Codes of Ethics and Conduct
Below is a sampling of ethical codes from professional
societies for engineers and scientists. Some differ widely in
their content, because of their origins and their specific
purposes. Others are similar in the topics they cover and the
general ethical standards they articulate, but differ in
language and in the specific ethical problems or abuses they
address.
We invite professional societies in engineering and
science to send us the latest revision of their codes or
ethical guidelines for posting on these pages. Please send
such codes and guidelines electronically with permission to
post it.
Codes Maintained by The Online
Ethics Center
- American Council of
Engineering Companies Ethical Guidelines
- American Council of Engineering Companies Ethical
Guidelines, adopted in October 1980.
- American Chemical Society
Code of Conduct
- The ACS was one of the first scientific societies to
have a code of ethics. ACS also provides to its members
many more specific statements, such as on the environment
and on conditions of employment, rather than one general
code.
- Association of Computer
Machinery (ACM) Code of Conduct
- This code was created recently by a task force with a
strong representation of philosophers and sociologists who
teach computer ethics.
- American Institute of
Chemists
- Chemistry code of ethics. Approved by the AIC Board of
Directors, April 29, 1983.
- American Mathematical
Society (AMS) Ethical Guidelines
- These guidelines are rather detailed and include even
such matters as revocation of advanced degrees in
mathematics, when graduate work is subsequently found to
have been plagiarized.
- American Physical Society
(APS) Code of Conduct
- First adopted by the APS in 1991, this code deals only
with research ethics.
- American Society of Civil
Engineers (ASCE) Code of Ethics
- This code includes fundamental canons and rules of
practice for consulting engineers. Last revised in 1996.
See the ASCE Guidelines
to Practice.
- Codes From Student
Organizations
- Student Pugwash USA Pledge, Pugwash Conferences,
Humboldt Pledge, Hippocratic Oath for Scientists,
Engineers, and Executives, Berkeley Pledge of Ethical
Conduct.
- Code of Ethics of the
Information Processing Society of Japan
- Adopted May 20, 1996, translated into English.
- Ethical Guidelines to
Publication of Chemical Research (ACS)
- The editors of journals published by the ACS have
developed a set of ethical guidelines for persons engaged
in the publication of chemical research; specifically, for
editors, authors, and manuscript reviewers. They are also
available in a pdf version on the ACS website.
- Guidelines for Engineers
Dissenting on Ethical Grounds
- These guidelines provide general advice to engineers,
including engineering managers, who find themselves in
conflicts with management over matters with ethical
implications. Much of this advice is pertinent to more
general conflicts within organizations. (IEEE Ethics
Committee 11/11/96)
- The Institution of
Engineers, Australia, Code of Ethics.
- The IEAust was founded in 1919 and incorporated by
Royal Charter in 1938. The work of the Institution covers
all aspects of the professional and technical fields of
engineering.
- Institute of Electrical
and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Code of Ethics
- Like the ASME code, this one is very general. It is an
aspirational code articulating ideals that IEEE members
commit themselves to, but it does not address with specific
situations. The IEEE in collaboration with several other
professional societies has developed a set of Employment Guidelines that
provides standards of responsible behavior for employers
and employees in their relations with one another. These
guidelines are especially valuable for new engineers. For
information regarding the IEEE Member Conduct Committee
(MCC), refer to the IEEE web site.
- l' Ordre des ingenieurs
du Quebec - OIQ Code de deontologies des ingenieurs du
Quebec
- (English Version) This code of ethics/duties, like the
codes for each of the other provinces of Canada, has the
force of law and the OIQ has investigation, enforcement and
a judicial function. This code was adopted in 1983.
Revisions are now being considered.
- National Society of
Professional Engineers (NSPE) Code of Ethics
- This code is very detailed. The NSPE Board of Ethical
Review applies this code in making judgments on cases. These judgments serve
to educate its members on what the NSPE considers ethical
practice.
- Note: Murdough Center maintains all of the NSPE BER
cases from 1976 - 2001 on their site at http://www.niee.org/pdd.cfm?pt=NIEE&doc=EthicsCases
- The National Society of
Professional Engineers (NSPE) Ethics in Employment Task
Force Report
- Developed by NSPE, this report emphasizes the right and
the obligation of engineers to raise ethical concerns in
the work place, and provides guidance on how best to raise
such issues. It also guides companies that want to
guarantee a working environment where employees can feel
free to raise concerns.
- Principles of
Ethical Conduct in Engineering Practice Under The North
American Free Trade Agreement
- Developed by the Murdough Center at Texas Tech under a
grant form the National Science Foundation.
- Software Engineering Code of Ethics
and Professional Practice
- Standard for teaching and practicing software
engineering as recommended by the IEEE-CS/ACM Joint Task
Force on Software Engineering Ethics and Professional
Practices and Jointly approved by the ACM and the IEEE-CS.
(Version 5.2)
Códigos en
Español (These codes are available in Spanish
only)
Vea el Indice de
Códigos en Español
- Los
Códigos de Etica de los Colegios Profesionales
Peruanos.- Codes of Ethics of Professional Schools in
Peru
- Essay and collection of Codes of Ethics of Peruvian
Schools: code of engineerings, lawyers, pharmaceutical
chemists, psychologists, architects, notaries, dentists,
journalists, accountants, economists, medical doctors,
nutritionists.
- Código de Etica
Profesional del Colegio Médico del Perú.-
Code of Ethics of the Peruvian School of Medicine
- Revised February 2000.
- Código de Etica
Profesional del Colegio de Biólogos del
Perú.- Code of Ethics of the Peruvian School of
Biology
- Approved October 22, 1998. Lima, Perú.
