Community guidelines

Community guidelines for The Lancet's social media channels

The Lancet journals engage with a broad community of authors, readers and the wider public through various social media platforms, including Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Weibo and WeChat. We want to ensure everyone feels able to make use of our social media channels and so we ask you to please follow the below guidelines. They outline what The Lancet considers appropriate and inappropriate interactions on our channels and the actions we may take if these guidelines are not adhered to.

1. We welcome discussion and debate
Discussion and debate are vital to science and medicine, but strong opinions should be expressed in a considered and respectful way. Read the comments in a thread before you post your own. If you encounter a factual error, highlight politely. For more information about scientific debate, please visit this page.

2. Don't post hate speech or other discriminatory content
We have a zero-tolerance policy for posts that are discriminatory. If your post is discriminatory, you will be blocked from The Lancet's social media channels.

3. Be mindful The Lancet's social media channels are public forums
When you post a comment, it is widely available to read. You are legally responsible for anything you post so ensure it cannot be misconstrued and consider also that it may be read by minors.

4. Report inappropriate comments
While we monitor The Lancet's social media channels, not all posts can be monitored. If you encounter an inappropriate comment that infringes our community guidelines, report the comment on the platform. However, this should only be used for serious complaints and not simply because you disagree with the sentiment of a post.

5. Don't post inappropriate links or multimedia
Don’t post links to content that purposefully spread misinformation. Additionally, do not post multimedia some followers may find upsetting. Doing so may result in your comment being hidden or block from our social media channels.

6. Don't give out medical advice
The research the Lancet journals' publish has undergone an extensive peer-review process. Please do not give out medical advice on The Lancet's social media channels. If you do, your comment will be hidden, and you may be blocked. Read more about our Peer Review process or watch this video on what we publish and why.

7. Don't promote products or services
The Lancet's social media channels are intended as a forums for sharing and discussing scientific and medical research. Please ensure your posts stay on topic and relevant and do not attempt to promote a product or service. Doing so may result in your comment being hidden or block from our social media channels.

8. Don't violate someone else's privacy
We advise you do not post personal and contact information about yourself as social media is a public forum. Moreover, you should not post personal details or contact information belonging to someone else. Doing so may result in block from our social media channels.

We may also decide to hide comments or block users if they:

- Publish unlawful content or content that violates any rights of any person or entity. This includes libel, condoning illegal activity, and content that breaches copyright or any other intellectual property rights
- Include commercial endorsements or link to sites with intent to purchase
- Include swearing, hate speech or obscenity
- Include personal attacks, insults, or threats
- Wilfully promote misinformation
- Reveal personal details, such as private addresses, phone numbers, email address, etc.

If we remove content, it is for a reason. Do not resubmit the same content. Users who continue to post inappropriate content may be blocked from our social media channels.

If you encounter a comment, hidden or otherwise, which suggests a threat of violence or self-harm, please report the comment to the platform directly.