Approved by the AMS Council, 18 November 2024
Note: An interim set of procedures for handling violations of the Society’s various codes of ethics and codes of professional conduct is available here. Revisions to the AMS Constitution to recognize the Code and extend the authorities of the governance body (Council) as needed to implement the procedures to enforce the Code will be pursued soon. This update to the Constitution will require full Membership vote and approval by two-thirds of those Members voting.
The credibility and, therefore, the effectiveness of the American Meteorological Society (AMS) is dependent upon its Members’ adherence to the core values of inclusion, objectivity, honesty, openness, fairness, respect, and accountability in both relationships with colleagues and the conduct of work. AMS maintains the highest ethical standards in professional and scientific conduct, including intellectual honesty and integrity. The AMS Council has adopted this Code of Conduct1,2 and the associated Procedures for Implementing the Code of Conduct (“Procedures” hereinafter) to articulate and enforce these aspirations.
The Code of Conduct and Procedures apply to all categories of members of the Society and all other individuals, groups, and entities that participate or are involved in Society activities; all of these are referred to as “Society Affiliates” for the purpose of this Code of Conduct. The Code of Conduct and Procedures are meant to cover all aspects of AMS activities comprehensively. Some material may be covered in other relevant documents, and, in such cases, links to those other documents are contained herein.
The mission of the American Meteorological Society (“Society” hereinafter) is to advance the atmospheric and related sciences, technologies, applications, and services for the benefit of society at large. In furtherance of that mission, the Code of Conduct and associated Procedures are intended to advance the excellence of the Society while maximizing contributions to society at large. The Society and the community of individuals dedicated to advancing weather, water, and climate sciences (“community” hereinafter) and services flourishes with
- high-quality work that has credibility and integrity;
- high standards for workplace culture, the execution of science and services, the communication of results, and associated conduct that fosters full participation for everyone in the Society and the community;and
- a community that strives for diversity of people, ideas and approaches to advance science, technologies, applications, and services while building trust of current and future participants and all those that enable and benefit from the community
The Code of Conduct and Procedures advance the aforementioned objectives. Only individuals, groups, and entities that intend to abide by this Code of Conduct should seek admission or continuing membership in the Society or engage in Society activities. This Code of Conduct and Procedures is applicable in all AMS-affiliated professional settings, including but not limited to office, classroom, laboratory, publication-related activities, social media, virtual meetings, field research sites, AMS events, social gatherings associated with professional activities, and travel to and from these events. At the discretion of the Society,3the Code of Conduct may be applied to conduct unrelated to Society-associated activities if it impacts a Society Affiliate, violates a member’s employer’s code of conduct, or concerns the Society’s or the individual’s professional reputation.
General Conduct
1. Society Affiliates shall conduct their activities with integrity and the highest ethical standards.4
2. Society Affiliates must treat all individuals with respect. They must refrain from discrimination,5 harassment,6 and bullying7in their professional encounters.
3. In addition to their professional conduct, Society Affiliates who witness or are made aware of discrimination, harassment, or bullying by others should actively seek to prevent, report, and/or otherwise mitigate the offensive behavior.
4. Society Affiliates shall refrain from knowingly making false accusations of misconduct.
5. Society Affiliates shall not retaliate against anyone who has filed a Code of Conduct complaint.
6. Society Affiliates shall not use or display the official seal of the American Meteorological Society, the Radio Seal of Approval, the Television Seal of Approval, or the designation of Certified Consulting Meteorologist, Certified Broadcast Meteorologist, Certified Digital Meteorologist, or Certified AMS Teacher unless duly authorized by the Society.
Professional Conduct
1. Society Affiliates shall base their research and practice on sound scientific principles and avoid practices that clearly violate the fundamental tenets of research.8 Research misconduct is defined as the fabrication, falsification, or plagiarism in proposing, performing, or reviewing research or in reporting research results. Inadvertent scientific error or incorrect interpretation of research data that may occur as part of the scientific process does not constitute scientific misconduct.
2. Society Affiliates shall disclose all relevant financial or other relationships that might be perceived to influence the outcome of their research.
3. Society Affiliates shall avoid practices generally recognized as detrimental to or incompatible with public good, such as intentionally propagating disinformation9.
Related Policies
The following additional policies cover various aspects of professional and ethical conduct for specific endeavors.
- Meetings conduct
- Publications policies for authors, editors, and reviewers
- Policies for CBM, CCM, CAT, and CDM certification holders
- Honors and Awards
- Conflict of Interest Policy
- AMS Online Community Code of Conduct
- AMS Whistleblower Policy
Society Affiliates recognize the responsibility of the Society to consider breaches of this Code of Conduct and to recommend appropriate responses. Allegations of potential violations should be reported by filing a Code of Conduct complaint.
1 Revisions to the AMS Constitution to recognize the Code and extend the authority of the governance body (Council) as needed to implement the Procedures are being pursued.
2 This Code of Conduct is derived in part from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine(https://www.nasonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/nas-code-of-conduct.pdf)
3 Discretion (the Society’s) means the Society’s decision, determination, judgment or application of criteria, is made in the Society’s sole and absolute discretion in pursuit of its mission. Such discretion shall not be arbitrary or exercised for an illegal purpose (e.g., to discriminate on the basis of sex or race).
4 AMS adopts the White House Office of Scientific and Technology Program’s definition of Fostering Integrity in Research (p. 5): “Scientific integrity is the adherence to professional practices, ethical behavior, and the principles of honesty, objectivity, and transparency when conducting, managing, using the results of, and communicating about science and scientific activities. Inclusivity and protection from inappropriate influence are hallmarks of scientific integrity."
5 Discrimination is legally defined as prejudicial treatment of individuals or groups of people based on their race, ethnicity, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, or gender identity and expression), national origin, age (40 or older), disability, genetic information (including family medical history), veteran status, and any other characteristic protected by applicable law. 6 Harassment is unwelcome conduct that is based on race, ethnicity, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, or gender identity and expression), national origin, age (40 or older), disability, genetic information (including family medical history), veteran status, and any other characteristic protected by applicable law. Sexual harassment is of particular concern and is marked by unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature that creates an intimidating, hostile, or offensive environment.
7 Bullying is unwelcome, aggressive behavior involving the use of influence, threat, intimidation, or coercion to dominate others in the professional environment.
8 National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, “Fostering Integrity in Research,” National Academies Press (2017, pp. 73–74, 81).
9 Misinformation is false or inaccurate information—getting the facts wrong. Disinformation is false information which is deliberately intended to mislead—intentionally misstating the facts. Source American Psychological Association.