Citation & Misuse Guidelines

Clear rules on how Fomofiles insights may be cited, what constitutes misuse, and required context when quoting. This is defensive architecture, not control.

Proper Citation Format

General Web Citation

Fomofiles. (2025). [Page Title]. Retrieved [Date] from https://fomofiles.in/[page-url]

Example:

Fomofiles. (2025). Weekly Signal: Career Anxiety Stabilizes Post-Exam Season. Retrieved January 28, 2025 from https://fomofiles.in/

Academic Paper Citation (APA 7th)

Fomofiles Research Team. (Year). Title of research paper. Fomofiles. https://fomofiles.in/research/[paper-id]

Example:

Fomofiles Research Team. (2025). Longitudinal patterns in urban Gen Z spending behavior during economic uncertainty. Fomofiles. https://fomofiles.in/research/spending-2025

Data Citation

When citing specific data points or statistics:

Fomofiles. (Year). [Specific metric]. [Survey wave]. Retrieved from https://fomofiles.in/[page-url]

Example:

Fomofiles. (2025). Self-reported anxiety scores among urban Gen Z (n=2,847). January 2025 survey wave. Retrieved from https://fomofiles.in/

Required Context When Quoting

All citations must include appropriate context to prevent misrepresentation. Cherry-picking data points without limitations is considered misuse.

1. Sample Limitations

Always specify that data represents urban, English-literate Gen Z only. Do not generalize to India's full youth population.

Required language: "Among urban, digitally-connected Gen Z respondents (n=2,847)..."

2. Self-Reporting Caveat

All data is self-reported and may not reflect actual behavior. Spending estimates, mood scores, and behavioral claims are perceptions, not verified facts.

Required language: "Based on self-reported data, which may differ from actual behavior..."

3. Temporal Context

Always include the survey wave date. Behavioral patterns change rapidly. Data from January 2025 may not apply to June 2025.

Required language: "As of January 2025 survey wave..."

4. Interpretation Uncertainty

When citing interpretations (not raw data), acknowledge that these are hypotheses, not proven explanations.

Required language: "Fomofiles suggests this may be driven by... though causality is not established."

Prohibited Uses (Misuse)

❌ Manipulative Political Campaigning

Using Fomofiles data to micro-target voters, design manipulative messaging, or exploit behavioral patterns for political gain is strictly prohibited.

❌ Behavioral Targeting for Addiction

Using insights to design addictive products, exploit psychological vulnerabilities, or maximize engagement through manipulation is prohibited.

❌ Exploitative Financial Persuasion

Using data to design predatory lending, high-risk investment schemes, or financially exploitative products targeting Gen Z is prohibited.

❌ Surveillance Applications

Using insights to build surveillance systems, predictive policing tools, or social credit mechanisms is prohibited.

❌ Cherry-Picking Without Context

Quoting data points without required limitations, sample context, or uncertainty caveats is considered misrepresentation.

❌ Causal Claims Without Evidence

Presenting correlations as proven causation or claiming "Fomofiles proves X causes Y" is prohibited. Our data shows patterns, not mechanisms.

Permitted Uses

✓ Academic Research

Using data for scholarly research, thesis work, or academic publications with proper citation and context.

✓ Educational Purposes

Using insights to teach research methods, data interpretation, or youth studies in educational settings.

✓ Responsible Journalism

Citing data in news articles with appropriate context, limitations, and without sensationalist framing.

✓ Policy Research

Using insights to inform public policy research, provided findings are not used for manipulative political campaigning.

✓ Non-Profit Youth Programs

Using data to design supportive youth programs, mental health resources, or educational initiatives without commercial exploitation.

Reporting Misuse

If you encounter misuse of Fomofiles data or insights, please report it to:

Email: misuse@fomofiles.in

Include: URL or source of misuse, description of violation, and why it constitutes misuse. We will review and may issue public corrections or contact the violating party.

Legal Disclaimer

Fomofiles data is provided for research and educational purposes. While we cannot legally prevent misuse, we reserve the right to publicly document violations, issue corrections, and refuse future data access to violating parties. Proper citation and ethical use protect both contributors and the research community.