Code of Conduct

Last updated: 2026-06-22

Our Pledge

We as members, contributors, and leaders of OSRN pledge to make participation in our community a harassment-free experience for everyone, regardless of age, body size, visible or invisible disability, ethnicity, sex characteristics, gender identity and expression, level of experience, education, socioeconomic status, nationality, personal appearance, race, caste, color, religion, or sexual identity and orientation.

We pledge to act and interact in ways that contribute to an open, welcoming, and healthy community built around serious research and practical engineering.

Our Standards

Behavior that contributes to a positive environment includes:

  • Giving and receiving constructive criticism on research methods, code, and writing without personal judgment
  • Giving credit to others’ prior work, including citing the correct author when you build on an idea from a community member
  • Asking for clarification before assuming bad intent in an ambiguous message
  • Accepting that people have different levels of research experience, and adjusting explanations accordingly
  • Focusing on what is best for the research community rather than individual recognition
  • Respecting that people may have limited time and that a slow response is not a sign of disrespect

Behavior that is not acceptable in this community:

  • Personal attacks, insults, or derogatory comments directed at a person rather than their work
  • Harassment in any form, public or private, including unwanted contact after someone has asked for it to stop
  • Dismissing or devaluing someone’s research contribution based on their institutional affiliation, credential level, or whether they are a student, independent researcher, or practitioner
  • Publishing others’ private information (email, location, affiliation) without explicit permission
  • Sexual attention or advances of any kind in the context of OSRN activities
  • Conduct that would be considered unprofessional in an academic or professional research setting

Enforcement

Contact: Report violations to hello@OSTRN.org. All reports are reviewed confidentially. You will receive an acknowledgment within 72 hours.

Escalation: If a report involves the Founding Director or a Steering Group member, the matter is referred to the full Steering Group, with the involved party recused from deliberation.

Responses: Depending on severity, responses range from a private warning to temporary suspension to permanent removal from OSRN. Decisions are made by the Steering Group and communicated to the reporter and the person reported.

Appeals: Any enforcement decision can be appealed to the full Steering Group within 14 days. The Steering Group’s decision on appeal is final.

Additional Documents

Attribution

This Code of Conduct is adapted from the Contributor Covenant, version 2.1, available at https://www.contributor-covenant.org/version/2/1/code_of_conduct.html.

For answers to common questions about this code of conduct, see the FAQ at https://www.contributor-covenant.org/faq.

OSRN | Open Science and Technology Research Network | Founded 2026