Ten simple rules to host an inclusive conference

Abstract

Conferences are spaces to meet and network within and across academic and technical fields, learn about new advances, and share our work. They can help define career paths and create long-lasting collaborations and opportunities. However, these opportunities are not equal for all. This article introduces 10 simple rules to host an inclusive conference based on the authors’ recent experience organizing the 2021 edition of the useR! statistical computing conference, which attracted a broad range of participants from academia, industry, government, and the nonprofit sector. Coming from different backgrounds, career stages, and even continents, we embraced the challenge of organizing a high-quality virtual conference in the context of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and making it a kind, inclusive, and accessible experience for as many people as possible. The rules result from our lessons learned before, during, and after the organization of the conference. They have been written mainly for potential organizers and selection committees of conferences and contain multiple practical tips to help a variety of events become more accessible and inclusive. We see this as a starting point for conversations and efforts towards building more inclusive conferences across the world. * Translated versions of the English abstract and the list of rules are available in 10 languages in S1 Text: Arabic, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish, Tamil, and Thai.

Not Enough: Efforts to Diversify Biogeosciences Benefit Limited Segment of Society

“…In the case of the AGU Fall Meeting there are large, often out-ofpocket, monetary costs including registration, travel, lodging, and abstract fees (if you plan on presenting) to the scientist (Skiles et al 2020). On top of this, conferences present accessibility and safety challenges to some members of our community (Joo et al 2022).…”

Ten simple rules for pushing boundaries of inclusion at academic events

“…In the academic event space, there is essential work being done at all levels to prioritise the efforts of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) committees within the planning process. EDI committees work towards, for example, supporting physical access for disabled colleagues, improving global reach through virtual events, broadening language diversity, fundraising to support the participation of underrepresented communities, and developing inclusive communication strategies [6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15]. A previous publication, Ten Simple Rules to host an inclusive conference [7], provides a comprehensive overview of the creation of diverse EDI teams, welcoming environments, improved physical accessibility, and the development of inclusive communication strategies.…”

“…EDI committees work towards, for example, supporting physical access for disabled colleagues, improving global reach through virtual events, broadening language diversity, fundraising to support the participation of underrepresented communities, and developing inclusive communication strategies [6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15]. A previous publication, Ten Simple Rules to host an inclusive conference [7], provides a comprehensive overview of the creation of diverse EDI teams, welcoming environments, improved physical accessibility, and the development of inclusive communication strategies. Many inclusivity practices, such as childcare support and diversity in speakers, that may have been unimaginable a few years ago, are now mainstream event considerations in 2023.…”

The manifold costs of being a non-native English speaker in science

“…These nationalities are stratified by the level of each country’s English proficiency (based on the English Proficiency Index [ 21 ]) and income (based on the World Bank list of economies [ 22 ]): Bangladeshi, Nepali (low English proficiency and lower-middle income), Japanese (low English proficiency and high income), Bolivian, Ukrainian (moderate English proficiency and lower-middle income), Spanish (moderate English proficiency and high income), Nigerian (English as an official language and lower-middle income), and British (English as an official language and high income). This is to distinguish the effect of language barriers from the effect of other types of barriers in science that are often confounded with language barriers, notably economic barriers to conference participations [ 23 , 24 ]. The survey asks participants about the amount of effort needed to conduct 5 categories of scientific activities: paper reading, writing, publication, and dissemination, and participation in conferences (see Materials and methods for more details and S1 Text for the survey itself).…”

“…Other biases in survey participants may also exist (see Limitations in Materials and methods for discussion). Although the survey was designed to isolate the disadvantages associated solely with language barriers, we cannot dismiss the possibility that the cost we have quantified may incorporate, at least partly, the cost associated with other barriers in science, such as economic, social, identity, and immigration barriers, which many scholars from countries where English is not widely spoken often experience [ 23 , 24 , 31 ]. While this may be a potential limitation of this study, what this implies in practice is that the disadvantages faced by non-native English speakers could be even bigger and more multifaceted.…”