limit who can view and, even more importantly, edit your files.

Broader audiences benefit from shared preprints or summaries. Give them the abstract. 

Tease them a little. 

Or, if you really want to share, watermark unpublished work to establish your authorship and prevent them from resharing for broader audiences you didn’t intend to give your 5 years of insights to just yet. 

Being mindful of where and how you share your research maintains more control over how it is distributed.

Back it up

Data loss can result from cyberattacks, accidental deletions, and hardware failures. Back it up! Get reserves, and don’t be shy about having duplicates to ensure your research isn’t lost.

You can use the 3-2-1 backup rule to be safe: maintain three copies of your data on two different media, with one off-site backup. 

And it doesn’t have to be a big chore, either. You can easily automate backups with safe, reliable cloud services and store critical research on external hard drives or secure university servers.

Don’t make sensitive files more vulnerable

Encryption protects your data by converting it into an unreadable format so that only those authorised can access it. 

Encrypt individual files using VeraCrypt or AxCrypt before uploading them to cloud storage, and keep your passwords hygienic!

Researchers are typically used to existing within the fold of the university, and any reputable university has an internal system that often establishes a quasi-barrier between the university and the rest of the world. 

There are plenty of perks to this, but remember that an intranet alone isn’t enough to protect you from malicious third parties, whether they are traditional cybercriminals or less reputable researchers looking to profit from your unpublished data. 

Follow our tips and make sure your academic career stays squeaky clean.

Frequently Asked Questions