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Community Policy

As a Nature Masterclasses Community participant:

1) Ensure your contributions are relevant to the community topic.

2) Don’t sell or promote stuff!

Ensure your contributions are not of a promotional nature. Demonstration of expertise is much more valuable than promotion of a company, product or service. If you have a product or service to sell or promote, contact us about advertising and sponsorship opportunities.

3) Complete your profile.

The more detail you add to your profile, the more people will want to engage with you and the more connected you'll be to fellow community participants.

4) Be yourself; please never impersonate another person.

5) Don't violate someone else's privacy.

You can post your own personal details and contact information (but do remember that this is a public forum), but don't post anyone else's personal details or contact information.

6) If you have a personal connection to a story or topic, disclose your connection or, where appropriate, do not contribute at all.

7) Cite your sources.

Attribute quotes and paraphrased comments to their proper sources.

8) Don't infringe copyright.

If you want to upload a copy of an image, text, video or any other content, make sure you have the right to reproduce them on the Nature Masterclasses Community in accordance with our Website Terms of Use (LINK). Posting copyright material without permission may be unlawful. If you want to discuss a paper or news story, summarize it in your own words.

9) Don't post inappropriate links.

You can only post links to another website if the content on that other site abides with this Policy and our Website Terms of Use (LINK), and if that other website allows you to post links to their website.

10) Remember this is a public forum.

Once your contribution is online, everyone with Internet access may be able to read it. Don't forget that you are legally responsible for what you submit. Please consider how others could perceive your contribution. Please make your contribution clear to ensure that it is not misunderstood. Many different types of people may view your contribution.

11) Watch your language.

Please be polite. Do not use swear words, profane, crude or sexual language.

12) Don’t be libellous or abusive.

You must not make or encourage contributions that are:

Defamatory, false or misleading;

Insulting, threatening or abusive;

Obscene or of a sexual nature;

Offensive, racist, sexist, homophobic or discriminatory against any religions or other groups.

13) Report inappropriate content.

Please help us maintain high standards of participation. If you consider that a contribution does not comply with this policy or our Website Terms of Use (LINK), please report it (LINK). This facility should be used where content is in breach of our Policy and Website Terms of Use, not simply because you disagree with something said.

The Nature Masterclasses team reserves the right (although not the obligation) to take down any contribution that it feels to be unsuitable, or which is reported as being unsuitable. In such an instance, the person that made the contribution will be notified. If you are aware that contribution has been removed, you must not deliberately resubmit the same contribution.