Confidentiality & Reporting Policy for CSHL Meetings
Confidentiality and Use of Information
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory meetings attract scientists for intensive discussions of the latest discoveries in a broad range of the biological and biomedical sciences. The Laboratory encourages the presentation of unpublished data at our meetings - therefore all material presented at the meeting, including abstracts, oral presentations and posters, must be treated as personal communication and should be cited only with the consent of the author.
Photography or video/audio recording of oral presentations or individual posters is strictly prohibited except with the advance permission of the presenter(s), the organizers, and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
Abstracts, oral and poster presentations are the responsibility of the author(s) and publication of an abstract or presentation of a talk or poster does not imply endorsement by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory of the studies reported. Abstracts, talks and poster presentations should not be cited in bibliographies.
Reporting Policy
Journalists, science writers, and editors are encouraged to attend these meetings, which provide unparalleled opportunities for reporting on and keeping current with a wide variety of topics. Reporters must obtain permission in advance from the relevant scientist prior to reporting any spoken or printed information gleaned from the meeting. Reporters are encouraged to approach scientists out-of-session (e.g. during coffee breaks, poster sessions, wine and cheese parties, etc.) for informal discussions, formal interviews, and/or permission to report sensitive information at the appropriate time. Please be sure to identify yourself as a member of the media, get the scientist's permission to speak with him/her, and distinguish whether comments and quotes will be on- or off-record. Any quotations or citations you make must have the express consent of the scientist, or the appropriate principal investigator if your source is a post-doctoral or graduate student.
Social Media
Any participant intending to blog, tweet or otherwise communicate or disseminate results or discussion presented at the meeting to anonymous third parties must obtain permission from the relevant presenting author BEFORE communicating any results or discussion to third party groups, message boards, blogs or other online resources (other than your own lab or departments). Certain meetings have introduced specific mechanisms to alert all participants about whether individual presenters are open to having their presentations discussed via social media. If there is confusion about the mechanisms enacted at the meeting you’re attending, be sure to ask the organizers or session chairs.
Attribution
The quality, timeliness, and impact of CSHL meetings result in part from the large amounts of thought, effort, and judgment that go into selecting the topics, organizers, and speakers for each meeting. As a means of recognizing these contributions to the information presented, excitement, and success of CSHL Meetings and to the advancement of science, we would be grateful if your reportage would explicitly mention "Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory"
Advance Information
Meeting programs and abstracts are distributed electronically to registered participants three working days prior to the start of the meeting and hard copies are available upon arrival at CSHL. Advance program information is restricted so as to maximize interactions by encouraging participants to stay for the duration of the meeting.
Registration
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory agrees to waive registration fees for science journalists and writers who 1) are planning to file meeting reports, newspaper or magazine articles; or 2) are freelance and researching background for books, magazine articles etc. Journal editors not planning on reporting from the meeting will be liable for the regular academic rates
If you have specific questions or advance needs, please contact CSHL Public Affairs, who can answer your questions, clarify these guidelines or help you attain the information you need for your work. Call (516) 367-6857 to speak with one of our representatives.
The Laboratory reserves the right to take appropriate action in the event of abuse of this policy.