ELPUB 2018 Code of Conduct
Connecting the Knowledge Commons:
From Projects to Sustainable Infrastructure
If you have any comments on how this policy can be improved, your suggestions are welcome at elpub2018@utsc.utoronto.ca.
Introduction
The International Conference on Electronic Publishing (ELPUB) has featured research results in various aspects of digital publishing for over two decades. Involvement in the conference has come from a diverse international community of researchers across the disciplines in the sciences and the humanities, librarians, developers, publishers, editors, entrepreneurs and administrators.
The annual ELPUB conference events are community events intended for networking and collaboration as well as learning. We value the participation of every member of the research and broader community and want all attendees to have an enjoyable and fulfilling experience. Accordingly, all attendees are expected to show respect and courtesy to other attendees throughout the event and in interactions online associated with the event.
The ELPUB event organizers are dedicated to providing a harassment-free experience for everyone, regardless of gender, gender identity and expression, age, sexual orientation, abilities, physical appearance, body size, race, ethnicity, religion (or lack thereof), technology choices, or other group status.
We expect participants to follow the rules listed below at all conference venues, conference-related social events, community gatherings, and online communication channels.
Thank you for your participation in the ELPUB community, and your efforts to keep ELPUB a safe and friendly space for all participants!
Expectations
To make clear what is expected, everyone taking part in ELPUB events and discussions— speakers, volunteers, organizers, and participants — is expected to conform to the following Code of Conduct. We are committed to providing a welcoming and inspiring community for all and expect our Code of Conduct to be honored. Anyone who violates this Code of Conduct may be asked to leave the community.
To that end, we ask all attendees to adhere to the following:
- All communication should be appropriate for a professional audience including people of many different backgrounds. Sexual language and imagery is not appropriate for any event. Harassment and sexist, racist, ageist, or exclusionary behavior or comments are not appropriate.
- Be kind to others. Do not insult or put down other attendees. Be mindful of jargon, which can sometimes exclude others from engaging in the discussion.
- Native English speakers should be aware that the communication language of the conference is “English as Lingua Franca” or “International English” and not English. They are therefore encouraged to refrain from using idiomatic expressions in their presentations and to speak slowly and distinctly in their conversations to be sure that everyone can participate on a more equal footing in the global conversation.
- Be mindful of how much time and space you’re taking up. Be aware of your power and privilege, and whether you’re taking advantage of it. Listen and be respectful of others.
- Note that as a community organization, we take a community approach to ensuring the safety and comfort of all attendees. Everyone is responsible for assisting in any circumstances where anyone appears to not following the Code of Conduct.
Diversity Statement
We encourage everyone to participate and are committed to building a community for all. We seek to treat everyone both as fairly and equally as possible. Whenever a participant has made a mistake, we expect them to take responsibility for it. If someone has been harmed or offended, it is our responsibility to listen carefully and respectfully, and do our best to right the wrong.
Although this list cannot be exhaustive, we explicitly honour diversity in age, gender, gender identity or expression, culture, ethnicity, language, national origin, political beliefs, profession, race, religion, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, physical and technical ability. We will not tolerate discrimination based on any of the protected characteristics above, including participants with disabilities.
Anti-Harassment Policy: At Events and Online
We value your attendance. We do not tolerate harassment of conference participants in any form. Participants asked to stop any harassing behavior are expected to comply immediately. Conference participants violating these rules may be sanctioned or expelled from the conference without a refund at the discretion of the conference organizers. A full list of sanctions is listed below. Conference partners are also subject to the anti-harassment policy.
ELPUB event organizers can be identified by their name badges, and will be happy to help participants contact campus police or local law enforcement, provide escorts, or otherwise assist those experiencing harassment to feel safe for the duration of the conference, at the request of a participant. We expect participants to follow these rules at conference and workshop venues and conference-related social events.
Conflict Resolution
If someone makes you or anyone else feel unsafe or unwelcome, please report it as soon as possible to an ELPUB staff member if you are hesitant about addressing the person yourself. At any time, you can reach us either in person or via email or phone (see contact information below). We are committed to address and resolve the issue in question to the best of our abilities.
Harassment and other Code of Conduct violations reduce the value of our event for everyone. We want you to be happy at our event. People like you make our event a better place.
You can make a report either personally or anonymously.
Reporting
If you experience or witness unacceptable behaviour—or have any other concerns—please report it by contacting us:
Leslie Chan, Conference Co-Chair – chan@utsc.utoronto.ca
Dora Chan, Conference Manager – elpub2018@utsc.utoronto.ca
All reports will be handled with discretion. After filing a report, a representative will contact you personally, review the incident, follow up with any additional questions, and make a decision as to how to respond.
Sanctions
Participants asked to stop any behavior that make others uncomfortable are expected to comply immediately. If a participant engages in harassing behavior, organizers may take any action they deem appropriate, including warning the person in question, removal from the ELPUB event, or banning the offender from a mailing list.
Specific actions may include but are not limited to:
- warning the person to cease their behaviour and that any further reports will result in other sanctions
requiring that the person avoid any interaction with, and physical proximity to, their victim for the remainder of the event - early termination of a talk that violates the policy
- not publishing the video or slides of a talk that violated the policy
- not allowing a speaker who violated the policy to give (further) talks at the event
- immediately ending any event volunteer responsibilities and privileges the harasser holds requiring that the person not volunteer for future ELPUB events (either indefinitely or for a certain time period)
- requiring that the person immediately leave the event and not return
- banning the person from future events (either indefinitely or for a certain time period)
- publishing an account of the harassment
Acknowledgements
We’d like to thank the communities and projects that established Code of Conducts and diversity statements as our inspiration. This Code of Conduct is based on the FORCE11 Code of Conduct, which is drawn from the Code4Lib Code Of Conduct, inspired by the ADA Initiative. This Code of Conduct also draws from the OpenCon Code of Conduct.
