Effective Date: January 1, 2026
State of the Graph is a professional research community. We hold ourselves to high standards of methodology and transparency, and we expect the same from those who engage with our work.
Scope: Applies to all comments, replies, and interactions on social media and other channels.
Purpose: We share proprietary research, market analysis, and vendor maps. Our goal is a professional, respectful discussion. This Code protects the integrity of our work and our team.
1. Acceptable Conduct
We welcome:
- Professional disagreement with our methodology, criteria, or conclusions.
- Fact‑based corrections or suggestions for future editions.
- Questions about our listing process.
- Sharing of relevant experience that adds to the discussion.
2. Unacceptable Conduct
The following behaviors violate this Code. They will result in consequences regardless of intent.
| Category | Description |
| Personal attacks & bad‑faith accusations | Name‑calling, insults, or accusing our team of dishonesty (e.g., “incompetent,” “gatekeeper,” “deliberately biased”) without evidence. |
| Public shaming or threats | Announcing plans to “expose,” defame, or damage our reputation across other platforms as leverage for inclusion or to retaliate. |
| Spam & self‑promotional hijacking | Using our content to drive traffic to unrelated products, services, channels, or events, especially under the guise of a “suggestion.” |
| Ignoring established process | Refusing to use our designated channels (DM, support email) for pre‑publication feedback, then launching a public attack after the fact. |
| Misrepresentation of our position | Claiming we “excluded” or acted in bad faith when we have given a documented, reasonable explanation (e.g., criteria not met, missing public information). |
| Emotional or manipulative appeals | Demanding special treatment based on personal history (e.g., years worked, funding status, contributions) rather than merits against published criteria. |
| Harassment & coordinated attacks | Repeated tagging of team members, encouraging others to pile on, or posting the same complaint across multiple unrelated posts. |
3. Consequences – Escalation Ladder
Consequences are proportionate and cumulative.
| Step | Action | Trigger |
| 1 | Warning. The user receives a message in the same channel where the violation occurred. | First violation (any category). |
| 2 | Comment deleted + final warning (private). Incident logged in our internal tracker. | Second violation by same user. |
| 3 | Permanent exclusion from all future research, maps, reports, and analyst relations. Public statement (factual, citing this Code) issued. | Third violation or any single egregious violation (e.g., threat of public shaming, harassment campaign). |
| 4 | User reported to the relevant platform. | Repeated violations after Step 3. |
| 5 | Legal escalation (if harassment continues off‑platform or becomes defamatory). | Repeated violations after Step 4. |
Note: LinkedIn does not allow Page admins to fully block individuals from commenting. However, we can delete/hide comments and report users to LinkedIn, who may suspend accounts. Our permanent exclusion is a business decision, not a technical block.
4. Disclaimer
Our analyses, maps, and rankings reflect our independent methodology. Inclusion of a vendor does not imply endorsement; exclusion does not imply lack of merit – only that the vendor did not meet published criteria at the time of publication. We update criteria and maps regularly.
5. Changes to This Code
We may update this Code as needed. The latest version always lives at https://stateofthegraph.com/code-of-conduct/ Continued engagement after an update constitutes acceptance.