What do I need to do as a science feed moderator?

As a moderator of the science feed you have two key responsibilities.

1. To keep a list of verified scientists in your subfield
2. To keep an eye on the feed for people breaking any of the rules, particularly misinformation.

Remind me of the rules again.

No misinformation

If they are simply small mistakes we aspire to a kind warning/correction.

If someone is being nefarious with it we will remove them from the list so they can't post any more.

Keep it relevant to science

As above, a small warning on non science related posts. Repeat offenders who don't post anything relevant will be removed though.

For context - we welcome fun, memes, jokes, gifts etc but they must be one a science theme. If someone is posting a picture of the fish and chips they had for dinner that is not relevant. If someone is posting the fish and chips they had for dinner with a post about fish sustainability, that's fine. If someone is posting a picture of their dinner and its a giant rocket shaped cake, then that's fine.

Use alt text & Credit images

If someone doesn't use alt text and/or credit images we give a friendly reminder. If they repeatedly don't do it then a stern reminder. If they repeatedly refuse then we will have to remove them from posting.

Give context to links to external websites

If people link to off site they need to have a descriptor explaining a bit about the paper or other link they posted. As above, the process goes friendly reminder - > more stern reminder -> final warning - > booted.

Have fun!

We do not remove people for not having enough fun as that feels a bit harsh.

How do I set up a list that gets pulled into the science feed?

1. Go to lists in the left hand menu
2. Go to + New in the top right of the screen
3. Name your list, but make sure the name contains the test tube emoji 🧪
4. Add a short description
5. Notify @danirabaiotti.bsky.social and she will add you to the list of moderators

You should now be good to go.

What should I call my feed?

Anything you like as long as it isn't rude and it contains the test tube emoji 🧪

Might help to keep it somewhat relevant to the topic you have agreed to vet people in.

How do people let me know they need adding to my list?

1. Create an introduction post that says something along the lines of:

' Hi I am Dani and I will be adding science communicators to the science feed. Please respond below with evidence that you are a science communicator to be added to the feed.'

2. Send @danirabaiotti.bsky.social a link to the post.
3. Dani will quote it under the pinned science feed skeet outlining the rules and also add a link to it in the FAQs.
4. We will ask people to respond to the relevant post depending on their subject area and give them instructions on what constitutes acceptable evidence.
5. When people ask to be added and provide adequate evidence, add them to your list.
6. After around 15 minutes they will be able to post in the feed.

How do I add people to my list?

1. Go to their profile
2. Hit the three dots to the right under the banner photo
3. Go to Add to lists
4. Check the box next to your list that's linked to the Science feed

Who can I add to my list?

Professional scientists within the field you have volunteered to moderate.

How do I verify scientists for my list?

We ask that scientists provide evidence that they are a professional scientist or science communicator. @danirabaiotti.bsky.social will handle science communicators as it's a little more tricky. For scientists, we accept the following evidence:

1. Institutional web page
2. Lab web page
3. Google scholar profile
4. ResearchGate profile
5. ORCID ID/web page
6. A publication

If they are lacking these, for example because they are a grad student with no institutional website and no publications yet we can accept a personal website.

These should hopefully provide all you need to verify someone, but in some cases you may need to do additional google searches. If people don't provide enough information or their profile doesn't match the name of their evidence then we cant do much except ask them a few questions to verify they are who they say they are.

Generally my process is to check out their bio, check if it looks kindof sciency (listing their job, field etc, pic of them in a white lab coat ;) - the usual). Check the link and make sure it matches their name and is legit work not some dodgy website/quack non peer reviewed papers.

If someone is anonymous then ask them to contact @danirabaiotti.bsky.social for how to submit evidence anonymously.

Are there any red flags I should look for before adding people?

To date, most people lacking scientific rigour who have asked to be added have been fairly obvious. Key indicators are describing themselves as a sceptic in their bio, railing against mainstream science, or sharing a bunch of amateur looking diagrams with information that makes very little sense. Most have been climate related but we have one amateur aeronautical engineer that things the whole concept of how planes fly is wrong who pops up frequently.

If you wont add someone politely tell them why, and please do feel free to block them if they don't take it well (or even if they do!).

How often should I add people to my list?

We aim to get to people within 7 days. Of course, you are welcome to do it more regularly, but Dani wouldn't hold you to targets she cannot keep herself.

You may find it helpful to put how often you will aim to add people to your introduction post to stop people nagging me. some people end up asking me daily so I really wished I put that in the first main intro post!

What time commitment is needed?

Dani has been spending ~ 1-2 hours a week adding everyone across all subjects.

Hopefully by splitting the work out it should bring the time commitment per person to <30 mins a week.

Feel free to spend more or less as you wish.

Can I chat to the other moderators?

Dani and Bossett will set up and circulate a Discord channel where things can be discussed.

The rules of participating in the channel are don't be a jerk.