Centering inclusivity in the design of online conferences—An OHBM–Open Science perspective
Authors: Levitis Elizabeth , van Praag Cassandra D Gould , Gau Rémi , Heunis Stephan , DuPre Elizabeth , Kiar Gregory , Bottenhorn Katherine L , Glatard Tristan , Nikolaidis Aki , Whitaker Kirstie Jane , Mancini Matteo , Niso Guiomar , Afyouni Soroosh , Alonso-Ortiz Eva , Appelhoff Stefan , Arnatkeviciute Aurina , Atay Selim Melvin , Auer Tibor , Baracchini Giulia , Bayer Johanna M M , Beauvais Michael J S , Bijsterbosch Janine D , Bilgin Isil P , Bollmann Saskia , Bollmann Steffen , Botvinik-Nezer Rotem , Bright Molly G , Calhoun Vince D , Chen Xiao , Chopra Sidhant , Chuan-Peng Hu , Close Thomas G , Cookson Savannah L , Craddock R Cameron , De La Vega Alejandro , De Leener Benjamin , Demeter Damion V , Di Maio Paola , Dickie Erin W , Eickhoff Simon B , Esteban Oscar , Finc Karolina , Frigo Matteo , Ganesan Saampras , Ganz Melanie , Garner Kelly G , Garza-Villarreal Eduardo A , Gonzalez-Escamilla Gabriel , Goswami Rohit , Griffiths John D , Grootswagers Tijl , Guay Samuel , Guest Olivia , Handwerker Daniel A , Herholz Peer , Heuer Katja , Huijser Dorien C , Iacovella Vittorio , Joseph Michael J E , Karakuzu Agah , Keator David B , Kobeleva Xenia , Kumar Manoj , Laird Angela R , Larson-Prior Linda J , Lautarescu Alexandra , Lazari Alberto , Legarreta Jon Haitz , Li Xue-Ying , Lv Jinglei , Mansour L. Sina , Meunier David , Moraczewski Dustin , Nandi Tulika , Nastase Samuel A , Nau Matthias , Noble Stephanie , Norgaard Martin , Obungoloch Johnes , Oostenveld Robert , Orchard Edwina R , Pinho Ana Luísa , Poldrack Russell A , Qiu Anqi , Raamana Pradeep Reddy , Rokem Ariel , Rutherford Saige , Sharan Malvika , Shaw Thomas B , Syeda Warda T , Testerman Meghan M , Toro Roberto , Valk Sofie L , Van Den Bossche Sofie , Varoquaux Gaël , Váša František , Veldsman Michele , Vohryzek Jakub , Wagner Adina S , Walsh Reubs J , White Tonya , Wong Fu-Te , Xie Xihe , Yan Chao-Gan , Yang Yu-Fang , Yee Yohan , Zanitti Gaston E , Van Gulick Ana E , Duff Eugene , Maumet Camille 
Published: August 2021

As the global health crisis unfolded, many academic conferences moved online in 2020. This move has been hailed as a positive step towards inclusivity in its attenuation of economic, physical, and legal barriers and effectively enabled many individuals from groups that have traditionally been underrepresented to join and participate. A number of studies have outlined how moving online made it possible to gather a more global community and has increased opportunities for individuals with various constraints, e.g., caregiving responsibilities.

Yet, the mere existence of online conferences is no guarantee that everyone can attend and participate meaningfully. In fact, many elements of an online conference are still significant barriers to truly diverse participation: the tools used can be inaccessible for some individuals; the scheduling choices can favour some geographical locations; the set-up of the conference can provide more visibility to well-established researchers and reduce opportunities for early-career researchers. While acknowledging the benefits of an online setting, especially for individuals who have traditionally been underrepresented or excluded, we recognize that fostering social justice requires inclusivity to actively be centered in every aspect of online conference design.

Here, we draw from the literature and from our own experiences to identify practices that purposefully encourage a diverse community to attend, participate in, and lead online conferences. Reflecting on how to design more inclusive online events is especially important as multiple scientific organizations have announced that they will continue offering an online version of their event when in-person conferences can resume.