EGU2020: Sharing Geoscience Online at a glance

EGU2020: Sharing Geoscience Online (#shareEGU20) brings part of the activities of the EGU General Assembly 2020 online. We hope that authors and conveners will join us in sharing their research and discussing with colleagues. From 4 to 8 May 2020 (CEST) everyone can join us online for their favourite sessions.

Participation in EGU2020: Sharing Geoscience Online does not require payment of a registration fee. For uploads of presentation materials and commenting, authors and participants only need to have a Copernicus user account. Viewing abstracts and presentation materials does not require any authentication. Participating in text-based session chat channels requires the provision of a nickname and your email address. To organize your participation, please consider preparing your personal programme. To learn more about the chat channels, please see our page on how to use the chats.

Participants have a variety of session formats to choose from:

  • Scientific sessions encourage authors to upload and share their presentation materials and opt in to commenting from 1 April 2020 onwards. From 4 to 8 May 2020, during the week of EGU2020: Sharing Geoscience Online, each session hosts a live, text-based chat for community exchange and discussion on the presentations of that session. Please note that times provided in the programme are according to the Central European Summer Time (CEST).
  • Union symposia will be brought online through videoconferencing. Please check the US programme.
  • Great debates will be brought online through videoconferencing. Please check the GDB programme.
  • Short courses: a selection of the original 90 sessions will be offered online during 2020 in the form of webinars and/or downloads of recorded material. Please check the SC online programme to see individual scheduling days and times.
  • Townhall meetings: A selection of townhall meetings will share materials and hold a discussion via live, text-based chat.

We encourage participating in our activities linking science and art:

  • Photo Competition: voting for the online EGU Photo Competition.
  • #shareEGUart: Follow our online artists, Stacy Phillips and Priyanka Das Rajkakati, and share your own creativity around your research with the hashtag #shareEGUart.

Join our feedback and networking activities:

  • Division meetings will share division information and call for community feedback. The division meetings are scheduled at lunch time.
  • Meet your colleagues at various networking events. We offer Geoscience games, a Data Help Desk, Virtual outcrops and VR videos, the 'Skin of the Earth' film, and many division networking Zoom events.

In addition to the information pages on www.egu2020.eu, further tips on preparing for Sharing Geoscience Online can be found in this collection of blogs and videos by EGU.

There is no obligation for authors to participate in EGU2020: Sharing Geoscience Online nor to upload presentation materials. Each abstract received a DOI and is an independent published entity. We will of course not withdraw abstracts that are not presented and we strongly encourage to leave your abstract online, so it is visible for session attendees.

Participating in any EGU events, including EGU2020: Sharing Geoscience Online, implies that you adhere to EGU's Code of Conduct.

FAQs on participating in Sharing Geoscience Online

  1. Who can attend Sharing Geoscience Online? Is registration required?

    EGU2020: Sharing Geoscience Online is open to anyone interested in geoscience and is free of charge. No registration is required. Abstracts as well as uploaded presentation materials, which are called 'displays', can be viewed here. Materials can only be added to existing abstracts. The materials are ideally distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License (CC BY 4.0), which allows anyone to share them as long as the authors are cited. If this established open-access licence cannot be applied to your materials, please clearly indicate your copyright statement (e.g. © Authors. All rights reserved). In either case, authors grant Copernicus Meetings the right to hold their presentation materials online for viewing and download by individuals.

    You can add a comment to uploaded presentation materials (displays) from 1 April to 31 May by logging in with your Copernicus user ID and providing your name. You don't need to register or use a Copernicus login to participate in the live chats from 4–8 May. To learn more about the chat channels, please see our page on how to use the chats.

  2. How do I find the schedule of events for 4–8 May?

    You can access the programme for EGU2020: Sharing Geoscience Online by browsing by day & time or browsing by session. You can also create a personal programme to keep track of sessions of interest by logging in and starring sessions that you would like to attend. You can, as usual, also select individual abstracts within sessions.

  3. What exactly happens from 4–8 May and is there anything taking place beforehand?

    Scientific sessions encourage the upload of presentation materials from 1 April to 31 May. The same period is valid for comments by the community and replies by the authors. Please use these 2 months for a continued exchange. Then, during the EGU2020: Sharing Geoscience Online week from 4–8 May, scientific sessions offer a text-based live chat during the sessions' allocated time blocks. This chat is in addition to the 2-months exchange period. The text-based live chat does neither involve live presentations nor video or audio chats, in order to remain inclusive for all attendees. The text-based chat is an opportunity for attendees of a session to discuss the uploaded presentation materials and abstracts of that session. To learn more about the chat channels, please see our page on how to use the chats.

  4. I can't be online when my session is scheduled; can I still contribute?

    Yes! The EGU understands that work commitments and time zones may make it difficult for some people to attend in person during their scheduled session time. However, even if you're unable to be present during your session's allocated time slot, you can still upload additional materials prior to it and respond to questions and add additional information using the comment function until 31 May. Please simply indicate your absence so that all attendees are aware.

  5. I can't see my oral/poster/PICO in the schedule anymore – what is a 'display'?

    In preparation for EGU2020: Sharing Geoscience Online, we have converted all presentation types to 'displays'. These displays allow those who have submitted abstracts to upload presentation materials, opt in to commenting, and participate in a live text chat during the scheduled session time of the 4–8 May Sharing Geoscience Online week. You will also notice that the identifier of your abstract has changed; all abstracts have now been given a display number (starting with a 'D') to highlight that all presentations are treated equally.

