Code of Conduct

INFORMS Code of Conduct Policy

This group is governed by INFORMS Code of Conduct Policy approved by the Board of Directors on October 23, 2021.

This Code of Conduct Policy of The Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS) requires that all participants conduct themselves during INFORMS activities in a professional manner that is welcoming to all participants and free from any form of discrimination, harassment, intimidation, or retaliation. Participants agree to treat each other with respect and consideration to create and ensure a collegial, inclusive, and professional environment. 

All participants in INFORMS activities agree to comply with this Code of Conduct Policy. “All participants” includes, but is not limited to, members, officers, directors, attendees, guests, presenters, speakers, contractors, exhibitors, sponsors, authors, reviewers, editors, volunteers, entrants, and certification holders.

This Code of Conduct Policy applies to all INFORMS activities, which include but are not limited to:

  • Any meeting or call, whether in-person or online, whose purpose is to conduct or discuss matters related to INFORMS business, events, publications, awards, or initiatives.
  • Any element of an INFORMS conference or workshop, such as plenary sessions, technical sessions, tutorials, tours, receptions, business meetings, networking sessions.
  • Any component of the publication review process associated with an INFORMS journal, such as the editorial and review tasks for handling a submission and the responses from the authors. 
  • Any communications that are hosted by INFORMS or by an INFORMS subdivision. 
  • Any INFORMS-sponsored professional development activity or certification activity. 
  • Any INFORMS-sponsored social activity.
  • Any non-INFORMS activity, where the person is acting as a representative of INFORMS.

Participants are expected to avoid any inappropriate actions or statements based on individual characteristics such as age, race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, physical appearance, body size, marital status, nationality, political affiliation, ability status, educational background, or any other characteristic protected by law. Harassment, including but not limited to sexual harassment, or disruptive behavior of any kind will not be tolerated. This includes, but is not limited to, any behavior or language that is inappropriate, aggressive, or intimidating; unwelcome jokes or comments; unwanted touching or attention; stalking; harassing photography or recording; offensive or sexually oriented images; and aggressive physical behavior. Promoting or encouraging any of the above behavior is likewise prohibited.

INFORMS reserves the right to take any necessary and appropriate action against a participant who engages in any form of harassment or inappropriate behavior in violation of this Policy, including removal of the participant. If there is a question of immediate danger, action may be taken to ensure immediate safety of all participants regardless of any procedure that may follow. 

How to Report: If a participant experiences or observes inappropriate comments or actions that may be in violation of the Code of Conduct Policy, the participant should report their experience or observation to the INFORMS Hotline — by phone: 855-650-0005; online: https://www.lighthouse-services.com/informs; by e-mail: reports@lighthouse-services.com; or by fax: 215-689-3885 (must include “INFORMS” with the report). Reporting may be made anonymously. However, if an individual chooses to submit an anonymous report, this may inhibit INFORMS’ ability to investigate the charge without further information. (Lighthouse Services is an independent provider hired by INFORMS to provide this service.) 

Retaliation for good faith reports of inappropriate conduct will not be tolerated and are violations of the Code of Conduct Policy. In addition, a participant who is shown to have made a knowingly false or frivolous accusation in a report filed under this Policy will be considered to have violated this Code of Conduct Policy and may be subject to the disciplinary actions outlined within it.

Post-complaint Process: All reports will be investigated and will be handled confidentially to the extent possible. The current President and the Executive Director, in consultation with legal counsel (when warranted), will investigate the charge to determine whether there has been a violation of the Code of Conduct Policy. Depending upon the circumstances, they may engage a third-party to further investigate the facts and circumstances reported and/or appoint an ad hoc committee to conduct the investigation and recommend disciplinary action, if warranted.  

When a report is filed, the individual accused of the violation will be notified of the complaint and informed of the investigation process, within thirty (30) days of the initial compliant being filed. This individual will have an opportunity to respond to the complaint and provide input to the investigation, within thirty (30) days of receiving the complaint. 

Post-investigation Process: If an investigation substantiates that a violation of this Policy has occurred, the current President and the Executive Director will determine disciplinary action.  These actions may include, but are not limited to, a written or verbal warning, ejection from a meeting without refund, ban from publishing articles and/or online posting, ban on volunteer activities or holding officer or leadership role, ban on all activities, revocation of certification or awards, and/or recommendation to the Board of Directors of revocation of membership, or any other action deemed appropriate by INFORMS. The action may be time specific, or lifetime based on the severity of the violation.  

If the recommended consequence is revocation of membership, the Board of Directors will be required to approve the revocation per INFORMS Bylaw 1.6. 

Those who have been accused will be informed of the outcome. Persons deemed to be in violation of the Code of Conduct Policy will receive written documentation of any actions taken.  Those who report an incident and/or were involved will be informed of the outcome unless they request otherwise, or their contact information is not available.

Should either party wish to appeal a decision within thirty (30) days after it is made, they may make an appeal to the President of INFORMS who is required to bring the matter to the full Board of Directors for review within an additional sixty (60) days. Grounds for appeal include a claim of procedural error, substantive or significant new evidence, or evidence of bias in the fact-finding and decision process. The Board may uphold, reject, or adjust the findings or ask for further investigation. The determination of the Board of Directors is final and cannot be appealed.

