CERF 2021 Virtual Conference Terms, Conditions, and Policies

Please be sure to fully review all of the event terms, conditions, and policies before registering for CERF 2021. Questions about the conference terms, conditions, and policies? Contact the CERF office at [email protected]. 

Late Cancellations and No Shows – Conference Presenters

Before submitting an abstract to the CERF conference program, presenters should be confident in their ability to attend the conference and make the presentation as scheduled. Abstracts will be reviewed by the Scientific Program Committee and session chairs, and subsequently abstracts which fit within the program will be assigned to a presentation time slot. 

Cancellations by Presenters (Oral and Poster)

Late cancellations and failures to give scheduled presentations are disruptive and leave gaps in the conference program that diminish the experience for all attendees. Therefore, CERF is implementing the following policies to discourage cancellations. Most situations that result in cancellation are avoidable with proper prior planning. However, CERF understands that special situations occur. In any event, it is the author’s responsibility to contribute to developing solutions to mitigate impacts of their cancellation to the conference program. 

Presenters Notification and Confirmation

Presenters will be notified of presentation assignment by email on or about 6 August 2021. At this time, presenters will be prompted to accept or decline the assignment, and register for the conference. Presenters must confirm their participation and preregister for the conference by 6 September 2021.

Presenters who have not confirmed their participation and completed online conference registration by 24 September 2021 will be considered to have declined to participate and their time slot may be reassigned. Government/federal employees exempt.

Cancellation Penalties

Once a presenter has confirmed participation, cancellation creates a hardship on conference organizers and disruptions in the conference program. As such, cancellations received prior to 24 September 2021 are subject to CERF’s standard $75 USD cancellation processing fee. This fee applies to submitters of all presentation types (invited and contributed, posters and oral).

Cancellations by presenters received after 24 September 2021 receive no refund on registration.

These Presenter Cancellation penalties apply only to the presenting author, not to any coauthors. Coauthors and all other conference participants are subject to CERF’s standard cancellation policies: Cancellations prior to 1 October 2021 are subject to a $75 cancellation processing fee; no refunds are allowed for cancellations after 1 October 2021.

Extenuating Circumstances

We understand that unforeseen events outside of a presenter’s control may prevent them from presenting as scheduled. The late cancellation and no show penalties will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis for presenters with sudden and unavoidable reasons for not attending the conference (medical issues, family emergencies, unforeseen travel problems, difficulty acquiring a visa for travel to the US, and similar situations outside of a presenter’s control).

Replacement Speakers

Failure to give a scheduled presentation without any notice is especially disruptive to the meeting. Therefore, a replacement speaker is allowed (and encouraged) in the case of an unforeseen change to plans close to the conference dates. If circumstances prevent attendance for a scheduled presentation, the presenting author should attempt to find another qualified individual to give the presentation on his or her behalf. The author must notify CERF, and their session chair, of any replacement speaker in a timely manner. These substitutions are subject to approval of the Scientific Program Committee. If replacement speakers are implemented after the program is finalized, CERF will be unable to update the printed program. However, the presenter must still notify the session chair of the change.

How to Cancel a Presentation

To cancel, presenters should notify the CERF Scientific Program Committee and session chair in writing by email as early as possible.

Special Considerations for Federal Employees

CERF conference presenters employed by federal agencies may face special challenges to acquiring conference travel approval. CERF is committed to facilitating conference attendance for federal employees, and will provide an invoice method for payment of conference registration fees once travel approval is received. By 6 September 2021, presenters who are government/federal employees must confirm that they intend to make their presentation and to register, contingent upon receiving approval for their travel.

Abstract Per Person Policy

Please note that the Federation has a one presentation per person policy. This means that each participant is permitted to be the lead author or presenter on only one poster, oral or lightning presentation. You may be co-author on other presentations. This policy was adopted to ensure that Federation conference sessions contain contributions from as many people as possible. The conference limit of one first author oral or poster presentation per individual does not apply to the education sessions. The abstract fee will be waived for a second abstract submitted to an education session. 

Late-Breaking Poster Abstracts

CERF recognizes that coastal and estuarine science is a rapidly moving field and that new research results may arise after the initial deadline for submissions has passed. CERF also recognizes that for a variety of reasons, contributors may be unable to meet the original submission deadline and would still appreciate an opportunity to present their research. After evaluation of original conference submissions and assessment of available space, Conference organizers may provide an opportunity to submit Late-Breaking Poster Abstracts for presentation at the conference. Abstracts are particularly encouraged which speak to the Conference themes. 

Lead authors of all Late-Breaking Poster abstracts will be notified of their acceptance prior to the Advance registration deadline. Because of the tight timeline for program inclusion of Late-Breaking Poster abstracts, editing of submitted abstracts will not be feasible. Lead authors will need to register for the Conference within the registration deadlines. 

All policies and fees with respect to abstract cancellations also apply to Late-Breaking Poster lead authors, and authors should review these policies before submission. 

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All event CERF 2021 Conference participants must read and abide by the listed terms, conditions, and policies. CERF reserves the right to revoke conference access to participants not in compliance with the listed terms, conditions, and policies. 

