SABER meetings are a fantastic place to gain new ideas, discover new methodologies, and learn about the latest research happening in the DBER community. They are also a place to find like-minded colleagues willing to mentor and support each other in intellectual and teaching endeavors. Moreover, they are a place where researchers are testing out new ideas, sharing unpublished data, and opening themselves and their work up to scrutiny. With this comes the responsibility of an academic community to create a safe space to do these things without the worry that intellectual property (IP) could be stolen or shared inappropriately on social media, where criticisms sometimes become less than constructive. With the widespread use of social media, it can be difficult to navigate the boundary between appropriate and inappropriate use of IP. The guidelines in this SABER policy are in place to help members navigate this boundary and to ensure SABER members know we value their IP and their right to determine how the IP they present at our events is distributed beyond the official dissemination format of the meeting. 

SABER Intellectual Property Policy

While we encourage the sharing and promoting of each other’s work in the SABER community, we affirm that all materials presented at SABER meetings, whether presented virtually or in person, on posters, in roundtables, in SIG discussions, or in oral presentations, are the IP of the authors and presenter(s). It is prohibited to video or audio record presentations without prior written consent from the presenters. Still images are allowable for personal or academic use and for social media distribution unless presenters opt out, per the following SABER Social Media and Intellectual Property Policy.

SABER Social Media Policy

We encourage the use of social media to communicate respectfully about colleagues and their scholarship. However, we strongly condemnthe use of social media to belittle or openly criticize colleagues or their work, or for the purpose of furthering a social or political agenda in a way that is not in keeping with the authors’ intent. SABER has chosen to utilize an opt-out model of social media dissemination during our annual meetings. To ensure that your presentation is not shared on social media, please indicate this preference at the start of your presentation or on your poster or presentation materials, and specify what the limitations are in clear language (we suggest you use our common icons). If presenters have not opted out, we suggest the following respectful practices as SABER community expectations concerning social media:

• Always abide by the presenter’s stated preferences for permissible sharing of IP.

• Demonstrate professionalism in all posts. SABER encourages open dialogue and appropriate scientific skepticism but also strives for a supportive, welcoming, and collegial environment. Please ensure that any critiques you offer  are respectful and constructive. 

• To increase access, we encourage the use of alt text with images and captions with videos.

• Use discretion with visual content such that images do not share proprietary and/or unpublished data and such that presenters are displayed respectfully. An example of an appropriate way to promote someone’s work is a picture of the presenter in front of their title slide.

• Include as much information about the presenter as possible (e.g., name, social media handles, websites, links) such that the presenter is given credit.

• Differentiate your opinions or reactions from statements made by the presenter. 

• Strive to be inclusive in your posts, both in language used and individuals highlighted.

Procedures for violations of IP and SM Policies:

 If these policies are broken, the following procedures should be followed: 

1. We encourage presenters to first ask the individual who posted that the images/posts be taken down. 

2. Document the violation through the Concerns About Code of Conduct Form.  This form is submitted to the Managing Director and will be addressed by the Managing Director and the President. 

3. If it is not resolved (e.g., the individual who posted cannot be contacted, they refuse to remove content, or fail to do so in a timely manner), or the offender repeats their behavior, they may be banned from future meeting attendance.