Code of Conduct

TUC is dedicated to providing a harassment-free conference experience for everyone regardless of gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, ethnicity, origin, or religion. Attending TUC events – both virtual and face-to-face – signals your commitment to contributing to a safe and inclusive experience for all. We do not tolerate harassment of event participants in any form, whether the event is held virtually or face-to-face. Participants in TUC events violating these rules may be barred or banned from TUC activities at the organisers' discretion.

Harassment includes but is not limited to: derogatory verbal comments; sexist, racist, or otherwise discriminatory jokes and language; sexual and/or discriminatory text or audio-visual material in conference spaces (virtual or face-to-face), unless being critiqued in an academic context; deliberate intimidation; stalking; following; harassing photography or recording; questioning someone's right to use the restroom of their choice; sustained disruption of talks or other event; inappropriate physical contact; and unwelcome sexual attention.

Participants asked to stop any harassing behaviour are expected to comply immediately. If a participant engages in harassing behaviour, the organisers may take any action they deem appropriate, including warning the offender or expulsion from the event.

TUC 2026 at the University of Passau aims to uphold these values throughout the submission and review process, and during the conference itself. Please familiarise yourself with the reporting guidelines and our process for addressing violations.

Reporting Guidelines

Please know that we believe you. All code of conduct violations will be treated seriously. If you are being harassed, notice that someone else is being harassed, or have any other concerns, we ask that you contact us immediately to file a report. As social media moves rapidly, we ask that a formal report be provided in addition to any issues discussed through social media to ensure that we receive all the pertinent information.

To report a violation at any time, please contact:

• Annemieke Romein, Chairperson of the Board
  @caromein.bsky.social on Bluesky
• Melissa Terras, Scholarly Director
  @melissaterras.bsky.social on Bluesky

Or by email at tuc@transkribus.org

Alternatively, you can find and speak to them directly at the conference.

All reports will be kept confidential to the extent possible governed by applicable local laws. In some cases, we may determine that a public statement will need to be made. If that proves to be the case, the identities of all victims and reporters will remain confidential unless those individuals instruct us otherwise.

In your report please include:

• Your contact information (so we can get in touch with you if we need to follow up)
• Names (real, nicknames, or pseudonyms) of any individuals involved. If there were other witnesses besides you, please also try to include them.
• When and where the incident occurred. Please be as specific as possible.
• Your account of what occurred.
• Pictures, Screenshots, videos and/or links (permanent if possible) to any content relevant to your report.
• Any extra context for the incident.
• If you believe this incident is ongoing.
• Any other information you believe we should have.

What happens after you file a report?

You will receive immediate acknowledgement of receipt of your complaint within an hour of your formal report during the scheduled hours of the event. All reports received after the event will be acknowledged within 24 hours. We promise to acknowledge receipt and initiate a meeting of the appropriate individuals. For TUC 2026, this will include the Conference Committee members Michaela Prien, Helene Prokop, Sara Mansutti, Annemieke Romein and Melissa Terras.

The Committee will confer with one another to review the incident and determine:

• What happened;
• Whether this event constitutes a Code of Conduct violation;
• Who the bad actor(s) was;
• Whether this is an ongoing situation or if there is a threat to anyone's physical safety.

If this is determined to be an ongoing incident or a threat to physical safety, the organisers' immediate priority will be to protect everyone involved. This can include removing individuals from conference venues (face-to-face or virtual), asking for individual meetings with individuals making the report and individuals involved in the incident, and/or requesting assistance from legal authorities. This means we may delay an "official" response until we believe the situation has ended and everyone is physically safe.

Once the organisers have a complete account of the event, they will decide how to respond. Responses may include but are not limited to:

• Nothing (if we determine no violation occurred)
• A private reprimand from TUC to the individual(s) involved
• A public reprimand
• A permanent or temporary ban from TUC events
• A request for a public or private apology

We will attempt to respond as quickly as possible to resolve all complaints. Within 24 hours, we will seek to document either a resolution or an explanation of why the situation has not yet been resolved to the individual reporting. Once we have determined our final action, we will contact the original individuals involved in reporting the incident to let them know what action (if any) we will be taking. We will take into account any feedback we receive from the incident reporter on the appropriateness of our response, but we do not guarantee we will act on it.

We value your attendance and thank you for working with us to keep TUC 2026 at the University of Passau safe and a productive space for all. During and after the event we also welcome constructive criticism on how to make the TUC, and the READ-COOP, a welcoming and inclusive environment.

Acknowledgment: This code of conduct has been based upon the ACH Code of Conduct 2024.