  6. What sort of materials should I be uploading?

    Everyone who submitted an abstract will have 50 MB of space to upload whatever materials they think will help them share their research with others. This can be anything from a single graphic or a few slides to a whole presentation. There is advice on the type of files that are suitable for uploading here. Please ensure that your uploaded materials do not contain content that is unlawful, abusive, or constitute a breach of contract or of confidence or of commitment given to secrecy, and that you secure the right to reproduce any material that has already been published or copyrighted elsewhere.

  7. Are my uploaded materials visible to everyone?

    Yes. As with your abstract, all presentation materials, called 'displays', are distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License (CC BY 4.0), which allows anyone to share them as long as the authors are cited. If your materials require another licence, please clearly indicate this licence in your file (e.g. © Authors. All rights reserved). In either case, authors grant Copernicus Meetings the right to hold their presentation materials online for viewing and download by individuals.

  8. Will my uploaded materials remain visible to everyone?

    Yes. The upload of presentation materials is independent of the dedicated Sharing Geoscience Online week in May. Uploaded materials and possible comments by the community are entirely archived and remain online. We understand that not all authors can follow the open-access model and the CC BY 4.0 distribution licence since the content of their presentation material might be restricted. This should be indicated in the presentation by not showing the CC BY logo but instead a clear copyright statement (e.g. © Authors. All rights reserved). Nevertheless, your material stays online. However, your corresponding abstract received a DOI and is an independent published entity. The abstract should not be withdrawn for this reason and it is no problem if you do not wish to upload presentation materials.

  9. Will the sharing of my presentation materials impact a further and future publication elsewhere?

    Abstracts and presentation materials corresponding to these abstracts should not impact future publication. Journals allow, and usually encourage, that authors discuss their work at conferences prior to writing and submitting a manuscript, and we would not see Sharing Geoscience Online as different to a physical conference contribution. The hosting of the abstract and its presentation materials, as well as the provision of the DOI assigned to the abstracts are through EGUsphere, a not-for-profit preprint server run by EGU and Copernicus. Most journals specifically allow posting on a (not-for-profit) preprint server prior to submission. Examples for these policies can be found at all EGU journals, Nature, AGU, or Science.

  10. Can I withdraw my abstract?

    Even if you don't plan on uploading any additional materials or interacting during EGU2020: Sharing Geoscience Online, please leave your abstract online for people to see, as all abstracts have already been given a DOI. It is possible to withdraw your abstract for scientific reasons but please notice that the abstract processing charges (APC) will not be refunded. Abstract withdrawal is by email to egu2020@copernicus.org. Should you only aim to inform that you will not be able to attend the session's live chat, please simply indicate your absence so that all attendees are aware.

  11. Can I host a live talk during my session's allocated time slot?

    Our platform will neither host live presentations nor video or audio chats. We therefore encourage conveners and authors to discuss their research using the provided text chat and comment functions. The combination of the 2-months period of archived commenting on presentation materials with the non-recorded live text chat during the session's allocated time in May is very inclusive since hearing-impaired attendees and also attendees with lower bandwidths can follow the scientific exchange. To learn more about the chat channels, please see our page on how to use the chats. If you would like to host a live discussion on a different platform in addition to the scheduled live chat, this additional activity needs to be outside of your session's allocated time slot to maximize participation and minimize confusion. Please contact your Programme Group Chair for further guidelines on organizing additional events.

  12. What is expected of conveners?

    As with the physical General Assembly in Vienna, we encourage conveners to play an active role in the session and keep in touch with their authors. We have invited authors to upload presentation materials (called 'displays') connected with their abstracts and to opt in to allow comments by the community. This will facilitate discussion and exchange between authors and colleagues, and we invite all conveners to take part in this discussion.

    During EGU2020: Sharing Geoscience Online from 4–8 May 2020, we will open one text live chat channel per scheduled scientific session. There, authors and attendees can actively discuss the presentation materials using a text-based chatroom. Conveners and/or chairpersons are asked to moderate the chats: you can introduce the session, ensure that all displays get some attention, and ask questions to stimulate the discussion. We would encourage conveners to check in with authors to see if they plan on being present in the chat, regardless of whether or not they have uploaded materials to the display. Please note that there will not be individual threads per abstract. To learn more about the chat channels, please see our page on how to use the chats.

    More information for conveners can be found in the conveners' section of the Sharing Geoscience Online scientific session page. We hope that conveners will help us make EGU2020: Sharing Geoscience Online an exciting, useful and active event for the geoscience community.

  13. Due to my time zone, I will not be able to be online during my session's allocated time. Can the times be changed?

    We fully understand that online activities with attendees staying at home are very different from a physical meeting at a defined geographical location. However, to meet the interests of the majority of attendees, we kept the scheduling according to the Central European Summer Time (CEST). We have sessions from 08:30 to 18:00, which allows having a reasonable number of sessions in parallel. Therefore, the time block model of the physical meeting was applied to EGU2020: Sharing Geoscience Online. If you are a convener of a session, we kindly ask finding a chairperson who can step in for you. If you are an author unable to be present during your session's allocated time slot, you can still upload additional materials prior to it and respond to questions and add additional information using the comment function until 31 May. Please simply indicate your absence so that all attendees are aware.

  14. I'm convening a Short Course; how can I contribute to EGU2020: Sharing Geoscience Online?

    A small number of Short Courses have been selected to be held as webinars. These will be pre-recorded and released by the EGU throughout the week. The EGU is unfortunately unable to host all of the Short Courses online due to our limited capacity and the large number of sessions submitted. A member of the EGU's staff will contact you in the first week of April if your Short Course is selected. We encourage the other Short Course conveners to re-submit their sessions in 2021. All conveners are still encouraged to participate in the other online sessions throughout the week.