Code of Conduct

1. To join OoLEN, applicants need to prove their affiliation with a research group (for example by sharing a link to their group’s website).Furthermore, they should provide one of the following: i) an abstract describing their interest in OoL and how their research can contribute to it; ii) a published paper or preprint of their authorship on the topic; iii) an official link to a project/job description that confirms their research on OoL. Applicants need also to state their agreement to the mission statement and code of conduct of OoLEN by email to oolearlycareer@gmail.com, join the members forum and share one photo and a list of keywords and research tags for the website.

2. Members of OoLEN are expected to be actively engaged in the network, particularly responding to emails and requests (addressing network activities, ideas or questions about published results) from other members within an appropriate time frame. Exceptions are accepted with due justification.

3. After being granted tenure or another form of permanent position, members can remain in OoLEN for an extra three years. After this period, they will be asked to join OoLEN’s Advisory Board or Friends of OoLEN.

4. The OoLEN Advisory Board consists of previous members of OoLEN as determined in 3., as well as other individuals who have been nominated by a member of OoLEN and are then voted to be part of the Advisory Board. OoLEN Advisory board does not participate in meetings, elections and is not part of OoLEN main mailing list and has restricted access to the forum, but is consulted as needed by OoLEN for some decisions. Friends of OoLEN is a larger group that allows former participants in OoLEN or in OoLEN’s Advisory Board to remain connected to OoLEN indefinitely. Friends of OoLEN does not participate in meetings, elections and is not part of OoLEN main mailing list and has restricted access to the forum.

5. OoLEN is organized in an executive board with five members and several working groups. Every member of the executive board should be part of one working group.

6. Members of OoLEN are expected to be actively engaged in the shaping of the network. Voting in the annual election for the composition of the executive board and working groups is compulsory. Members of the executive board and working groups meet every 6 months to discuss and vote for organizational decisions, including additions to the Advisory Board. There is a maximum of three terms for a position, except in the case that no one else volunteers.

7. All members should aim for transparency, including reporting active and former collaborations between members within the network, as well as all affiliations and potential conflicts of interest.

8. Members should be enabled to share their work and ideas freely, without the fear of others claiming credit for those through plagiarism, scooping or similar practices. See Guidelines for authorship. While results discussed in the network will be handled confidentially, no member is obligated to share unpublished work.

9. Any type of confirmed (see 11.) discrimination based on race, ethnicity, nationality, class, caste, religion, belief, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, health or other status towards any person, including non-members, will entail immediate and definitive exclusion from the network.

10. Any type of confirmed (see 11.) bullying, use of aggressive language, threat, or abuse towards any person, including non-members, will entail immediate and definitive exclusion from the network.

11. The victim or witness of 9. or 10. should contact one of the members of the panel “Diversity, Inclusion and Community” to initiate an investigation. The members of said panel will then, given sufficient evidence, vote to the exclusion of the member that infringed the code on point 9. or 10.

12. Any person aware of any behaviour by a member of the OoLEN that goes against this code is asked to report to one of the members of the executive board, which will investigate the claim while protecting anonymity.