Ethics in Physics
Ethics foundations
Honesty and integrity are foundational to making ethical decisions. APS' Ethics Standards, Code of Conduct, and Investigation and Resolution Procedures work in concert to form APS’ ethical foundation, which serves a practical purpose of guiding actions to support a thriving physics enterprise.
The APS Ethics Standards equip physicists with principles to follow when making decisions across a wide variety of domains and situations. These standards address scientific research as well as interactions with others.
Our Code of Conduct affirms that everyone has a responsibility to create a collegial and professional environment that advances physics and accelerates discovery.
The Investigation and Resolution Procedures assure that ethics complaints will be addressed with transparency, fairness, and consistency.
Ethics team
Working collaboratively, the ethics department and committee work to advance the APS Board of Directors' commitment to an ethical culture by developing policies and supporting ongoing education.
The head of ethics serves as the APS ethics officer responsible for investigating allegations of misconduct that occur during APS Activities. She also reviews appeals of ethics determinations involving Non-APS Activities. This role works closely with the APS Board of Directors and serves as the subject matter expert for developing APS ethics initiatives.
The Ethics Committee is led by Eric Mazur, who is responsible for overseeing the committee’s efforts of developing ethics processes, education initiatives, and appointing panels to respond to Non-APS Activity ethics complaints.
Ethics Committee
The Ethics Committee (EC) is an advisory Board Committee. The Ethics Committee advises APS leadership and staff on activities, processes, and procedures to support ethical behavior throughout the APS community. This work includes developing and recommending procedures for dealing with misconduct and revisions to APS ethics policies, as needed.
Ethics in practice
APS takes reports of alleged ethical misconduct seriously, and our ethics policies and procedures ensure that our community adheres to our Ethics Standards. We will investigate reports of alleged misconduct that take place at APS Activities, that is, events sponsored or sanctioned by APS or our units. We will also review complaints regarding ethical misconduct taking place at Non-APS Activities when accompanied by the requisite documentation. For more information about APS Activities, Non-APS Activities, and other ethics terms, please review our list of definitions.
Ethics complaints and reporting
An ethics complaint refers to observable action, conduct, or behavior that is not aligned with our Ethics Standards, Code of Conduct, or Core Values. The APS ethics department responds to all formal complaints filed using any one of the following reporting channels:
- Online: Ethics Hotline, a third-party confidential platform
- Ethics Hotline: Toll-free phone number
- Email: APS Ethics team or APS Head of Ethics
- Email: APS Director of Meetings
Ethics processes and procedures
To learn more about filing an ethics complaint and explore the processes and procedures that APS uses to investigate allegations of ethical misconduct, please see the APS Ethics Investigation and Resolution Procedures.
Alternatives to filing a formal complaint
If you believe that an informal resolution will likely prevent the alleged misconduct from recurring and you feel the issue can be resolved without further action, you may seek an informal resolution, such as mediation, through unit leadership or a meeting organizer. The focus on informal resolution/mediation is to:
- Elevate understanding of the impact of the conduct and why it occurred
- Repair the relationship
- Enhance understanding of the community standards established by the ethics policies and Core Values
In addition, the APS members-only Ombuds Program offers confidential, impartial, informal, and independent conflict resolution services and problem-solving support for harassment or discrimination matters during APS and Non-APS Activities.
Ethics Learning Center
The Ethics Learning Center (ELC) is a hub for ethics educational resources. APS provides resources to assist students and scientists in understanding and thinking through the ethics of the physics profession, as well as articles discussing ethical issues impacting the physics community and events centered around ethics.
Featured ethics resource: "Resources for Scientists Under Threat in the United States"
The U.S. National Academy of Science, Engineering, and Medicine has compiled a series of organizations that can assist scientists and researchers who may be targeted in connection with their work. These resources may support scientists in preventing and responding to attacks.
Ethics articles
APS News provides an outlet for physicists to discuss ethical questions and issues that arise within the scientific community.
Case studies
Case studies can assist students in thinking through ethical questions and situations that may arise when researching, publishing, and working in physics.
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