Ethics Committee establishes unified Statement of Ethics

Written standards of ethics can be a powerful tool for enhancing the culture of professional societies. Ethical standards are used to identify and eliminate inappropriate behaviors and to collectively outline a positive vision of professional conduct.

Over the past year, the newly formed Ethics Committee designed a new Statement of Ethics that reflects the integrity and values members strive to uphold across the Societies. The statement defines the ethical standards that support the professional conduct of all Society members. In this way, ethical conduct provides a foundation for upholding the respective missions and aims of ASA, CSSA, and SSSA.

To create the new Statement of Ethics, the Committee examined the original Statements of Ethics of each Society as well as similar documents from other scientific societies. The new version incorporates elements of these as well as perspectives from multiple rounds of feedback. In addition to professional standards of conduct, there is a greater emphasis on equity, inclusion, and shared values.

The revised document will replace the Society-specific statements with one unified, overarching Statement of Ethics. In turn, the Statement will support a Code of Conduct that defines specific behaviors, the violation of which may be addressed through follow-up actions.

The Statement has received final approval by the ASA, CSSA, and SSSA Boards of Directors.  The statement has been posted online and both new and renewing members will be asked to agree to the statement of ethics as a condition of membership.

The Ethics Committee is currently working on the Code of Conduct to delineate the behaviors that follow from the standards described in the Statement of Ethics. Members will have an opportunity to provide feedback on the Code in the months ahead.

Read the Statement of Ethics here.