Center for the Study of Ethics in the Professions at IIT

Preamble

This Code provides guiding principles of conduct for all members of the Estuarine Research Federation. Recognition of professional status by the public depends not only on skill and dedication but also on adherence to a code of professional conduct.

1. An ERF member shall act at all times with integrity.
* Will offer professional advice only on those subjects in which they are informed and qualified through training and experience.
* Will avoid and discourage the dissemination of false, erroneous, biased, unwarranted or exaggerated statements.
* Shall clearly differentiate opinions, theories, hypotheses and ideas.
* Will support and promote equal opportunities in all professional activities
* Will not engage in any activity that might result in a conflict of interest (and will be conscious of the appearance of a conflict of interest).
2. An ERF member should strive to increase his/her competence and the competence and prestige of the profession.
* In any communication will give full and proper credit to and will avoid misrepresentation of the work and ideas of others.
* Shall exercise utmost care in laboratory and field research.
* Within reasonable limits of time and finance will volunteer their special knowledge, skill and training to the public.
* Will keep informed of advances in his/her field of expertise, including methodologies of data acquisition and analysis.
* Will fulfill acknowledged commitments in a timely manner.
3. An ERF member will accept responsibility for his/her work.
* Shall report accurately, truthfully and clearly the information pertinent to a given project and will convey findings objectively.
* As an author, should have made a substantial contribution to the manuscript in at least two of the following ways:
o 3.2.1 Conceiving the ideas and design of the experiment;
o 3.2.2 Participating in the active execution of the study;
o 3.2.3 Analyzing and interpreting the data;
o 3.2.4 Writing the manuscript.
* The principal investigator(s) of a research project should establish a clear understanding with everyone working on the project as to the right of any person to publish a paper using data collected in that project.
* An author should not submit a manuscript to a journal while it is already under review by another journal.
* Original records of research methods, conditions, equipment, personnel, results, analyses, and statistical tests should be retained for several years after publication of results.