Scientists and Subjects Seminar guidelines

About Scientists and Subjects (historical and cultural context, benefits to seminar members and to others) Seminar description (description, objectives and outcomes, time commitment, registration and fee, seminar facilitator) Seminar guidelines (contributing to the seminar, ground rules, stylistic guidelines) Continuing Medical Education Credit Enrollment status Registration form

Contributing to the seminar

Our experience suggests the importance of keeping the seminar moving. We encourage seminar members to set aside two periods of about two to four hours each week, once early in the week (e.g., Sunday-Wednesday) and once late in the week (Wednesday-Saturday) to work on the seminar. (More details on time commitment).

Registrants must certify the following regarding contributing to the seminar:

I certify that I will contribute actively and appropriately to the online seminar. This certification includes affirmation of the following points:

• I will complete all reading and writing assignments by the specified deadline.
• I will post an average of at least two substantive messages to the seminar bulletin board per week during the seminar period (January 9-March 19, 2006).
• I will maintain the confidentiality of the seminar. In particular, I understand that all information used and exchanged via the seminar Bulletin Board System (including messages sent from the BBS via e-mail) is confidential, will not be used outside this seminar for any public purpose, and is for the sole use of the participants' personal education.
• I have read and will conform my posts to the seminar guidelines (http://poynter.indiana.edu/sas/guidelines.html).
• I will have access to the World Wide Web during the entire seminar period.
• I understand that if I fail to contribute actively, appropriately, and on time as specified, I will be removed from the seminar and my registration fee will not be refunded.

The success of the seminar depends on the active participation of all seminar members.

Ground rules

1. Confidentiality -- This point is worth repeating. We all expect everyone to keep everything posted to the list confidential. Do not forward an entry without getting explicit permission from the person who posted it and anyone quoted in the entry.

2. Subject line -- Conversations (or "threads") can be most easily organized by subject line. Please keep these points in mind:

   1. Initial postings by the facilitator will have a vague and general subject line (e.g., "Week 1 assignment"). When you reply to these messages, please replace the subject line with a description of your entry.
   2. When making a response to other postings, please change the subject line if (and only if) you also change the topic.
   3. It is often helpful to write your subject line after you write your entry.

3. Going off-list -- If you find yourself in a detailed, ongoing conversation with just one or two other participants, please consider taking the conversation off-list.

Stylistic guidelines

These stylistic guidelines are intended to foster mutual respect and comprehension. Dramatic deviations from these guidelines may result in removal from the seminar.

• Formality -- Remember that in online communication, writing style takes the place of body language and tone of voice. This makes it important to use a relatively formal style when posting to the seminar. Do not leave out punctuation or capitalization; do not use Internet abbreviations (btw, imho, and the like). These common stylistic practices can convey a tone of flippancy or sarcasm or disrespect, which, especially when discussing a potentially sensitive topic like ethics, can lead too easily to misunderstandings and bad feelings. (Composing your entry on a fancy word processor that checks spelling and grammar, like Microsoft Word, and then pasting the results into the seminar can help. Remember that formatting like boldface and italics won't transfer, but you can use HTML tags.)

  Please also remember to break your posts into relatively short paragraphs. Academic writing often features page-long paragraphs, which is fine in a print journal, but distractingly difficult to read on a computer screen. The best way to set paragraphs apart for online reading is to put a blank line between paragraphs.

• Precision -- Be as precise as you are able. Try not to write "clinical trials" when you really mean "randomized, placebo controlled clinical trials." This can be difficult (because you have to be aware of what you are actually trying to say!) and it can make posts longer, but sometimes it is the only way to avoid misunderstandings.

• Cooperation -- When reading and responding to other people's posts, especially the ones you don't understand or that you disagree with, please take a cooperative, rather than combative or confrontational, stance. Remember that in this seminar, it is more important to understand each other than to win an argument. If you don't understand what I wrote, try to remember that it might be due to your interpretation or my writing or (most likely) both. Then write your response accordingly, in a respectful manner meant more to clarify the issue than to score points. We can still disagree, and neither of us has to win.

Suggestions for improving or expanding these guidelines and considerations would be received gratefully.

Next: Continuing Medical Education Credit

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Last updated: 18 August 2005
URL: http://poynter.indiana.edu/sas/guidelines.html
Comments: pimple@indiana.edu
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