Using GitHub Actions for Computational Communication Research

Communication researchers increasingly use computational methods to collect and analyze large datasets. Part of the promise of these methods is their ability to increase the reproducibility and transparency of workflows. Taking up calls for more reproducible workflows and better recognition of the tools used in communication research, this paper introduces GitHub Actions for automated data collection. I describe the components required to set up and run a GitHub Actions workflow and illustrate its utility by discussing how I collected Bluesky posts tagged with "#CdnPoli" during the 2025 Canadian federal election. I conclude by offering best practices for other researchers, contributing to the development and documentation of reproducible workflows for computational communication research.