QUATIC is a forum for disseminating advanced methods, techniques and tools for supporting quality approaches to ICT engineering and management. Practitioners and researchers are encouraged to exchange ideas and approaches on how to adopt a quality culture in ICT process and product improvement and to provide practical studies in varying contexts. That requires openness, international collaboration, and the free flow of talent and ideas in a safe, productive, and welcoming environment to all participants, including staff members and student volunteers.

QUATIC's Code of Ethical Conduct promotes an environment that recognizes the inherent worth of every person and group, fosters dignity, understanding, mutual respect and embraces diversity, so that all QUATIC participants will feel welcome, included, respected, and safe. That includes all conference-related activities, before, during and after the meeting itself, both in loco and in official communications channels, including social media and virtual conference tools.

QUATIC’s Code of Ethical Conduct rejects unwelcome or hostile behavior or speech that intimidates, creates discomfort, or interferes with a person’s participation or opportunity for participation. That includes any manifestation of discrimination, harassment, or bullying, including, but not limited to:

• any kind of discriminative behavior (e.g. harmful comments, writings, or actions) based on gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, medical conditions, body size, race, color, age, marital status, national origin, religion or any other status protected by laws in the country where QUATIC is being held;
• sustained disruption of talks or other conference-related activities, namely using abusive or degrading language;
• deliberate intimidation or stalking;
• unwelcome sexual attention or inappropriate physical contact;
• harassing photography or recording;
• exhibition of sexual imagery;
• advocating for, or encouraging, any of the above behavior.

QUATIC adheres to the ACM Publication Policy (https://www.acm.org/publications/policies/plagiarism-overview) in that it seeks to “serve readers' and authors' interests by publishing high-quality original works, including […] conference articles, […] and other forms of scholarly and professional information”. We particularly note that we require:

• original scientific works that are not under parallel review;
• the avoidance of author misrepresentation (e.g., that all authors have made meaningful contributions including to the drafting of the paper);
• that there is no content falsification (e.g., of results);
• not allow the PC Chairs to author papers;
• not allow Track Chairs to author papers for their own track;
• allow PC Members to submit papers to their own track, provided that they declare a conflict of interest on EasyChair.

As part of QUATIC´s double-blind review process:

• PC Members will be invited to express their reviewing preferences (bidding phase) by indicating the submitted papers that are within their areas of interest or competence;
• Track Chairs will assign submitted papers to their PC Members, making the best effort to match the previously expressed bids;
• PC Members will review assigned papers expressing their honest and fair judgment, identifying strengths and weaknesses, and suggesting improvements. Offensive language should be avoided in reviews and a constructive tone should be used instead, to encourage peers to proceed with their research;
• Track Chairs will orchestrate the double-blind review process to guarantee the production of (at least) three independent reviews for non-desk-rejected submissions;
• based on PC Members reviews, Track Chairs will provide PC Chairs a weighted serialization of submissions in their own track, along with recommendations for acceptance as a full paper, acceptance as a short paper, or unacceptance;
• PC Chairs will merge tracks serializations and recommendations in a single list, making their best effort to correct misbalances across the independent review processes that took place in each track, and guaranteeing that the final acceptance ratios match the limits established by the Publisher;
• Authors of accepted papers are expected to consider review recommendations while producing their camera-ready versions.

If you feel that you or another participant are subject to any of the aforementioned unacceptable behaviors, please notify immediately any QUATIC staff member identified by a special badge. You may also report it by email to ethicalconduct@quatic.org, namely for ethical conduct violations occurring before or after the meeting takes place (e.g. in official communications channels, including social media).

If extreme cases, if you detect an imminent danger, please dial 112, the European free-call number for accidents or emergencies (e.g. medical emergency, police, fire rescue), from a mobile or fixed phone.

QUATIC participants are expected to adhere to the principles and rules of this Code of Ethical Conduct, both in the conference venue and outside it during the social program, as well as in all conference-related activities before and after the meeting itself. In case of violation, QUATIC organizers retain the right to take any actions required to keep the event a welcoming environment for all participants.

In least severe situations the enforcement of this Code of Ethical Conduct may include warning the offender to stop immediately the inadequate behavior. In case of reoccurrence or in more severe situations, it may include expulsion from the conference without refund and/or inclusion in a blacklist for preventing participation in future editions.