Web cookies (also called HTTP cookies, browser cookies, or simply cookies) are small pieces of data that websites store on your device (computer, phone, etc.) through your web browser. They are used to remember information about you and your interactions with the site.
Purpose of Cookies:
Session Management:
Keeping you logged in
Remembering items in a shopping cart
Saving language or theme preferences
Personalization:
Tailoring content or ads based on your previous activity
Tracking & Analytics:
Monitoring browsing behavior for analytics or marketing purposes
Types of Cookies:
Session Cookies:
Temporary; deleted when you close your browser
Used for things like keeping you logged in during a single session
Persistent Cookies:
Stored on your device until they expire or are manually deleted
Used for remembering login credentials, settings, etc.
First-Party Cookies:
Set by the website you're visiting directly
Third-Party Cookies:
Set by other domains (usually advertisers) embedded in the website
Commonly used for tracking across multiple sites
Authentication cookies are a special type of web cookie used to identify and verify a user after they log in to a website or web application.
What They Do:
Once you log in to a site, the server creates an authentication cookie and sends it to your browser. This cookie:
Proves to the website that you're logged in
Prevents you from having to log in again on every page you visit
Can persist across sessions if you select "Remember me"
What's Inside an Authentication Cookie?
Typically, it contains:
A unique session ID (not your actual password)
Optional metadata (e.g., expiration time, security flags)
Analytics cookies are cookies used to collect data about how visitors interact with a website. Their primary purpose is to help website owners understand and improve user experience by analyzing things like:
How users navigate the site
Which pages are most/least visited
How long users stay on each page
What device, browser, or location the user is from
What They Track:
Some examples of data analytics cookies may collect:
Page views and time spent on pages
Click paths (how users move from page to page)
Bounce rate (users who leave without interacting)
User demographics (location, language, device)
Referring websites (how users arrived at the site)
Here’s how you can disable cookies in common browsers:
1. Google Chrome
Open Chrome and click the three vertical dots in the top-right corner.
Go to Settings > Privacy and security > Cookies and other site data.
Choose your preferred option:
Block all cookies (not recommended, can break most websites).
Block third-party cookies (can block ads and tracking cookies).
2. Mozilla Firefox
Open Firefox and click the three horizontal lines in the top-right corner.
Go to Settings > Privacy & Security.
Under the Enhanced Tracking Protection section, choose Strict to block most cookies or Custom to manually choose which cookies to block.
3. Safari
Open Safari and click Safari in the top-left corner of the screen.
Go to Preferences > Privacy.
Check Block all cookies to stop all cookies, or select options to block third-party cookies.
4. Microsoft Edge
Open Edge and click the three horizontal dots in the top-right corner.
Go to Settings > Privacy, search, and services > Cookies and site permissions.
Select your cookie settings from there, including blocking all cookies or blocking third-party cookies.
5. On Mobile (iOS/Android)
For Safari on iOS: Go to Settings > Safari > Privacy & Security > Block All Cookies.
For Chrome on Android: Open the app, tap the three dots, go to Settings > Privacy and security > Cookies.
Be Aware:
Disabling cookies can make your online experience more difficult. Some websites may not load properly, or you may be logged out frequently. Also, certain features may not work as expected.
Casavant, S.; Starkweather, A.; Cong, X.; Fetta, J.; Julian, T.; Lucas, R.; McCaffery, J. (under review). Telomere Length as a Proxy of Lifespan Health Determinants and Healthy Aging: A Scoping Review of the Literature. Nursing Research (New York). IF 2.381.
Nist, M.; Casavant, S.; Dail, R.B.; Everhart, K.C.; Sealschott, S.; Cong, X. (2022). Conducting Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Research During a Pandemic: Challenges and Lessons Learned. Nursing Research (New York), 71(2), 147-152. https://doi.org/10.1097/NNR.0000000000000564 IF: 2.381
Casavant, S. G., Li, H., Reese, B., Chen, M.-H., & Cong, X. S. (2021). Pilot Study of Absolute Telomere Lengths in Preterm Infants. Nursing Research (New York), 70(6), 481–486. https://doi.org/10.1097/NNR.0000000000000535 IF: 2.381.