CERF 2021 Code of Conduct

The Coastal & Estuarine Research Federation (“CERF”) is committed to providing safe and welcoming environments for all who participate in CERF events and activities, whether in person or virtual. CERF prohibits and will not tolerate any form of harassment, bullying, or discrimination. Together, we can ensure that CERF Events support free expression and exchange of scientific ideas in environments that are positive and productive for all. To read the full Code, please visit the Code of Conduct web page. 

Consequences of Participant Engagement in Prohibited Conduct

Event Participants asked to stop engaging in prohibited conduct are expected to comply immediately.

CERF, in its sole discretion, will determine the nature of the Participant conduct that warrants corrective action as well as the corrective action to be taken. Corrective action may take any of the following forms: verbal warning; expulsion from the Event; expulsion from the Event with no refund of conference fees; bar from future CERF Events; and/or notifying appropriate authorities. To protect all parties involved, CERF will generally not make any detailed public statements about Code incidents. The decision(s) of CERF are final. CERF may establish more detailed procedural guidelines for resolving conduct matters that are consistent with the provisions of these bylaws.

Consent to Receive Communications from CERF

Registering/attending this event constitutes consent for the CERF to communicate with you via email, mail, instant messaging, and social media to make you aware of products and services.

Disclaimer

While these programs are designed to provide accurate information regarding the subject matter covered, the views, opinions, and recommendations expressed are those of the authors and speakers, not CERF. By producing publications and sponsorship of this event, the association does not guarantee the accuracy of the information disseminated and is not engaged in rendering professional advice; if such advice is desired, you should seek the services of a competent professional.

Photo and Video Disclaimer

By registering for this conference, you agree to being photographed and/or filmed during a virtual session, and give your permission to use your likeness for promotional purposes, advertising, and other print and online materials at the sole discretion of CERF. If you have concerns regarding this policy, please contact the CERF office at [email protected].

Antitrust Compliance

It is the undeviating policy of CERF to comply strictly with the letter and spirit of all federal, state, and applicable international trade regulations and antitrust laws.
Any activities of CERF or CERF-related actions of its Governing Board or members that violate these regulations and laws are detrimental to the interests of CERF and are unequivocally contrary to CERF policy.

Intellectual Property Rights

All content on the CERF website, such as presentations, algorithms, program code, text, graphics, logos, button icons, images, audio clips, digital downloads, data compilations, and software, is the property of the speaker or its suppliers and is not to be used for personal gain, publication, and cannot be used without referencing the speaker and the source of the information. As property of the speaker or its suppliers, it also cannot be used by others to obtain a patent or claim royalties.

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Registration Cancellation Policy

All cancellations requests received on or before Monday, 4 October 2021, will be issued a refund less a $75 processing fee. No refunds will be given thereafter except in the event of extenuating circumstances, which the CERF office will identify on a case-by-case basis. Requests for registration cancellation must be submitted in writing via email to [email protected]. If you are not able to attend one or more sessions, CERF will not prorate or refund any part of your registration fee. Substitute attendees will be permitted. Substitution requests must be in writing via email to [email protected] no later than 7 days prior to the event start. 

Nonpayment Policy

Full payment of conference registration fees is required before the start of the conference. If full payment has not been remitted on or before 25 October 2021, the meeting details will not be sent to the registered attendee(s). Once payment has been received, meeting details will be released, but this may not be in time for the first session. If you have any questions, please contact the office at [email protected] or by phone at (206) 209-5262.

Technical Failure Policy

It is the responsibility of the registrant to confirm system requirements and test their computers prior to the start of each virtual session. If a technical failure is the fault of the service provider and the session is not able to be broadcast as planned, CERF reserves the right to reschedule the event. If an attendee experiences a technical failure on their end, CERF is not responsible for refunding the participant.

Recording Acknowledgement

Each virtual session may be recorded, including chat transcripts. Video recorded during the event will be provided to all registrants, and may be used for promotional purposes, advertising, and other print and online materials at the sole discretion of CERF. All registered attendees must consent to this if they plan to attend the live sessions. If they do not wish to be recorded for the above-stated purposes, they may view the recording, which will be provided within three weeks after the conclusion of the conference.

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Please Read Before You Post on Social Media
(Twitter, Facebook, blog, Instagram, Pinterest, Google+, LinkedIn, etc.)

To balance the needs and expectations of conference presenters with the benefits of open sharing and discussion, we have prepared a best practice guideline for recording presentations and using social media during the conference.

• We encourage all conference attendees to openly discuss our conference on social media. You can live Tweet, post to Facebook, or even blog about the presentations. Please use the meeting hashtag #CERF2021 to increase engagement. We also encourage our attendees to follow and tag us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram (@CERFScience).
• Photography, video and audio recording of scientific content from oral and poster sessions, plenaries, and keynotes are allowed unless the author/presenter specifically prohibits it. Some authors/presenters wish to withhold audio/visual material from being recorded and/or posted on social media.
• Please follow our overall meeting code of conduct and be considerate and respectful of all meeting attendees. Online harassment, intimidation, or discrimination in any form will not be tolerated.