GNSI Code of Conduct

Quick Version

The GNSI Visual SciComm Conference is committed to partnering with you to foster a healthy online conference symposium environment, regardless of gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability, skill level, mental health, neurotype, age, physical appearance, body, race, ethnicity, nationality, language, religion, politics or class. Sexual or hateful language and imagery will not be tolerated. We also expect the highest standard of academic and professional excellence from our presenters. We reserve the right to bring your live talk to a close, and/or to remove recordings of your talk from public-facing outlets if it does not comply with our established ethics including but not limited to copyright, work for hire, international conventions on handling artifacts and specimens, etc.

Full Version

Behavior Towards Others

The GNSI Visual SciComm Conference prioritizes the safety and well-being of marginalized people who are underrepresented in the sciences, science illustration, visual science communication and related fields, and who are oppressed by structural sexism, racism, classism, ableism, colonialism, homophobia, xenophobia, and transphobia. This includes but is not limited to: women, people of color, Indigenous peoples, people with disabilities, people with prior military service, formerly incarcerated people, people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, gender nonconforming, first and second generation immigrants, and people from low-income families.

The GNSI Visual SciComm Conference recognizes that prioritizing the safety and wellbeing of these groups is a step towards the greater equity and inclusion that science and science communication related fields urgently need.

By attending the symposium as an organizer, speaker, sponsor, volunteer, or attendee, you agree to abide by this code of conduct, and cooperate with the GNSI Conference Committee and Board of Directors who enforce it. The Code of Conduct applies to all official conference spaces and proceedings.

Individuals are expected to behave appropriately and professionally during their participation in all projects, collaborations or events. All individuals should actively avoid intentionally or unintentionally participating in the harassment of individuals. Harassment includes offensive verbal comments related to gender, sexual orientation, disability, mental health, neurotype, age, physical appearance, body, race, ethnicity, nationality or religion, deliberate misgendering, sexual images in public spaces, deliberate intimidation, stalking, following, harassing photography or recording, sustained disruption in meetings, lectures or other spaces, physical contact and simulated physical contact (e.g. emoji or textual descriptions) without consent, and unwelcome sexual attention.

Professionalism in the Field

Professional visual science communicators, whether on staff or operating independently, have a responsibility to their employers/clients, to their colleagues in the field, to their audiences, and to the natural world. As practicing professionals, we conduct ourselves according to standards that create a sustainable career landscape for us all. This includes understanding and upholding copyright conventions for your own work and that of other creatives, understanding the implications of work for hire contracts, and understanding how working for free (or “for exposure”) significantly undermines your colleagues’ ability to earn a living and negatively affects the field as a whole. As science communicators, we must make every effort to understand our audiences and involve them in learning while respecting their perspectives and sensibilities. As advocates for science and the natural world, we must ensure that we minimize our impact on the creatures and environments in which we work and that we make every effort to deepen our knowledge so that we may convey what we know without misrepresentation or mistakes. Lastly, as global citizens, we must be cognizant of and respectful of the countries and cultures that we operate in, respecting local knowledge and experts, abiding by conventions and laws at every level.

Consequences of Unacceptable Behavior

In the course of enforcing this Code of Conduct, the GNSI Conference Committee leaders and/or Board of Directors may, at their own discretion, ask an individual to stop some behavior, warn the individual of their violation, or further sanction the individual. Consequences may include expulsion from the conference with no refund. Individuals are expected to comply immediately with such requests.

Reporting Unacceptable Behavior

If someone makes you or anyone else feel unsafe or unwelcome, or you are concerned about someone’s professionalism, please report it as soon as possible by contacting one of the GNSI Conference Committee Leaders and/or Board of Directors. Email them directly or fill out our anonymous reporting form. We will do our best to respond to the situation. Reports submitted anonymously are taken seriously.

Thank you and Credits

This code of conduct was inspired by the Computation + Journalism Symposium Code of Conduct, which was based on the Bocoup Code of Conductwhich was in turn inspired by the Processing DayCode of Conduct, JSConf Code of Conduct, Citizen Code of Conduct, NodeConf Photography Policy, and Open Source Bridge Recording Policy.