The Executive Director’s Office is responsible for record keeping of complaints and actions. 

 Staff is not covered by this Code of Conduct but must abide by substantially similar policies.

 This policy is for INFORMS-related activities. Violations that may have occurred during a non-INFORMS-related setting should follow the rules of that setting. For example, misconduct between a professor and a student occurring at the university should follow the university’s code of conduct even if both individuals are INFORMS members.

 If the report involves the current President, or if the President has a conflict of interest, the Executive Committee, absent the President, will replace the President in this process. If the report involves the Executive Director, or if the Executive Director has a conflict of interest, the Executive Committee will replace the Executive Director in this process.

 The name of the complainant may be shared.

 If a secondary policy exists for a certain area (for example, Fellows Revocation Policy, INFORMS Guidelines for Copyright & Plagiarism), a recommendation will be made to that entity.

 The Immediate Past President or President-Elect may be asked to shepherd this appeal process if the President led the initial investigation. Timing of presidential terms will need to be considered. The aim is to ask a President who did not lead the investigation to lead the appeal. 

INFORMS Connect Rules & Etiquette

Thank you for being part of INFORMS Connect. To ensure the best possible experience for all members, we have established some basic guidelines for participation.

By joining and using INFORMS Connect, you agree that you have read and will follow these rules and guidelines. You also agree to reserve discussions and shared files and content to that best suited to the medium. This is a great medium with which to solicit the advice of your peers, benefit from their experience, and participate in an ongoing conversation. Questions should be directed to our Membership & Communities department via informs@informs.org

Please take a moment to acquaint yourself with these important guidelines. If you have questions, contact the Membership & Communities department. In order to preserve a climate that encourages both civil and fruitful dialogue, we reserve the right to suspend or terminate membership in this community for anyone who violates these rules.

The Rules

  • Don't challenge or attack others. The discussions and comments are meant to stimulate conversation not to create contention. Let others have their say, just as you may. 
  • Don't post commercial messages on any discussion list, resource library entry, or other area where others might see it. Contact people directly with product and service information if you believe it would help them.
  • Use caution when discussing products. Information posted on the lists and in the libraries is available for all to see, and comments are subject to libel, slander, and antitrust laws. 
  • All defamatory, abusive, profane, threatening, offensive, or illegal materials are strictly prohibited. Do not post anything that you would not want the world to see or that you would not want anyone to know came from you. 
  • Please note carefully all items listed in the disclaimer and legal rules below, particularly regarding the copyright ownership of information posted. 
  • Remember that other participants have the right to reproduce postings to this site unless you specify otherwise. 
  • Post your message or documents only to the most appropriate lists or libraries. Do not spam several lists or libraries with the same message.
  • All messages must add to the body of knowledge. We reserve the right to reject any message for any reason.

Discussion Group Etiquette

  • Include a signature tag on all messages. Include your name, affiliation, location. 
  • State concisely and clearly the topic of your comments in the subject line. This allows members to respond more appropriately to your posting and makes it easier for members to search the archives by subject. 
  • Include only the relevant portions of the original message in your reply. Delete any header information, and put your response before the original posting. 
  • Only send a message to the entire list when it contains information that everyone can benefit from. 
  • Send messages such as "thanks for the information" or "me, too" to individuals--not to the entire list. Do this by using the "Reply to Sender" link to the left of every message.
  • Do not send administrative messages, such as remove me from the list. Instead, use the web interface to change your settings or to remove yourself from a list. If you are changing e-mail addresses, you do not need to remove yourself from the list and rejoin under your new e-mail address. Simply change your settings. 
  • Warn other list subscribers of lengthy messages either in the subject line or at the beginning of the message body with a line that says "Long Message." 
     

The Legal Stuff

This site is provided as a service for the members of INFORMS.  INFORMS is not responsible for the opinions and information posted on this site by others. We disclaim all warranties with regard to information posted on this site, whether posted by INFORMS or any third party; this disclaimer includes all implied warranties of merchantability and fitness. In no event shall INFORMS be liable for any special, indirect, or consequential damages or any damages whatsoever resulting from loss of use, data, or profits, arising out of or in connection with the use or performance of any information posted on this site.

Do not post any defamatory, abusive, profane, threatening, offensive, or illegal materials. Do not post any information or other material protected by copyright without the permission of the copyright owner. By posting material, the posting party warrants and represents that he or she owns the copyright with respect to such material or has received permission from the copyright owner. In addition, the posting party grants INFORMS and users of this site the nonexclusive right and license to display, copy, publish, distribute, transmit, print, and use such information or other material.

Messages should not be posted if they encourage or facilitate members to arrive at any agreement that either expressly or impliedly leads to price fixing, a boycott of another's business, or other conduct intended to illegally restrict free trade. Messages that encourage or facilitate an agreement about the following subjects are inappropriate: prices, discounts, or terms or conditions of sale; salaries; profits, profit margins, or cost data; market shares, sales territories, or markets; allocation of customers or territories; or selection, rejection, or termination of customers or suppliers.

INFORMS does not actively monitor the site for inappropriate postings and does not on its own undertake editorial control of postings. However, in the event that any inappropriate posting is brought to the attention of INFORMS we will take all appropriate action.

INFORMS reserves the right to terminate access to any user who does not abide by these guidelines.