Here is the breakdown of the rules, including details for explicitly allowed and not-allowed content. Please understand that this is not an exhaustive list, and we tend to go over incidents on a case-by-case basis.
Rule 1 - don't be an asshole #1143653167616250037 message
Rule 2 - no NSFW #1143653167616250037 message
Rule 3 - Follow Discord ToS #1143653167616250037 message
Rule 4 - No Spam #1143653167616250037 message
Rule 5 - Homework Etiquette #1143653167616250037 message
Rule 6 - Don't DM without permission #1143653167616250037 message
Rule 7 - No medical advice #1143653167616250037 message
Rule 8 - No uber controversial topics #1143653167616250037 message
#Rules FAQ
odd yacht
Rule 1
Please engage in constructive conversations where all parties respect each other regardless of opinion, race or age. Offensive language (slurs or any such language), heavily religious discussion, or politics is frowned upon. Basically: don't be an asshole. Keep media and other discussions confined to their corresponding channels. Don't post the same message in several channels; it will be considered as spam and you could get warned. Please follow our staff/mod instructions. This in an English-only server. Greetings in other languages are allowed, but full conversations are not.
- We do not tolerate statements that are indicative of homophobia, transphobia, racism, etc. Biocord is an LGBTQ+ community with its leadership comprising of LGBTQ+ members and straight allies. If you are unsure of pronouns, please ask (do not assume).
- Biocord is also a multicultural and international community. To respect each other and to avoid stepping on toes, we ask its members to avoid conversations discussing politics and religion
- Please do not insult other members or name-call. We allow cussing, but we do not allow cussing at other people (e.g. "I fucked up today" is okay, whereas "go fuck yourself" is not okay when said to another person)
Rule 2
No NSFW of any sort (including, but not limited to, status, about me, pfps...), including gore, violence or anything that might be triggering. Use spoilers when needed. Trolling of voice channels and willfully disrupting conversations with music, heavy distortion, etc. is not allowed. The 🔞│serious-topics channel is for discussion of sensitive topics which may not be appropriate for minors. This does not mean pornography, gore and such content is allowed there. If you are a minor (<18 years old) and you are caught in that channel, you will be immediately reported to Discord T&S.
Biological topics to be spoilered
While we are a server that openly discusses biology and biology-related topics, there are many topics that are still triggering to many people (remember, not everyone on Biocord is a biologist, and there are many kinds of biologists)
- Things that should be spoilered: spiders, centipedes, bugs, blood, injuries, dissections, medical operations, non-cartoon organs. If you are unsure, please ask!
- all discussions about lab animals should occur in #🐁│model-lab-animals , and please use the appropriate spoilers! Spoilers that are appropriate to this channel include ||explicit details about procedures, euthanasia, death, animal abuse||
Non-biological topics
- Things that are not allowed: disturbing or gorey content of animal abuse, human abuse, deliberate attempts to induce seizures, piercing or heavy distorted sounds intended to cause auditory distress
- In #🔞│serious-topics , please spoiler triggering topics such as: ||death, self harm, eating disorders, physical abuse, sexual abuse||
- We do not allow topics that are overly raunchy and sexual. This includes About Me's, Usernames, and Profile Pictures! No hentai or highly suggestive imagery, please.
- Do not flirt in Biocord. Do not look for dates in Biocord. No.
To learn how to spoiler messages, please go to https://discord.com/channels/698787410506416142/1143656475684765848
odd yacht
Rule 3
_Follow Discord ToS at all times. https://discord.com/terms_
- Please follow the rules. We have to follow Discord ToS as a partnered server and community tied to a nonprofit.
Rule 4
No spam, including mentions, emoji, memes/pictures, bot abuse or most cases of self-promotion. DM ModMail to get self-promotion approved.
spam and asking questions
- Repeating the same phrase over and over or in multiple channels is not allowed.
- Please do not post the same question in multiple channels. This counts as spam. If you are unsure of where a question should be asked, ask a staff member. If you are redirected to another channel, add a note to your original post (e.g. moved to #🧬│molec-cell-immuno-genetics ) so that it does not get answered in multiple channels.
- "dead chat" is not a good excuse to post in multiple channels. Our members are not obligated to help you with your assignment or studying. Ask your question once and wait patiently for someone to answer if they want to. If your question gets buried, then you can post it again.
- playing with the bot commands belong in #🤖│bot-room
self promotions and advertisements
- all self-promotion is not allowed unless approved by Biocord staff. This includes any personal or work social media, requests for follows, promotions or ads for "jobs", "research", or "volunteer" positions.
