https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444818781324 new media & society 1–20 © The Author(s) 2018 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav DOI: 10.1177/1461444818781324 journals.sagepub.com/home/nms Women scholars’ experiences with online harassment and abuse: Self-protection, resistance, acceptance, and self-blame George Veletsianos Royal Roads University, Canada Shandell Houlden McMaster University, Canada Jaigris Hodson Royal Roads University, Canada Chandell Gosse Western University, Canada Abstract Although scholars increasingly use online platforms for public, digital, and networked scholarship, the research examining their experiences of harassment and abuse online is scant. In this study, we interviewed 14 women scholars who experienced online harassment in order to understand how they coped with this phenomenon. We found that scholars engaged in reactive, anticipatory, preventive, and proactive coping strategies. In particular, scholars engaged in strategies aimed at self-protection and resistance, while often responding to harassment by acceptance and self-blame. These findings have important implications for practice and research, including practical recommendations for personal, institutional, and platform responses to harassment, as well as scholarly recommendations for future research into scholars’ experiences of harassment. Corresponding author: George Veletsianos, Royal Roads University, 2005 Sooke Road, Victoria, BC V9B 5Y2, Canada. Email: veletsianos@gmail.com 781324NMS 0 0 10.1177/1461444818781324new media & societyVeletsianos et al. research-article 2018 Article