RESEARCH BRIEF: Ghosting in the realm of research: The realities of conducting social science research in the digital age

Social science research does not occur in a vacuum.Competing for time and attention is the norm in a society that has become more isolated.Because of this, the effects of ghosting are prevalent everywhere.As social scientists, we are not immune to ghosting or its effects.In this research brief, two junior faculty members discuss their efforts to overcome ghosting at every level of the research process and its impact on hiring student workers, knowledge production, and meeting grant funding requirements.Lastly, the authors offer suggestions for overcoming the effects of ghosting and its effect on the challenges of conducting exploratory qualitative "grassroots'' research.