- we do not promote tutoring on our server. There are a lot of servers dedicated to tutoring, so we do not wish to maintain and check requests for tutors or advertisements for tutoring services. If you want to find a study buddy, do check out #👯│biocord-buddies
- legitimate promotions for jobs openings, internships, and conferences are allowed if approved by Biocord Staff. These will be posted in #📌│bulletin-board
- surveys are sometimes allowed in Biocord, depending on the nature of the survey, transparency of the group requesting the survey, and the type of information being gathered. Generally, doxxing of minors (requiring email addresses or names) will not be allowed. Institutions and IRB approval should be listed. Please DM @weary cargo for approval
odd yacht
Rule 5
Homework channel etiquette
a) Don't overload the channels with questions.
Biocord is not primarily a homework help or tutoring server. We want to give a place for questions to be asked if needed, so please be mindful of everyone who is sharing use of the study channels
b) Please refrain from asking questions that are easily googled.
- Please do not use Biocord as your personal google. If you are struggling with a concept, please mention what you do understand or the context of your confusion, and then state what you are confused with.
- Members are more willing to help if you show that you are genuinely trying to do the work.
c) We do not ask for or entertain tutoring requests. This is not the place for it.
- See Rule 4
d) We do not answer test or assessment questions and we do not give direct answers. Academic dishonesty is not tolerated and will result in an immediate mute or ban.
- If you are struggling with a concept or how to do a problem, generally you will be guided to the answer rather than given a straight answer.
- Members who are helping should also know not to give straight answers. Please guide others with their studying!
e) You need the nucleic acid role in order to access this channel. You can get this role by being active in the server for a bit. Don't spam in order to get the role.
- It takes about 5 minutes of chatting in other channels (like #🚸│lobby ) to get access to #📄│study-troubleshoot
- having access to #📄│study-troubleshoot is a privilege, not a right. Abuse of the channel will result in revoking your access to the channel
More info about etiquette
- Please see #1149789452839948461 message
odd yacht
Rule 6
Do not DM people at random. Ask first, then proceed.
- Please ask permission from the person you are trying to DM, before you DM them. This can come as a "hey may I DM you real quick?" in a channel. If they say yes, then proceed. If they say no or do not reply, then take that as a "no" and do not DM them.
- Do not DM people with invites or spam. This will result in a mute, kick, or ban.
- If you have a question about the server, try to DM @weary cargo first, and if it is not working, or you have a sensitive issue, then you can DM a moderator.
odd yacht
Rule 7
Do not ask for or provide medical advice. Support is great but recommending therapies/medicines is not. Please visit a doctor for medical problems, we are not qualified to diagnose anything.
Medical Advice
- It is highly dangerous to give and seek medical advice on the internet without knowing or verifying qualifications. Additionally, even if someone does have certification or licensing to practice medicine, there is nothing to protect you if you are given incorrect information.
- It is not okay to ask about what your symptoms are, and what you should do about it.
- It is okay to vent lightly in #🔞│serious-topics with the proper trigger warnings (see #1143656475684765848 ), but only to a certain degree.
- It is okay to ask someone what their experience with a certain medication is up to a certain extent
- It is okay to discuss pharmaceuticals in the context of education, not not if you are considering that medication for yourself or someone close to you (e.g. if you had a lecture on diabetes, and were told xyz medications are typically prescribed for it, you may ask why those medications are prescribed and not others)
Mental Health
- It is okay to commiserate or vent lightly in #🔞│serious-topics with the proper trigger warnings (see #1143656475684765848
- Do not ask for psychological help from server members
- If a conversation is triggering to you, it is okay to step away from the conversation
Rule 8
We do not condone illegal animal or human experimentation. Do not talk about it, do not give advice about it. This is applicable to anything illegal.
- All conversations about lab animals, including the use of lab animals, experiments and protocols involving lab animals, and troubleshooting should go in #🐁│model-lab-animals, and remember to include trigger warnings or spoilers (see #"How to use spoilers" )
- it is okay to talk about the bioethics of human experimentation in the context of case studies, given that everyone in the conversation is okay with it, there is someone available to moderate the conversation, and everyone is using the appropriate trigger warnings or spoilers (e.g. the Stanford Prison experiment)
Topics that are not allowed
- biohacking - we do not support self-experimentation. This can be very dangerous
- eugenics
- IQ differences in different races - this is just called being racist. No.
- unethical human and animal experimentation
odd yacht
To see additional rules about specific channels, please see #1149789452839948461