Code of Conduct

R Conference 2024 is dedicated to providing a harassment-free experience for participants of the conference regardless of age, gender, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, race, or religion (or lack thereof). R Conference 2024 is a conference intended for professional networking and collaboration in the R community.

We encourage the open exchange of ideas and expression and thus require an environment that recognises the inherent worth of every person and group. An inclusive space free of harassment encourages interaction among diverse groups. We want to make certain R Conference 2024 is welcoming and encourages participants to be involved moving forward.

All participants (including organizers, attendees, presenters, sponsors, and volunteers) at R Conference 2024 are required to agree to the following code of conduct. Reports of violation of this Code of Conduct should be addressed to malaysiarusergroup@gmail.com.

This Code of Conduct applies to any participant at R Conference 2024. This CoC generally applies to conference and pre-conference events. Note that this code augments rather than replaces legal rights and obligations pertaining to any particular situation.

Expected Behavior

All event participants are expected to behave in accordance with professional standards, with both this Code of Conduct as well as their respective employer's policies governing appropriate workplace behavior, and all applicable laws.

We’re committed to providing welcome environments where people behave according to professional standards. We expect everyone at any RConsortium-affiliated event to contribute to a welcoming, civil, safe, and tolerant environment.

Examples of encouraged behavior that contributes to a positive environment include:

Using welcoming and inclusive language
Being respectful of differing viewpoints and experiences
Gracefully accepting constructive criticism
Focusing on what is best for everyone at the event
Showing empathy towards other participants

Unacceptable Behavior

Harassment will not be tolerated in any form, including but not limited to:

Intimidation or harassment of any kind.
Offensive comments related to gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, age, religion or any other status protected by laws in which the conference or program is being held.
Unwelcome comments regarding a person's lifestyle choices and practices, including those related to food, health, parenting, drugs, and employment.
Deliberate misgendering, “outing,” or use of "dead" or rejected names.
Gratuitous or off-topic blatant sexual images or behaviour in spaces where they're not appropriate.
Not respecting the privacy of other participants

Harassment in online channels

R Conference 2024 is a physical event. Please use these guidelines when engaging with participants. The above Code of Conduct applies to an online event, with the addition of:

Avoid using overtly sexual or offensive usernames or profile photos which might detract from a friendly, safe and welcoming environment for all.
Do not publish text/screenshots of anything shared in private communication channels without explicit consent from the author.

This includes screenshots of private messages to public channels, as well as conversations on public channels to anywhere outside of R Conference 2024.

Do not direct message someone without their permission.
Do not record sessions without the presenter’s permission.
The meeting host/organizer should be aware of privacy concerns for different tools. For tips on security, a good place to start is: Securing Your Zoom Meetings.

This CoC applies to all R Conference 2024 online spaces (e.g. Facebook, WhatsApp, LinkedIn, Webex, Discord).

Responses to Code of Conduct Violations

If a participant engages in behavior in violation of the CoC, the conference organizers may take any action they deem appropriate. Potential responses include:

- ban or mute from the conference spaces in order to stop the inappropriate behavior;

- a formal warning to stop the harassing behavior;

- expulsion from the conference;

- removal of sponsor displays or conference presentations, or

- cancellation or early termination of talks or other contributions to the program.

Refunds may not be given in case of expulsion.

What To Do If You Witness or Are Subject To Unacceptable Behavior

If you are being harassed, notice that someone else is being harassed, or have any other concerns relating to harassment, please contact a member of event organizers immediately. You can contact us by using the chat-box in Webex or by email at malaysiarusergroup@gmail.com.

While this code of conduct applies to spaces associated with R Conference 2024, if you are being harassed by a guest/participant of/at R Conference 2024 outside of our spaces, we still want to know about it. We will take all good-faith reports of harassment by R Conference 2024 participants seriously. This includes harassment outside our spaces and harassment that took place at any point in time. The R Conference 2024 organizing committee reserves the right to exclude people from R Conference 2024 based on their past behavior, including behavior outside R Conference 2024 spaces and behavior towards people who are not part of R Conference 2024.

If you witness or are subject to harassing behavior online, please include screenshots of the behavior, if possible, in your report.

We will respect confidentiality requests for the purpose of protecting victims of abuse. We will not name harassment victims without their affirmative consent.

Conference organizers will also provide support to victims, including, but not limited to:

- Briefing key event committee members for response/victim assistance.

- Other assistance to ensure victims feel safe for the duration of the conference.

Acknowledgements

This CoC is adapted from RConsortium CoC. This policy is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license.