Casavant, S. G., Meegan, T., Fleming, M., Hussain, N., Gork, S., & Cong, X. (2021). Integrated Review of the Assessment of Newborns With Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome. Journal of obstetric, gynecologic, and neonatal nursing: JOGNN, S0884-2175(21)00089-7. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jogn.2021.04.014 IF: 1.716.
Casavant, S. G., Chen, J., Xu, W., Lainwala, S., Matson, A., Chen, M.-H., … Cong, X. S. (2021). Multi-Omics Analysis on Neurodevelopment in Preterm Neonates: A Protocol Paper. Nursing Research (New York), 70(6), 462–468. https://doi.org/10.1097/NNR.0000000000000548 IF: 2.381.
Casavant, S. (2020). At the intersection of science and theory: How the Nurse Role Integration Model reconciles the conflict. International Journal of Nursing Sciences, 7(3): 378-381. PubMed PMID: 32817862. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnss.2020.06.005 IF: 2.62.
Casavant, SG, Li H, Cong X, Starkweather A, Moore J, Rosenkrantz TS, Fitch RH. (2020). Behavioral and neuroanatomical outcomes following altered serotonin expression in a hypoxic-ischemic injury neonate rodent model. Journal of Neonatal Perinatal Med. doi: https://doi.org/10.3233/NPM-200418. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 33164949. IF: 1.179.
Beck C.T., Casavant S. Vicarious posttraumatic growth in NICU nurses. Advances in Neonatal Care. 2019 Dec 24; https://doi.org/10.1097/ANC.0000000000000689. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 31895140. IF: 1.968.
Scatliffe, N., Casavant, S., Vittner, D., & Cong, X. Oxytocin and early parent-infant contact: a systematic review. International Journal of Nursing Sciences. 2019; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnss.2019.09.009. IF: 2.62.
Beck C.T., Casavant S. Synthesis of mixed research on posttraumatic stress related to traumatic birth. Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic & Neonatal Nursing. 2019; 48(4): 385-397. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jogn.2019.02.004 IF: 1.261.
Casavant S, Cong X, Moore J, Starkweather A. Associations between preterm infant stress, epigenetic alteration, telomere length and neurodevelopmental outcomes: A systematic review. Early Human Development. 2019; 131: 63-74. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earlhumdev.2019.03.003(2.169) IF: 2.079.
Casavant S, Cong X, Fitch R, Moore J, Rosenkrantz T, Starkweather A. Allostatic load and biomarkers of stress in the preterm infant: An Integrative review. Biological Research for Nursing. 2019; 21(2): 210-223 https://doi.org/10.1177/1099800418824415 IF: 1.427.
Provenzi L, DeCarli P, Fumagalli M, Giorda R, Casavant S, Beri S, Citterio A, Morandi F, Mosca F, Borgatti R, Montirosso R. Very preterm birth is associated with PLAGL1 gene hypo-methylation at birth and discharge. Epigenomics. 2018; 10(8): 1121-1130. https://doi.org/10.2217/epi-2017-0123. IF: 4.778.
Casavant S, Berniere K, Andrews S, Bourgoin. A. Noise in the NICU: What does the evidence tell us? Advances in Neonatal Care, 2017; 4:265-273. Doi: 10.1097/ANC.0000000000000402. IF: 1.968.
Casavant S, Judge M, McGrath J. Influence of anthropometric parameters on breastfeeding duration in very low birthweight infants. Applied Nursing Research, 2017; 38: 45-50 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apnr.2017.09.007. IF: 1.469.
Judge M, Casavant S, Dias JAM, McGrath JM. Placental DHA transfer is reduced in diabetic pregnancies: exploring mechanistic underpinnings and long-term neurodevelopmental implications. Nutrition Reviews. 2016: 0(0):1-10. https://doi.org/10.1093/nutrit/nuw006. IF: 6.20.
Casavant S, McGrath, JM, Burke G, Briere, C. Caregiving factors affecting breastfeeding
outcomes of very low birthweight premature infants within the NICU. Advances in Neonatal Care. 2015; 15(6): 421-428. https://doi.org/ 10.1097/ANC.000000000000023. IF: 6.180.
Vittner D, Casavant S, McGrath JM. A meta-ethnography: Skin-to-skin holding from the caregiver’s perspective. Advances in Neonatal Care. 2015; 15(3): 191-200. https://doi.org/10.1097/ANC.0000000000000169. IF: 1.198.
