Code of conduct at FENS Forums

Forum delegates will be provided with personalised credentials allowing them access to the Virtual Forum. These credentials are personal and non-transferable. Non-registered individuals and minors will not be able to access the Virtual Forum, unless upon prior agreement with the Virtual Forum organisers.

Throughout the Virtual Forum, all meeting delegates are expected to interact with fellow attendees in the same way as at a physical FENS Forum. As such:

• All communication, be it verbal or electronic, must be carried out in a respectful and polite manner. Inappropriate messaging or contact will not be tolerated.
• Live sessions during the Forum will be moderated. Delegates are expected to respect the choices of the moderator in selecting questions or comments, managing session times, etc.
• Any recording, filming, photography, screenshots or other capturing of presentations, live sessions or other events, including scientific posters, taking place during, or associated with, the FENS 2020 Virtual Forum, is prohibited without the expressed consent of the presenter. Expressed content is a written confirmation by the author in a live chat or email correspondence

Participants are encouraged to report any experienced harassment to the designated FENS staff on forum2020@fens.org. The Forum organisers reserve the right to take any action deemed appropriate in case of harassment. Host institutions of reported individuals will be notified about filed harassment reports.

Attendees of the FENS 2020 Virtual Forum are required to respect the privacy of other participants and refrain from any unauthorised or unwelcomed recording or photography, including recording of any direct or indirect interactions or electronic messaging with other meeting delegates. Participants are not allowed to take photos or videos of scientific material shown unless express prior consent by the presenter has been ascertained. Moreover, integral recording of complete oral presentations is not allowed unless these are done by a professional entity that has been contracted for this purpose by or on behalf of the organiser.

Taking photos and recordings within the Forum environment for professional use is not allowed without obtaining prior permission from the organiser.

FENS adheres to the copyright laws guiding the appropriate sharing of scientific research material, including data. Authors’ consent may be requested by FENS in case sharing of scientific material from abstracts/posters/presentations will be required as part of FENS educational activities.

• As detailed under “Online behaviour at the FENS 2020 Virtual Forum,” any recording, filming, photography, screenshots or other capturing of presentations, live sessions or other events, including scientific posters, taking place during, or associated with, the FENS 2020 Virtual Forum, is prohibited without the expressed consent of the presenter. Expressed content is a written confirmation by the author in a live chat or email correspondence.

Presenters and exhibitors are strongly encouraged to clearly indicate whether or not photography/recording of the poster, presentation, or exhibit booth and sharing/remixing of the material is permitted. To aid in this process, FENS will provide presenters with a digital graphic Image to incorporate into their slides/poster or to print and display. The images are available on the FENS 2020 Virtual Forum website.

For the purpose of these guidelines, harassment consists of improper or unwelcome conduct that might reasonably be perceived as causing offence or humiliation to another person. Harassment may involve any conduct of a verbal, non-verbal or physical nature, including written and electronic communication, and may occur between persons of the same or different genders. Harassment in any form is not tolerated at the Forum.

Examples of harassment include, but are not limited to:

• Verbal comments that reinforce social structures of domination related to gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, ethnicity, race, age, religion, political affiliation
• The production or non-consensual sharing of harassing non-consensual photography or unwanted recording, including sexual images in public spaces (in any format, electronic or otherwise)
• Deliberate intimidation, stalking or following
• Sustained disruption of talks, sessions or other events
• Inappropriate contact, including via electronic communications
• Unwelcomed sexual attention
• Advocating for, or encouraging, any of the above behaviours

All data and scientific research that is presented at the FENS Forum shall be based on original research findings that have been derived from procedures and experiments that adhere to the accepted guidelines for good ethical and experimental research conduct. Presenters are responsible for the content of their presentations, whether oral or written, and shall secure appropriate consent from collaborators and funders, as relevant, prior to any presentation at the FENS Forum.

FENS encourages open and respectful discussions on social media and blogging platforms. Nonetheless, participants are requested to not post images or video online without obtaining appropriate permission. Participants are requested to respect any request from an author not to disseminate the contents of their presentation/poster. FENS highlights the importance for delegates to express cultural sensitivity and respect with regard to clothing and appearance.