ML Retrospectives and the Retrospectives workshop prioritize the maintenance of an inclusive environment that allows for a diversity of researchers to honestly reflect on developments in the field and opportunities for growth. Because critically reflecting on previous work is a sensitive subject, we outline here a set of principles and processes to support honest self-reflection within a healthy community of machine learning researchers.

All participants, including attendees, authors, members of the organizing committee, members of the program committee, speakers, sponsors, and volunteers, are required to agree with the following code of conduct. Organisers will enforce this code throughout the workshop and the review and publication process of Retrospectives.

The Quick Version

Retrospectives is dedicated to providing a harassment-free experience for everyone. This includes, but is not limited to, members of any race, ethnicity, culture, national origin, color, immigration status, social and economic class, educational level, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, age, physical appearance, family status, technological or professional choices, academic discipline, religion, mental ability, and physical ability. We do not tolerate harassment of participants in any form.

This code of conduct applies to all spaces in which Retrospectives are shared, both online and off. In addition, violations of this code outside these spaces will affect a person’s ability to participate within them.

The Longer version

We are committed to fostering a productive, harassment-free environment for everyone. Rather than considering this code an exhaustive list of things that you can’t do, take it in the spirit it is intended - a guide to make it easier to enrich all of us and the communities in which we participate.

This code applies equally to founders, developers, mentors and new community members, in all spaces managed by Retrospectives. This includes our GitHub organization, workshop, other in-person events, and any other forums created by the organizer committee. In addition, violations of this code outside these spaces may affect a person’s ability to participate within them. By embracing the following principles, guidelines and actions to follow or avoid, you will help us make the Retrospectives community welcoming and productive. Feel free to contact the Code of Conduct Committee at ml-retrospectives@gmail.com with any questions.

  1. Be friendly and patient.
  2. Be welcoming. We strive to be a community that welcomes and supports people of all backgrounds and identities. This includes, but is not limited to, members of any race, ethnicity, culture, national origin, color, immigration status, social and economic class, educational level, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, age, physical appearance, family status, technological or professional choices, academic discipline, religion, mental ability, and physical ability. We do not tolerate harassment of participants in any form.
  3. Be considerate. Your work as an author, reviewer, presenter, or organizer will be used by other people, and you in turn will depend on the work of others. Any decision you take will affect our colleagues, and you should take those consequences into account when making decisions. Remember that we’re a world-wide community. You may be communicating with someone with a different primary language or cultural background.
  4. Be respectful. Not all of us will agree all the time, but disagreement is no excuse for poor behavior or poor manners. We might all experience some frustration now and then, but we cannot allow that frustration to turn into a personal attack. It’s important to remember that a community where people feel uncomfortable or threatened is not a productive one.
  5. Be careful in the words that you choose. Be kind to others. Do not insult or put down other community members. Harassment and other exclusionary behavior are not acceptable. This includes, but is not limited to:
    • Violent threats or violent language directed against another person
    • Discriminatory jokes and language
    • Posting sexually explicit or violent material
    • Posting (or threatening to post) other people’s personally identifying information (“doxing”)
    • Personal insults, especially those using racist or sexist terms
    • Unwelcome sexual attention
    • Advocating for, or encouraging, any of the above behavior
    • Repeated harassment of others. In general, if someone asks you to stop, then stop
  6. Moderate your expectations. Please respect that community members choose how they spend their time in the project. A thoughtful question about your expectations is preferable to demands for another person’s time.
  7. When we disagree, try to understand why. Disagreements, both social and technical, happen all the time. Try to understand where others are coming from, as seeing a question from their viewpoint may help find a new path forward. And don’t forget that it is human to err: blaming each other doesn’t get us anywhere, while we can learn from mistakes to find better solutions.
  8. A simple apology can go a long way. It can often de-escalate a situation, and telling someone that you are sorry is an act of empathy that doesn’t automatically imply an admission of guilt.

Reporting

If you believe someone is violating the code of conduct, please report this in a timely manner. Code of conduct violations reduce the value of the community for everyone and we take them seriously. You can file a report by emailing . For more details or information on reporting in-person at an event, please see our Reporting Guidelines. The online form gives you the option to keep your report anonymous or request that we follow up with you directly. While we cannot follow up on an anonymous report, we will take appropriate action.

Acknowledgements

Original text courtesy of ConfCodeofConduct, Speak Up!, Django, and Project Jupyter, modified by the Retrospectives organizing committee. We are grateful to those projects for contributing these materials under open licensing terms for us to easily reuse. All content on this page is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license.