Through its yearly congress and other activities, NLSEB aims to foster the exchange of scientific ideas and provide participants with an opportunity to network with a community of evolutionary biologists. NLSEB is committed to creating an inclusive environment where everyone can participate without harassment, discrimination, exclusionary behaviour or violence of any kind. During all NLSEB activities, we promote the following values: respect, scholarship, integrity, transparency, accountability, diversity, equity, inclusivity and collegiality. While scientific discussions are encouraged, and participants may disagree with or criticize the science or opinions of others, all meeting participants must be treated with respect and consideration. Registration for NLSEB meetings or other activities is considered an agreement to abide by this Code of Conduct.

Unacceptable behaviour includes (but is not limited to) data fraud, unwillingness to share published data, disrespect for intellectual property and harassment of any kind, including unwanted verbal attention, unwanted touching, intimidation, stalking, shaming, exclusion, belittling or bullying. Any form of discrimination on the basis of gender or gender identity, sexual orientation, age, disability, physical appearance, race, religion, nationality or ethnicity is not tolerated. Harassment presented in a joking manner also constitutes unacceptable behaviour. Retaliation for reporting harassment is also unacceptable. It is reprehensible to report an incident in bad faith. Discussions, for instance via social media, about a complaint that is still under investigation by the NLSEB confidentiality advisors should be restrained and non-judgemental.

Please note that the use of certain language or images in oral or poster presentations may contravene the Code of Conduct if they are seen to represent disrespectful criticism of individuals or teams rather than valid criticism of their science, or objectify or demean individuals or groups. It is important to recognise that sensitivity to such aspects of communication varies, and what might be acceptable or humorous to some people might not be to others.

The NLSEB meeting organizers and NLSEB Board reserve the right to enforce this Code of Conduct in any manner deemed appropriate. Anyone violating the Code of Conduct may be:  (a) asked to stop,  (b) expelled from the NLSEB meeting or activity, and/or

(c) prohibited from attending future NLSEB meetings and activities. Establishing this Code of Conduct is intended to maintain the high quality and ethical standards of scientific discourse that members may expect from our meetings and activities.

 

Incidents of inappropriate and uncivil behavior are taken extremely seriously. If you experience or witness any form of inappropriate behaviour, NLSEB uses the following procedure:

(1) Issues and complaints can be brought to the attention of the society either via the confidentiality advisors or directly to the board (depending on the wish of the person in question to remain anonymous). 
(2) The board is responsible for handling the complaint, which may involve having an investigation done by an external person or by the confidentiality advisor. 
(3) The board is responsible for deciding on appropriate action. 

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Important: your name will not be communicated to anyone without your consent, unless disclosure is legally required, and no actions toward the perpetrator will be taken without your consent and without a formal investigation. Your case can be reported by the confidentiality advisors to the NLSEB board in an anonymized form.

The NLSEB confidentiality advisors can be contacted by email:

Prof.dr. Hannah Dugdale (RUG), h.l.dugdale@rug.nl 
Prof.dr. Bas Zwaan (WUR): bas.zwaan@wur.nl