The Social Science Research Council (SSRC) calls application for Social Data Research and Dissertation Fellowships 2020. SSRC invites proposals from scholars in the social sciences and related fields for the Social Data Research Fellowship and the Social Data Dissertation Fellowship.

Overview

The fellowship aims to support the research that makes creative use of available social data to investigate how social media interact with democracy and elections. Expanding ethical scholarly access, use, and analysis of a range of social data is critical to understanding the complex ways that social media and other technologies impact political life and processes. These fellowships will support research projects of up to 12 months in length that have a focus on two areas

• Advancing scholarly research on the role of social media in elections and democracy, with an emphasis on the 2020 US election.
• Expanding best practices and methods for accessing and analyzing relevant data that can inform our understanding of the impact of social media on democracy.

Eligibilities

• The Social Data Research Fellowship program is open to researchers who hold a PhD in a relevant discipline and are based at an institution of higher education (college or university) or a non-profit focused on social research. These awards may not exceed $50,000 US.
• The Social Data Dissertation Fellowship program is open to PhD students who are actively enrolled in a PhD program, who may apply for awards of up to $15,000 US in support of dissertation research.
• Applicants to the program should have completed all PhD coursework by the beginning of the fellowship term.

Review Criteria 

• Intellectual merit: the intellectual significance of the proposed project and its capacity to advance scholarship, scientific understanding, and/or public knowledge, as well as the degree to which the project offers thoughtful and generalizable models or new pathways for studying the impact of social media on democracy.
• Feasibility: the appropriateness of the proposed activities, methods, planned activities, and budget to accomplish the stated aims of the proposed project.
• Qualifications: the degree to which the participants have the expertise, skills, and knowledge to accomplish the stated aims of the proposed project.
• Ethics and Privacy: the commitment to and stated plan to meet or exceed standards for the ethical use of data, including the protection of individuals and their privacy.

Click here for guidelines

 Click here to see requirements