Our Policy
UKSG is a community-run membership organisation whose vision is a world in which all parties involved in scholarly communications understand each other’s goals and challenges, and therefore can work together to improve the flow of knowledge and the information experience of scholars and researchers. Our community consists of librarians, publishers, vendors, researchers, and more, across a wide variety of roles, disciplines, and geographic locations.
We voice our strong, unequivocal support of appropriate behaviour by all participants at UKSG events. This means being polite, sharing the space with others, listening, and remaining civil even when we disagree with each other. Being inclusive of a diverse range of experiences and perspectives is what makes UKSG a stimulating and constructive environment. To build the best possible future in scholarly communications, we need everybody.
Everyone participating in UKSG events and discussions, whether in person or online, is expected to follow this Code of Conduct.
Our Code
All communication should be appropriate for a professional audience including people of many different backgrounds. Sexual behaviour, language, and imagery is not appropriate for any event
Be kind to others. Do not insult or put down other attendees. Be aware of jargon, which can exclude others from engaging in the discussion
Behave professionally. Remember that sexist, racist, ageist, or other exclusionary, intimidatory, or disruptive behaviour is not appropriate
Incident reporting and resolution
As a community organisation, we take a community approach to following this Code of Conduct, and assisting in any circumstances where someone appears not to be doing so.
If you observe someone making you or anyone else feel unsafe or unwelcome, please tell them so, and remind them of the Code of Conduct.
If you are hesitant about addressing the person yourself, report it as soon as possible to a member of the Code of Conduct Committee – see contact information below. The Committee is committed to addressing and resolving the matter to the best of their abilities.
For Speakers:
At UKSG, we are committed to creating an inclusive, respectful, and professional environment for all participants. As a speaker, you play a vital role in upholding these values during your presentation. Focus on delivering content relevant to the event and its objectives. Please adhere to the following principles:
• Respect Diversity: Ensure that your language, examples, and content are inclusive, respectful, and free from discriminatory or offensive material. Refrain from making remarks that could be interpreted as prejudiced based on gender, race, ethnicity, religion, disability, age, sexual orientation, or other personal characteristics.
• Foster a Positive Atmosphere: Engage with the audience constructively, respecting differing perspectives and maintaining professionalism, especially during Q&A or interactive discussions.
• Comply with Copyright and Privacy Standards: Only use materials (e.g., images, videos, text) that you have the right to share. Do not disclose personal or sensitive information about individuals without their explicit consent.
UKSG reserves the right to intervene or take action if a presentation does not align with this Code of Conduct. If you have any questions about these guidelines, please contact us in advance at events@uksg.org.
Sanctions
When someone is asked to stop any behaviour that makes others uncomfortable, they are expected to comply immediately. In response to inappropriate behaviour (e.g. sexual content, rudeness, unprofessional) organisers may take any action they deem appropriate, including warning the person in question, asking them to leave the event, or removing them from a mailing list.
Specific actions may include but are not limited to:
- asking the person to cease the inappropriate behaviour, and warning them that any further reports will result in other sanctions
- requiring that the person avoid any interaction with, and physical proximity to, another person 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 held
- requiring that the person not volunteer for future UKSG events (for a defined time period)
- requiring that the person immediately leave the event and not return
- blocking the person on Twitter (or other social media platforms, for a defined time period)
- banning the person from future events (for a defined time period)
- publishing an anonymous account of the harassment
To report an incident, please use the following contact information, and explain what happened and who was involved so that we can investigate.
Charlie Rapples, Chair, UKSG charlie@growkudos.com or Bev Acreman, Executive Director bev@uksg.org.
Thank you for your participation in the UKSG community, and your efforts to keep UKSG welcoming, respectful, and friendly for all participants!
[1] Sources include O’Reilly Media Conferences Code of Conduct
https://www.oreilly.com/conferences/code-of-conduct.html
FORCE 11 CofC
https://force11.org/info/code-of-conduct/ (CC0) – with kind permission: