This Charter is the basis for a partnership between ISIS staff and facility users. ISIS staff and users work collaboratively to ensure that maximum impact is gained from experiments at the facility. The team of ISIS staff and users that is involved in each ISIS experiment is likely to work best when everyone knows what is expected from them. This Charter helps us to achieve this.
How ISIS staff will work with you
We will treat you fairly and with respect.
We will be approachable, friendly and willing to help all those who use ISIS.
We will have a positive, professional attitude, and will conduct activities with the highest scientific, technical, professional, and ethical standards.
We will provide access to ISIS based on experiment feasibility and scientific merit through peer review (economic benefit for industrial proposals). We may also take into account country balance across the facility, and the needs of students, early career researchers and funded programmes, when allocating experiment time.
We will provide scientific and technical advice before proposal submission, during experiment planning, during an experiment and often while data are being analysed and results being considered. We will provide scientific and technical staff to work collaboratively with you and to support your experiments.
We will endeavour to ensure that ISIS and its instruments operate predictably and reliably. If an experiment cannot be conducted because of instrument or facility problems, the experiment will be rescheduled if it is still required.
We will provide you with training on laboratory safety, and effective and responsible use of instruments. We will provide a safe working environment and safe systems of work.
We will provide you with access to data taken during your experiments in accordance with our data policy.
We will listen to, and act on, comments you give us about your experience of using ISIS and the facilities on the RAL site, through feedback questionnaires, surveys and direct comments.
We will protect the data we hold about you as declared in our policies and in accordance with data protection requirements.
How you will work with ISIS staff
You shall treat facility staff, other STFC staff and other facility users with respect and courtesy.
You shall conduct activities with the highest scientific, technical, professional, and ethical standards, consistent with UKRI guidelines on good research conduct. You will have sought any ethics approval required for this work from your own institution.
You shall talk with our staff to agree on the extent of collaboration expected. You shall recognize the individual contributions of your ISIS contacts, both instrument scientists and technical support staff, in any reports, oral or poster presentations, or peer-reviewed papers, commensurate with their input to the experiment; this may range from a named acknowledgment to co-authorship of a publication.
You shall work with ISIS staff while planning experiments, including ERA completion, and confirmation of the scope of experiments including team members, samples, laboratory needs and equipment.
You shall bring an experimental team capable of participating in the experiment after initial training and sufficient to support the needs of the experiment (Xpress experiments are the exception to this).
You shall provide samples for experiments of agreed quality, quantity and composition - taking responsibility of any ethical approvals where required - and will let your local contact know as soon as possible if it becomes apparent that these will not be possible.
You shall complete all required training and follow all safety and security rules. Please help us to maintain and promote a strong safety culture. You shall observe the rules and regulations concerning the appropriate use of IT equipment and systems.
You shall submit an experiment report within 3 months of an experiment and make best efforts to analyse and publish results in a timely manner.
You shall acknowledge ISIS on all publications and presentations containing results from work carried out at the facility (including use of materials characterisation facilities or material provided through the deuteration laboratory) and cite experiment DOIs in publications. Please tell us about publications resulting from work at ISIS.
Please tell us when we've done things particularly well, and also when we've not met your expectations, through our standard surveys and through direct comment to us.
You shall ensure that the data we hold about you is up-to-date.
Comments on the ISIS User Charter are welcome (to
Philip King and the
ISIS User Office).
Version 23 February 2024
Created 22 February 2024
