Views
- ABS Code of Ethics (Added to Policy at 1990 E.C. Meetings; revised at 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996 & 2004 E.C. meetings; Bylaws revised at 2004 Business meeting.)
- Shall conduct their professional affairs in an ethical manner as prescribed in this Code, shall endeavor to protect the profession of animal behavior from misunderstanding and misrepresentation, and shall cooperate with one another to assure the rapid and accurate interchange and dissemination of knowledge about animal behavior.
- Shall use their knowledge, skills, and training to assist in achieving the harmonious interaction of the human species with other organisms.
- Shall not represent themselves as spokesperson for the Society or imply Society endorsement except with prior approval of the Executive Committee.
- Members shall be guided by the following in preparing research reports for publication or public presentation:
- The authors of a research report should be all and just those who have made a significant scientific contribution to the research, except that no one should be listed as an author without his or her consent.
- Intellectual property rights should be respected. In particular, authors should include unpublished data, personal communications, or concepts of others in publications only as stipulated in an agreed upon policy or by consent.
- Authors of scientific publications should avoid plagiarism. In particular, because material not attributed to previous publications is assumed to be original, authors should give proper acknowledgment when previously published work is included in a research report. (An obvious exception is material, such as the Pythagorean theorem, that is so widely known that citing the original would be pedantic.)
- Authors should not present or publish material that is fabricated or falsified.
- Shall offer professional advice only on those subjects in which they are qualified, by virtue of professional training and experience.
- Shall neither harass nor request or accept inappropriate favor from students, employees, or colleagues.
- Shall inform a prospective or current employer, colleague, student, or client of any professional or personal conflicts of interest that may impair their objectivity.
- Shall neither seek employment, grants, or gain nor attempt to injure the reputation or opportunities for education or employment of students or colleagues by false, biased, or undocumented claims or accusations, or by any other malicious action.
- Shall not discriminate against students, employees, or colleagues on the basis of sex, creed, religion, race, color, national origin, life style, sexual orientation, economic status, organizational affiliation, or other irrelevant characteristics.
- Shall carry out their work in accord with the Society's Policy, including the "ABS/ASAB Guidelines for the Use of Animals in Research and Teaching" and the "Program for Certification of Applied Animal Behaviorists."
- Shall be obligated, when they have substantial evidence of a breach of this Code, to bring such conduct to the attention of any member of the Executive Committee. (Revised at 2004 E.C. meeting.)
- Procedure in cases of alleged misconduct by Certified Applied Animal Behaviorists. (Enacted at 1992 E.C. Meetings.)
- Allegations of misconduct by a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist may be reported to any other Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist or to the Chair of the Board of Professional Certification. Anonymous allegations will not be considered.
- Certified Applied Animal Behaviorists should report allegations of misconduct by a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist to the Chair of the Board of Professional Certification.
- Depending on the alleged misconduct, the Chair of the Board of Professional Certification may direct the complaint to the Board of Professional Certification.
- After deciding to deal with a complaint, the Board of Professional Certification will request written documentation from the parties involved. Policies governing jurisdiction {Policy 23 b 3, second paragraph), confidentiality, conflicts of interest, and public notice (Policy 23 b 10) shall apply, mutatis mutandis.
- Documentation of the case will be circulated to members of the Board of Professional Certification. Members of the Board and Committee (if consulted) should submit their written evaluations to the Chair of the Board.
- Based on the written statements, the Chair of the Board will prepare a written summary and recommend action. This preliminary report will be circulated to members of the Board and revised in accordance with their opinions and at the discretion of the Chair of the Board.
- After approval by consensus, the final report will be circulated to the Board of Professional Certification. The final report must summarize the evidence, state of conclusion, and make a decision. Penalties may include:
- Reprimand: a letter outlining the problem and suggesting that such problematic actions be avoided in the future will be sent.
- Suspension: certification will be suspended for a period to be determined by the Board.
- Permanent decertification.
- The final report and decision will be communicated to the parties involved and the Executive Committee by letter from the Chair of the Board.
- Either party may appeal the decision to the President of the Animal Behavior Society within 30 days of receiving written notification of the decision of the Board. If appealed,
- The President will appoint an ad hoc Appeals Committee which will be chaired by the Second President-elect, and will include the recently retired Past-President and an appointed member who is not a chair of a committee or a member of the Executive Committee or the Board of Professional Certification.
- The Appeals Committee will receive all materials relevant to the case from the Chair of the Board of Professional Certification and will review these materials and the decision rendered.
- The Appeals Committee may solicit any additional material they deem necessary. Respondents shall have the right to present new material not previously known or easily available to them.
- The Appeals Committee will submit a written report to the Executive Committee for a decision at its next meeting. The Second President-elect, as Chair of the Appeals Committee, will answer any questions raised at the meeting. A majority vote of the Executive Committee, meeting in executive session, will decide the case. The final report of the Appeals Committee and the decision of the Executive Committee will be communicated to the parties involved by letter from the President. This decision is final and may not be appealed.
Preamble--
The need for ethical principles in a scientific society is the same as in society as a whole: they are mutually beneficial. They help make our relationships pleasant and productive. They serve to identify conduct to be adopted and misconduct to be avoided, in each case to our mutual advantage. As members of the Animal Behavior Society, we bear responsibility for emulating and for passing to the next generation of scientists, our norms, our values, and our concepts of appropriate professional conduct.
The Code--
Members of the Animal Behavior Society:At the outset of supervised, mentored or other collaborative research arrangements, participants are urged to arrive at mutually agreeable policies regarding publication of the results, including responsibility for data analysis, manuscript preparation, authorship, and disposition of records. All parties involved should take responsibility for informing their collaborators of these policies or becoming informed, as appropriate.
