Updating our Code of Conduct

We are very happy to announce the publication of RECON’s new code of conduct. We care about our members and it is deeply important to us that they find being a part of RECON to be a positive experience. Anything short of that is unacceptable. To this end, an update to the existing Code of Conduct was well overdue, to reflect RECON’s evolution beyond solely software development (and in turn, to reflect that RECON activities now extend to training, workshops etc). The new Code of Conduct (developed by members of the Executive Board in conjunction with a small number of RECON’s broader membership) is available at https://www.repidemicsconsortium.org/CODE_OF_CONDUCT/, and does the following:

  • Formally set out the expectations of RECON members and establish a standard of behaviour for members of our community. Specifically, “to act and interact in ways that contribute to an open, welcoming, diverse, inclusive, and healthy community.”
  • Give examples of both positive and negative behaviours that, whilst not exhaustive, are intended to give readers a sense of the environment we are striving to create with this Code of Conduct.
  • State clearly the scope of the Code of Conduct and the enforcement responsibilities for actions taken in response to breaches – specifically, that it applies in all settings (virtual or physical) where an individual is representing RECON or participating in a RECON event. And that it is the responsibility of community leaders (the Executive Board) to take appropriate actions in response to complaints.
  • Describe in-depth a new reporting system by which complaints can be registered and dealt with. This involves a dedicated Code of Conduct Committee (one of whom will be entirely independent of the Executive Board), as well as describe the types of remedial or disciplinary actions that will be taken in response to breaches of the Code of Conduct.

We are indebted to the work of others in the broader software development community who have greatly influenced the contents of this Code of Conduct. This includes those responsible for the Contributor Covenant (https://www.contributor-covenant.org/, which the current Code of Conduct draws extensively from), as well as the team at rOpenSci (https://ropensci.org/code-of-conduct/), whose Code of Conduct and reporting guidelines we also took substantial inspiration from. Thank you!

We would like to finish by noting that we intend for the Code of Conduct to be a dynamic and evolving document, and so would welcome any feedback and comments you might have. Thank you for working with us as we endeavour to make being a part of RECON a welcoming and friendly experience!