About

Ethics in Physics

Guided by our mission, vision, and values, APS strives to model truth, integrity, and respect within the physics community.

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.

APS Ethics Standards

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.

Code of Conduct for APS Activities

Our Code of Conduct affirms that everyone has a responsibility to create a collegial and professional environment that advances physics and accelerates discovery.

APS Ethics Investigation and Resolution Procedures

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.

Patience Nelson, Head of ethics

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.

James Valles, Ethics Committee chair

The Ethics Committee is led by James Valles, 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. For more information about our ethics terms, including APS Activities, Non-APS Activities, please review our list of definitions.
Filing a formal ethics complaint
APS 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. APS Journals will review all concerns involving authorship/research integrity. The Head of Ethics and Research Integrity will investigate all journals/editorial complaints. View the formal editorial policies and practices.

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:

View the formal ethics complaint processes

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.

Find out more about the Ombuds Program

2024 ethics report

2024 was a year of challenges and opportunities for building the foundation for the American Physical Society’s Ethics Department. The Ethics Committee members and APS staff collaborated to create an ethical framework rooted in due process (fairness).

Read the report

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.

Case studies

Case studies can assist students in thinking through ethical questions and situations that may arise when researching, publishing, and working in physics.

Explore the case studies

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.

View resources for scientists under threat

Ethics articles

APS News provides an outlet for physicists to discuss ethical questions and issues that arise within the scientific community.

Read ethics articles

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