(Approved by the Public Affairs Committee, Fall 2018; modified by the Public Affairs Committee and SICB President, Fall 2020)

Materials prepared by the presenters together with the content of all oral presentations and poster presentations at the SICB Annual Meeting, whether presented virtually or in person, are the property of the presenters. Video and audio recording of oral presentations and poster presentations without the prior written consent of the presenters are prohibited. This prohibition includes capturing or downloading the video or audio of online, virtual presentations without the prior written consent of the presenters. Still images of presentations or parts of posters may be captured for social media distribution unless the presenter opts out, per the following SICB Social Media Policy.

SICB Social Media Policy

SICB recognizes that social media is a common tool for communication at scientific meetings. However, there remains a wide range of opinions about the proper use and utility of social media. SICB supports and enforces a formal opt-out model of social media dissemination during our annual meetings. If you want to ensure that your presentation is not shared on social media, add the appropriate image (no tweeting or no photographs, which includes video) in the lower right corner of your slide or poster board or other graphical content. These images are available to download (No Tweeting) and (No Photos).

If this policy is broken we encourage presenters to first ask that social media posts be taken down. If this interaction is not possible or if the posts are not removed in a timely fashion, presenters should contact socialmediaconcerns@sicb.org. Recurrent violators of this policy may be barred from future meetings.

In addition to the formal opt-out policy, there are best practices for social media usage at scientific meetings to which we encourage attendees to adhere. Social media content provides long-lived public access to the conference, the data, and the ideas presented. These are the guidelines for expected community behavior:

• Always be respectful of a presenter’s wishes to opt-out of social media dissemination.
• Be professional and respectful in your posts. SICB strives to create a supportive environment, especially in criticism. Critiques should be limited and will be better received if constructive and communicated more personally (e.g., in-person, email, direct message) than publicly broadcast through social media.
• To increase access, please add alt text to your images (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook), and captions to your videos (autocaption apps).
• Use discretion when creating visual content. Do not share images that may include proprietary data. Images of presenters with their title slides are a good way to advertise your enthusiasm for a presentation without accidentally sharing data.
• If you are active on social media, include your handle(s) and platform(s) in your presentation so that others may more easily credit you. If you are sharing information about a presentation, include those handles and links to the presenter’s webpage or publications if possible.
• When sharing information about someone else’s presentation, make sure to clearly attribute intellectual content to the presenter (where appropriate).
• Differentiate your opinions from statements made by the presenter.
• Getting highlighted on social media is an excellent opportunity for scientists to gain visibility. Try to be mindful as you post to include a diverse representation of scientists.