for Cognitive and
Affective Neuroscience
ESCAN Code of Conduct
1. Introduction
ESCAN conferences, meetings and events are professional scientific meetings that provide a respectful, harassment-free and inclusive environment for all participants, regardless of gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, appearance, ethnicity, race, national origin, age or religion.
All delegates, online and in person, including speakers, exhibitors, sponsors, media and staff, and other participants are expected to behave with integrity and respect towards other delegates attending or involved with the ESCAN meeting and/or any related event or activity.
ESCAN is committed to informing the delegates about the code of conduct for meeting attendees. Likewise, ESCAN is committed to installing procedures and guidance for appropriate reporting of unacceptable behaviour of any kind.
The present Code of Conduct is not a legal document or prescriptive in nature. It supplements, but does not affect, the application of other relevant policies, regulations, rules and laws, including laws regulating the premises in which the ESCAN meeting takes place and any applicable host country agreement. ESCAN complies with such policies and will report all inappropriate conduct accordingly.
2. Harassment
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 ESCAN conference, or other meetings organised by the Society.
In both physical and online ESCAN conferences, or other events and meetings, participants are encouraged to report any observed or experienced harassment using the designated procedures. The Conference 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. ESCAN cannot investigate reports of harassment or other misconduct onsite but will inform the appropriate departments of the accused person’s host institution about any such filed report.
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 physical contact
• Unwelcomed sexual attention
• Advocating for, or encouraging, any of the above behaviours
3. Conduct and safety in and outside the conference venue
• All events (including educational sessions and exhibit hall activities) are exclusively reserved for registered participants. Conference badges, should be worn where possible in the conference venue.
• Non-registered individuals will not be permitted in any of the event areas. This rule excludes infants and small children of registered delegates (or similar) who may access the ESCAN venue premises under the sole responsibility and constant supervision of a registered parent and/or designated caretaker. Unregistered adults in caregiving roles are welcomed into the central entrance hall.
• Mobile phones, tablets, computers and other electronic devices must be set to silent mode throughout all scientific sessions of the Conference
• Smoking is prohibited inside the entire congress centre, except in designated smoking areas where applicable. Smoking outside is permitted according to the specific guidelines of the venue
• Where alcoholic beverages are available in the context of the Conference, participants are expected to drink responsibly. Individuals that are visibly under the influence of alcohol or other legal or illegal substances will be escorted from the Conference venue and will not be allowed re-entry
• Any audio recording, or filming of presentations at the conference, including of scientific posters is not acceptable without the expressed consent of the presenter, see also below.
• Bags or suitcases may not be left unattended at any time in or around the venue. ESCAN furthermore advises delegates to use hotel safety deposit boxes for all valuables and ESCAN takes no responsibility for lost and stolen items in or around the conference venue
• The organisers do not accept liability for personal accidents, loss, or damage to private property, which may be incurred as a result of the participation in ESCAN events. Participants are advised to secure appropriate self-insurance for their stay and travel to and from the venue.
• While the ESCAN Conference and related events are organised in objectively safe cities/areas, delegates are encouraged to observe safe practices while traveling and attending ESCAN events.
4. Conduct in online meetings
Delegates attending online ESCAN events with preregistration should not be sharing, or transferring their access links to other individuals or third parties without explicit permission from ESCAN. Non-registered individuals and minors will not be able to access such online events, unless upon prior agreement with ESCAN.
Throughout their participation in ESCAN online events, whether live between or in discussion forums afterwards, all meeting delegates are expected to interact with fellow attendees in the same way as at a physical ESCAN conferences.
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 online events will be moderated. Delegates are expected to respect the choices of the moderator in selecting questions or comments, managing session times, etc
Any recording, or filming of presentations, live sessions or other events, including scientific posters, taking place during, or associated with, an ESCAN conference or event, is prohibited without the expressed written consent of the presenter. Expressed content is a written confirmation by the author in a live chat or email correspondence.
5. Content of Presentations
All data and scientific research that is presented at the ESCAN conference and other meetings 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 an ESCAN event.
The presentation of research or data within sessions, posters or in other formal or informal engagements is the sole responsibility of the presenter. ESCAN is not responsible for the data, its accuracy or the way it was obtained
6. Registration and/or admittance of persons under 18 years of age
In accordance with national and European law, including national health and safety rules, registration and/or admittance to an ESCAN event is exclusively reserved for participants who are 18 years of age or older. Registration of a person under 18 is unauthorised and in violation of the conference’s terms and conditions for delegates.
Unregistered individuals will only be granted access to the venue following special agreement with the organisers. If special access to the conference/meeting/event is needed for any reason, and no registration is available, the person should contact the registration desk for support. Supervised minors and invited adults may in special instances have access to the ESCAN event. Such access will be granted case by case by the organisers
As mentioned above, infants and small children of registered delegates (or similar) may access the conference/event premises under the sole responsibility and constant supervision of a registered parent and/or designated individual.
7. Use of Camera and Video
Attendees of the conference are required to respect the privacy of other participants and refrain from any unauthorised or unwelcomed recording. Participants are not allowed to take videos, or other recordings 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. The use of flash is not allowed in any session or in the exhibition areas unless performed by an authorised professional photographer.
Recordings, or filming within the conference environment for professional use is not allowed without obtaining prior permission from the organiser.
ESCAN follows the guideline for consent related to the use of pictures with identifiable persons in a public space under the EU General Data Protection Regulation. Recording via video, photography or other means of participants to the ESCAN conference is in general allowed as long as people are not shown in incriminatory or private situations and images are not used in a misleading or derogatory way. Any publication of filming or recordings on social media requires the clear consent of all participants. It is highly recommended for anyone to obtain written permission before the sharing of such content, including on social media.
ESCAN adheres to the copyright laws guiding the appropriate sharing of scientific research material, including data. Authors’ consent may be requested by ESCAN in case sharing of scientific material from abstracts/posters/presentations will be required as part of ESCAN educational activities.
8. Social media
ESCAN encourages open and respectful discussions on social media and blogging platforms. Nonetheless, participants are requested to not post audio or video recordings online without obtaining appropriate permission. Participants are requested to respect any request from an author not to disseminate the contents of their presentation/poster. ESCAN highlights the importance for delegates to express cultural sensitivity and respect with regard to clothing and appearance
9. Enforcement and Reporting
The conference organisers/ESCAN reserve the right to take any action as deemed necessary as a consequence of any breach of the present Code of Conduct. This includes reporting to host institutions and permanent removal of ESCAN credentials.
In case of a breach of the Code of Conduct, the concerned individuals are requested to contact a member of the conference staff, or follow the designated conference procedures for reporting.
ESCAN reserves all rights to take any action to prevent and report violations of the Code of Conduct. Such actions can include involving the onsite security team and filing a police report when appropriate, reporting to host institutions and permanent removal of in-person or online conference, or ESCAN credentials.
10. Source
Original source and credit: Code of Conduct at FENS Forums - FENS 2022 - International Neuroscience Conference. The content was adapted for ESCAN