- Código de
Etica de COPI - Colegio de Profesionales en
Informática. AC
- Code of Ethics of the Association of Professionals in
Computer Science of Chihuahua, Mexico. The main objective
of COPI is to improve the conditions of its members at the
professional, technical, economical, scientific, cultural
and social levels.
Codes of Ethics Maintained by other
Organizations
Will open a new browser
- American
Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Board on
Professional Practce and Ethics
- Along with criteria for interpreation of the canons,
the ASME site gives an appendix that addresses ethical
issues in the publiccation of professional/technical
articles, papers and reports.
- American Psychological Association Ethical
Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct
- A very complete Code that includes introduction,
preambule, general principles, general standards. Effective
June 1, 2003.
- Code of Ethics of the American Society for
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.
- Developed by the Public Affairs Advisory Committee of
ASBMB in 1997 and approved by the Council of
this society in 1998.
- Ethical Codes and Guidelines for Health Care
Workers
- Codes of Ethics of the American Medical
Association
- In addition to the Code of Medical Ethics, this website
offers information on Principles of Medical Ethics, The
Fundamental Elements of the Patient-Physician Relationship
as well as Reports of the Council on Ethical and Judicial
Affairs, CEJA.
- Codes of Ethics Online
- A project of the Center for the Study of Ethics in the
Professions at the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT).
This site contains an extensive collection of codes
including those for university teachers, including:
-
- Codes of Conduct/Practice/Ethics from
Around the World
- This list started as a collection of codes of conduct,
codes of practice, or codes of ethics from around the
world, as part of an IFIP study of codes led by Dr. Jacques
Berleur, Univ. Notre-Dame e la Paix, Namur, Belgium. Since
then codes from many different sources have been added, and
continue to be added.
- American Association of Engineering
Societies (AAES) Model Code of Ethics
- (draft): "In recognition of the importance of our
technologies in affecting the quality of life throughout
the world, and in accepting a personal obligation to the
profession, its members and the communities served,
engineers shall commit themselves to the highest ethical
and professional conduct."
- Accrediation Board for Engineering and Technology
(ABET) Code of Ethics of Engineers
- Fundamental principles and canons given by the ABET, a
federation of professional engineering and technical
societies recognized by the Council on Higher Education
Accreditation.
- Code of Conduct of the Accreditation Board for
Engineering and Technology, Inc. (ABET)
- Approved by the board of directors on October 30, 1999.
Guidelines for ABET's volunteers and staff members.
- The Endocrine Society
- A page on the ethical practice of research and clinical
medicine. This page includes the code of ethics of the
Endocrine Society as well as scenarios in research ethics
including references to enhance understanding of these
moral situations.
- Land Surveying-Rules and Regulations
- State by state rules, regulations, and codes of ethics
for licensed engineers and land surveyors.
- Surveyor's Creed & Cannons
- Maintained by the National Society of Professional Surveyors
(NSPS).
- Universal Declaration of Engineers
Rights
- Walter L. Elden, editor. Revised and endorsed by
several past or current members of IEEE. "This
declaration is intended to apply to those professional
employees (engineers) addressed in the Guidelines to Professional Employment for
Engineers and Scientists, Third Edition, October, 1989
and to the members of its endorsing societies."
- Chemical Engineering Code of
Ethics
- Maintained by the American Institute of Chemical
Engineers.
- The System Administrators Guild of
Australia
- Software Ethics
- The University of Western Ontario's guide to the
ethical and legal use of software
Códigos en Español (These codes are
available in Spanish only)
Vea el Indice de
Códigos en Español
- Código de Etica de SMU ( Sindicato
Médico del Uruguay). SMU's Code of Ethics (Trade
Union of Doctors in Medicine from Uruguay)
- Approved 04/27/95. Includes an overview of the history
of this code since the establishment of the Union in
1920.
- Código de Etica del Colegio de
Ingenieros de la Provincia de Buenos Aires. Distrito VII. -
School of Engineerings of Buenos Aires' Code of
Ethics
- Approved 11/25/94.
- Código de Etica de UMAI
(Unión Mexicana de Asociaciones de Ingenieros)-
UMAI's Codes of Ethics (Mexican Union of Associations of
Engineerings)
- The Code of Ethics for the Mexican Engineer was first
published on July 1, 1983, and was signed by Miguel de la
Madrid, President of México. This Code appears at
University of Chile's website as a contribution by Araceli
Solano.
- Código de Etica de FILACP
(Federación Ibero- Latinoamericana de Cirugía
Plástica)- FILACP's Codes of Ethics
- Approved 09/82. Buenos Aires, Argentina. This code must
be observed by all professionals in the field of plastic
surgery from the countries belonging to FILACP (Argentina,
Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, among others).
Indice de Documentos en
Español
Essays on ethical standards and
licensing or membership in professional societies
- British Computer Soceties Report on
Whistle Blowing
- A paper addressing the topic of whistle-blowing in the
contexts of information systems (IS) and environments and
BCS members. The current BCS codes of conduct and practice
are examined. This site examines and draws the conclusion
that more work needs to be carried out before the BCS can
adequately guide its members where and when whistle-blowing
might be involved.
- An Update on Professional
Ethics and the NCEES
- R. L. Greene, The National Council of Examiners for
Engineering and Surveying
- International Engineering
Ethics
- Vivian Weil, Illinois Institute of Technology. This
lecture explores the possibilities of developing
international ethical standards.
- Ethics and the Internet
- A memo from the Internet Activities Board stating their
policy concerning the proper use of the resources of the
Internet
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