Community Guidelines

See IAFN's Code of Conduct here.

Discussion Rules & Etiquette

Thank you for being part of our community. To ensure the best possible experience for all members, we have established some basic guidelines for participation.

By becoming a member of IAFN, providing services or products to IAFN, or by attending an event or participating in any IAFN activity, you agree to adhere to this Code of Conduct.

By joining and using this community, you agree that you have read and will follow these rules and guidelines. You also agree to reserve discussions and shared files and content to that best suited to the medium. This is a great medium with which to solicit the advice of your peers, benefit from their experience, and participate in an ongoing conversation. Questions should be directed to our Membership department via the staff directory on this site. Technical questions on association management issues should also be directed to our Membership Director.

Please take a moment to acquaint yourself with these important guidelines. If you have questions, contact the member services department. In order to preserve a climate that encourages both civil and fruitful dialogue, we reserve the right to suspend or terminate membership in this community for anyone who violate these rules.

The Rules

  • Respect. Don't challenge or attack others. The discussions and comments are meant to stimulate conversation rather than create contention. Let others have their say, just as you may. IAFN has a zero-tolerance policy for discrimination or harassment of any kind, including bullying, offensive language, inappropriate gestures, acts of violence, or any other form of harassment. We also require that you refrain from any disruptive behavior that, although not targeted at any individual specifically, undermines our constructive and inclusive environment. In this digital space, carefully consider the potential impact of sharing sensitive or triggering content. Be mindful of cultural differences and diverse perspectives. Treat others with respect.
  • Potential Conflict of Interest. Don't post commercial messages on any discussion list, resource library entry, or other area where others might see it. Contact people directly with product and service information if you believe it would help them.
  • Use caution when discussing products. Information posted on the lists and in the libraries is available for all to see, and comments are subject to libel, slander, and antitrust laws. 
  • Civility. All defamatory, abusive, profane, threatening, offensive, uncivil or illegal materials are strictly prohibited. Do not post anything that you would not want the world to see or that you would not want anyone to know came from you. 
  • Please note carefully all items listed in the disclaimer and legal below, particularly regarding the copyright ownership of information posted. 
  • Remember that other participants have the right to reproduce postings to this site unless you specify otherwise. 
  • Post your message or documents only to the most appropriate lists or libraries. Do not spam several lists or libraries with the same message.
  • All messages must add to the body of knowledge. IAFN reserves the right to reject any message for any reason.
  • See something? Say something! Report suspected rules violations promptly reporting@forensicnurses.org. IAFN is committed to investigating and addressing reported violations and will maintain confidentiality and reporters’ anonymity as best as possible. IAFN reserves the right to take any action it deems necessary and appropriate in response to a suspected violation, including immediate removal from an event without warning or refund, removal from our membership or from our online platforms, and IAFN reserves the right to prohibit attendance at future events.

Discussion Group Etiquette

  • Include a signature tag on all messages. Include your name, affiliation, location. 
  • State concisely and clearly the topic of your comments in the subject line. This allows members to respond more appropriately to your posting and makes it easier for members to search the archives by subject. 
  • Include only the relevant portions of the original message in your reply. Delete any header information and insert your response before the original posting. 
  • Send a message only to the entire list when it contains information that benefits the group. 
  • Send messages such as "thanks for the information" or "me, too" to individuals--not to the entire list. Do this by using the "Reply to Sender" link to the side of every message.
  • Do not send administrative messages, such as remove me from the list. Instead, use the web interface to change your settings or to remove yourself from a list. If you are changing e-mail addresses, you do not need to remove yourself from the list and rejoin under your new e-mail address. Simply change your settings. 
  • Warn other list subscribers of lengthy messages either in the subject line or at the beginning of the message body with a line that says "Long Message." 

Research or Evidence-Based Practice Projects in the Member Community

Members who serve as principal investigators (PI) on a study that has been approved by an Institutional Review Board (IRB) may, as members, utilize the Member Community to post a link to their research/study survey only after the following has occurred:

  • The PI has provided the Research Committee Staff Liaison with a copy of their approved protocol and IRB approval.  
  • The Research Committee Staff Liaison will forward the protocol and IRB to the Research Committee Chair. 
  • The Research Committee will review the protocol and IRB at the next scheduled Research Committee meeting.
  • The Research Committee will approve or decline the research protocol being posted for the membership. 
  • A standard format letter on IAFN letterhead, signed by the Committee Chair, will be sent electronically to the PI, staff liaison and Membership Director.
  • IAFN’s Membership Director will post the research survey in the Research Corner of the open community using the following language in bold at the top of the post:

    “The following post is approved by IAFN eliciting the opinions, perceptions, and experiences of active IAFN members.   The member serving as PI on this program has provided a copy of the full protocol and IRB approval, both on file at IAFN.  Members are not obligated to participate and the privacy of their responses is according to the protocol on file.  All questions related to this study should be directed to the PI conducting the study.”

  • All posts are treated as a separate request, according to the approved protocol, and additional solicitations for information to be used in the study must follow the approved protocol.
  • If the Research Committee does not approve the PI’s protocol or needs more information the Chair of the Research Committee will notify the PI of such via the form letter mentioned above.  It will be up to the PI to provide the needed information or revise the protocol and /or IRB.

    Note:  This is a member benefit and will not be accessible to non-members.
     

The Legal Stuff

This site is provided as a service for the members of the International Association of Forensic Nurses (IAFN).  IAFN is not responsible for the opinions and information posted on this site by others. We disclaim all warranties with regard to information posted on this site, whether posted by IAFN or any third party; this disclaimer includes all implied warranties of merchantability and fitness. In no event shall IAFN be liable for any special, indirect, or consequential damages or any damages whatsoever resulting from loss of use, data, or profits, arising out of or in connection with the use or performance of any information posted on this site.

Do not post any defamatory, abusive, profane, threatening, offensive, or illegal materials. Do not post any information or other material protected by copyright without the permission of the copyright owner. By posting material, the posting party warrants and represents that he or she owns the copyright with respect to such material or has received permission from the copyright owner. In addition, the posting party grants IAFN and users of this site the nonexclusive right and license to display, copy, publish, distribute, transmit, print, and use such information or other material.

For the sake of privacy, do not publish posts recounting healthcare experiences that include names of or other potentially identifying information about the hospital(s), care provider(s), or patients involved. Please use discretion in discussing potentially sensitive situations, keeping in mind that information created electronically can be archived, reproduced and shared with persons outside the original posting site. Only post material that you would be willing to share with the general public.

Messages should not be posted if they encourage or facilitate members to arrive at any agreement that either expressly or impliedly leads to price fixing, a boycott of another's business, or other conduct intended to illegally restrict free trade. Messages that encourage or facilitate an agreement about the following subjects are inappropriate: prices, discounts, or terms or conditions of sale; salaries; profits, profit margins, or cost data; market shares, sales territories, or markets; allocation of customers or territories; or selection, rejection, or termination of customers or suppliers.

IAFN allows members to advertise trainings under the calendar of events section of our website. Any postings in the community for non-IAFN trainings will be removed. If you are interested in advertising a product or service, please contact the Membership Department to discuss options and associated costs. Any advertisement for products in the community will be removed.

IAFN does not actively monitor the site for inappropriate postings and does not on its own undertake editorial control of postings. However, in the event that any inappropriate posting is brought to the attention of IAFN appropriate action will be taken, including removal of the post.

IAFN reserves the right to terminate access to any user who does not abide by these guidelines.