The Department of Criminology at ELTE Faculty of Law is organising an English-language methodology workshop for PhD students and researchers, led by Dr Tine Munk, criminologist and Senior Lecturer at Nottingham Trent University.

Researching online phenomena, including memetic warfare, presents distinctive methodological and ethical challenges. Platforms change, accounts and content disappear, while memes move across communities and political contexts, acquiring new meanings and purposes. The session will explore how researchers can build transparent and manageable datasets, assess sources, and distinguish evidence from assumption in rapidly changing online environments.

The workshop will also address the use of artificial intelligence in research. Generative AI is reshaping the production and circulation of political and visual content, while also offering researchers new tools for organising and analysing large digital datasets. At the same time, AI-assisted research raises questions around bias, confidentiality, reproducibility, and the interpretation of humour, irony and cultural context.

Particular attention will be given to the ethical and personal risks of researching conflict-related and violent online material, including exposure to graphic content, vicarious trauma, researcher cybersecurity and responsible data management. Participants will consider how to conduct rigorous and ethically responsible research in digital environments where content and meaning are continuously changing.

The session is intended primarily for PhD students and researchers, especially those working on online communities, digital culture, disinformation, political communication, cybercrime or related areas of online research.

Registration: Attendance is free of charge, but registration is required. Please register by emailing krimtitkarsag@ajk.elte.hu with the subject line “PhD methodology session”.