Table 1 Full list of codes identified within the readers’ comments

 2

Comments opposing Cummings in the article overall

 3

Comments supporting Cummings in the article overall

 4

Comments opposing advisor’s comments on genetics

 5

Comments supporting advisor’s comments on genetics.

 6

Comments opposing advisor’s comments on teaching quality.

 7

Comments supporting advisor’s comments on teaching quality.

 8

Comments opposing advisor’s comments on quality of higher education.

 9

Comments supporting advisor’s comments on quality of higher education.

 10

Comments opposing advisor’s comments on government initiatives.

 11

Comments supporting advisor’s comments on government initiatives.

 12

Comments opposing another user who supports the advisor’s comments.

 13

Comments opposing another user who opposes the advisor’s comments.

 14

Comments supporting another user who supports the advisor’s comments.

 15

Comments supporting another user who opposed the advisor’s comments.

 16

Comments supporting a comment that promotes advisor’s genetics view.

 17

Comments supporting a comments that opposes advisor’s genetics view.

 18

Comments opposing a comment that promotes advisor’s genetics view.

 19

Comments opposing a comments that opposes advisor’s genetics view.

 20

User makes criticism of government in general (beyond just Education)

 21

User makes a comment that makes any reference to Nazi Germany, Hitler or WW2.

 22

User makes a troll (In internet slang, a troll is a person who promoted disagreement on the internet by starting arguments or upsetting people. They may also post inflammatory or irrelevant messages) comment or any form of personal attack (looks, background, ethnicity, sexual orientation .etc. This includes comments about the appearance of Cummings or government members)

 23

User makes a completely unrelated comment to the article content or another user’s comments.

 24

Comment that corrects factual or grammatical point but expresses no individual opinion.