Open philosophy
BIOS² fellows are trained in open science.
Science allows us to be part of something bigger, and to foster a healthy, collaborative and truly inclusive scientific enterprise, it’s essential that we give back at least as much as we take from the community. We could get down into the weeds about specific tools and techniques that we use in our open science infrastructure here, but those tools are used to support these values, they themselves are not the values.
What we commit to do, as open scientists, is:
- Make supporting research data freely available whenever possible, to support future use in meta-analyses, reviews, and revisitations of our work.
- Respect privacy and confidentiality in cases where data or research products contain sensitive information. Do no harm.
- Produce and share reproducible, re-usable data manipulation and analysis code, so people can understand our assumptions and workflows, and so future scientists can learn from our efforts without duplicating them.
- Publish final manuscripts AND intermediate research products in the most accessible formats available to us.
- Seek out expertise from conventional and unconventional stakeholders in our work. Invite comment and participation. Welcome feedback.
- Acknowledge contributions to our work. Provide territorial acknowledgements. Cite the ideas of others. Don’t pretend we work in a vacuum.
- Act as ambassadors of open science, and science in general, to the broader scientific community and the world. Help people see what we do, but respect the constraints others must work under.
Inclusive culture
Science is hard, and the work of making sure science isn’t harder than it must be is a shared responsability. We create our culture, and within the BIOS² program our culture is inclusive. We value the participation of every member of our community and want to ensure an that every members has a positive educational experience unhindered by unneccesary challenges caused by non-inclusive behavior.
BIOS2 follow the Diversity and inclusivity engagement of the Canadian Society for Ecology and Evolution. As such, we embrace diversity and inclusivity and believes that all fellows deserve to be treated with respect, dignity and kindness and will treat others in the same manner. We recognize the role we have to play in promoting diversity and encouraging inclusivity in our activities.
Code of conduct
The BIOS² selection committee and all of the instructors and mentors are dedicated to a harassment and discrimination-free experience for everyone. Unacceptable behavior includes offensive verbal comments related to gender, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, religion, sexual images in public spaces, deliberate intimidation, stalking, following, harassing photography or recording, sustained disruption of discussions, inappropriate physical contact, and unwelcome sexual attention. We do not tolerate harassment or discrimination by and/or of members of our community in any form.
To make clear what is expected, we ask all members of the community to conform to the following Code of Conduct.
- Be kind to yourself. Be mindful of your limits, and do not exhaust yourself.
- Be kind to others. Do not insult or put down other contributors.
- Behave professionally. Remember that harassment and sexist, racist, or exclusionary jokes are not appropriate.
- Please make an effort to make an inclusive environment for everyone. Give everyone a chance to talk and an opportunity to contribute.
- All communication – online and in person – should be appropriate for a professional audience including people of many different backgrounds. Sexual or discriminatory language and imagery is not appropriate at any time.
- Be aware that your actions can be hurtful to others or contribute to a negative environment even if you had no intent of harm. Listen. Offer a genuine apology. Commit to learning and doing better.
- A SPECIAL NOTE: Much of our work in BIOS² may be in various online public spaces, such as github, twitter, or Discourse forums. Please conduct yourself accordingly.
Participants asked to stop any harassing or discriminatory behavior are expected to comply immediately.
Members of the BIOS² community who violate these rules – no matter how much they have contributed, or how specialized their skill set – will be asked to stop any harassing or discriminatory behavior immediately. If inappropriate behaviour persists, the issue will be escalated according to procedures laid out by the relevant entities at UdeS, UdeM, and/or the member’s home institution.
To report an issue you can contact: info.bios2@usherbrooke.ca
Photo credit: Luc Bélanger | Unsplash