GUIDELINES FOR GOOD PROFESSIONAL CONDUCT  

Profession and Subject

Members have a general duty to promote the growth and spreading of knowledge of the highest academic standards, to protect academic freedom, and to promote a working environment appropriate to these aims. The content of teaching and research in Political Studies is diverse and subject to change. Members should be prepared to recognise the diversity of their subject. Members are entitled to hold political opinions and to act politically. However they have a general duty not to present their own political convictions as though they carry the authority of professional knowledge. In all their work members should conduct themselves in a manner that does not bring into disrepute the discipline and their profession.

Professional Canons of Citation

Members have the obligation to report accurately their qualifications. The normal scholarly canons of citation allowing for verification should be thoroughly and rigorously maintained in curriculum vitae, job applications, in submission for promotion and assessment and in other public biographical information. Members should perform the work they undertake for their institutions in a timely, competent and efficient manner.

Colleagues

The development of knowledge depends upon high personal standards of scholarly conduct. Such standards necessarily rely less on policing than on trustworthy behavior. Members have the responsibility not to engage in actions that impede the reasonable professional activities of colleagues. This means that, inter alia, they should not unreasonably delay the flow of research data and should not condone falsification or distortion by others. They should not prejudice individuals, communities, agencies or institutions against a colleague for reasons of personal advantage. Trust should not be abused. Members have an obligation to maintain confidentiality about their colleagues. For example members should not reveal the confidential proceedings of appointment and promotion committees.

Refereeing and Reviewing

Members may undertake a wide range of review processes including reviewing research proposals, or manuscripts before publication, book reviews, research grant applications, accreditation of courses, examination of theses, writing references for students and colleagues. Members have a general duty to ensure that any participation in review processes is an honest evaluation of the work in question and to make declarations of interest where these occur. The expression of strong views against a particular piece of work are part and parcel of the review process. In reviewing the work of others, however, members should avoid conflicts of interest. Normally they should also avoid participating in review procedures where their judgement could be compromised. Members should not normally review the same book in more than one journal, except in the relatively rare cases where the journals involved have non overlapping readerships and where the editors have agreed. All reviews should be based on full and conscientious reading and consideration of the work in question. Editors of journals or books accepting or soliciting manuscripts should ensure that publication is as prompt as is reasonably practicable. Potential delays should be communicated to the author as quickly as possible, with permission to seek publication elsewhere if the delay is likely to be prolonged.   Members should supply requested references promptly and ensure these are full, fair and adequately considered. Within legal limits, they should not disclose personal information which is not directly relevant to the post in question without the subject's explicit and prior consent. In cases where they feel unable to give a positive reference, that information should be clearly communicated to the person concerned to enable them to seek other referees.

Students

Members employed in teaching institutions have both academic and ethical obligations to their students including general duties of competence in communication, adequate preparation and up to date knowledge. Members should take full account of the needs of students when seeking an appropriate balance between their teaching, administrative and research roles. Members should observe the following principles in their treatment of students: All students are entitled to adequate information in good time about the content of courses, programme choice, modes of assessment, and appeals procedures. They are also entitled to prompt and fair evaluation of their work and to keeping full and proper records of their progress. Members should support student studies in a diligent manner by regular attendance in teaching and by being available for consultation by students Members have a duty to avoid unfair discriminatory practices. This applies particularly to racial and sexual harassment. Members should not allow intellectual differences or personal animosities among colleagues to impinge on students' relationships with those colleagues.

Research

Research activities should be reported accurately and results should be disseminated as promptly as is reasonable. Research methods should be accurately and clearly reported and, where appropriate, replicability maximised. Members should never present others' work as their own or hold up the publication of work by others so that their own gets precedence. Members should never misrepresent knowingly the findings of their research or the work of others or claim falsely, either openly or implicitly, to have published research. Members should refrain from claiming the credit for the research and intellectual property of others and give due credit to the contributions of others in collaborative work.. Members should not allow the undertaking of sponsored research to damage or otherwise impair the academic integrity of their professional conduct. Members should treat their research subjects fairly. Subjects' agreement to participate should be given on a voluntary and informed basis. Participants should be made aware of the likely limits of confidentiality and must not be promised greater confidentiality than can be realistically guaranteed. Members should acknowledge fully all those who contribute to their research and publications. Such acknowledgement should appear on all reports and publications in a form that is transparent and agreed by all contributors in advance of their making the contribution. Notes should be supplied to explain the meaning of the order of authors' names and of 'with', 'and' etc. Members should be particularly sensitive to this issue where there are student contributors. The Political Studies Association provides guidelines on co-authoring with students which should be consulted for advice on good practice.

Public

Members have an obligation to the public to adhere to professional standards of conduct. They should keep up to date with their subject, publish their work and, where appropriate, make their research findings available in forms that are accessible.

Equal Opportunities

Members should not act in ways which unfairly discriminate against students, colleague or job applicants on the ground of their class, physical ability, ethnicity, race, religion, sex or sexuality.

DOCUMENT PREPARED BY

Hugh Berrington, Joni Lovenduski, Geraint Parry and Albert Weale

Sources: this document draws upon:

British Association for Applied Linguistics 'Recommendations on Good Practice in Applied Linguistics', 1994.

The British Psychological Society 'Code of Conduct, Ethical Principles and Guidelines' 1993.

British Sociological Association 'Guidelines for Good Professional Conduct' as approved AGM 1992 and amended AGM 1993.

Society for Applied Anthropology 'Statement on Professional and Ethical Responsibilities', Undated.

Statement of Commitment to Equal Opportunities

The Executive Committee of the Political Studies Association, recognising the value of sustaining an inclusive decision-making environment in which all members are able to contribute, strives to treat all members on the basis of merit and ability alone.

It aims to eliminate unjustifiable discrimination on the basis of gender, race, nationality, ethnic or national origin, political beliefs, religious beliefs or practices, disability, sexual orientation, age or any other inappropriate ground.

CODE OF CONDUCT FOR THE EMPLOYMENT OF PART-TIME TUTORING STAFF

At the meeting of Heads of Departments in September 1993, there was an extended discussion of the use of part-time tutors in teaching. A PSA survey has revealed striking variations in the training and supervision of part-time tutors. At its meeting on 27 November 1993, the PSA Executive approved the following Code of Conduct which it commends to all departments.

PURPOSE

The purpose of the Code is twofold:

1. To ensure ‘good practice’.
2. To provide a ‘professional standard’ by which departments can justify their practices to external assessors, such as those from the HEFC.

The code is deliberately brief, and is framed to provide a realistic and not excessively onerous standard at which departments can aim.

TRAINING

1. Institutional procedures: work and attendance regulations; procedure for ensuring that students observe regulations; institutional sources of assistance to students; requirements for completion of end of course reports on students.
2. Tutoring techniques: advice on conduct of small group meetings.
3. Assessment techniques: advice on commenting on/grading students’work.

COURSE ORGANISATION

1. Part-time tutors should be issued with a full course guide covering: the programme of topics for classes; reading to be covered by students in preparing for classes; form and amount of written work to be prescribed for students; forms of assessment to be used on the course.
2. If part-time tutors grade the assessed work of students, they should do so only when an established member of staff acts as a co-marker.
3. Part-time tutors should be assigned a ‘mentor’, normally the tutor in overall charge of the course on which they teach to provide continuing guidance during the course.

EVALUATION & MONITORING

1. Evaluation of tutor performance should be uniform with the evaluation used for full-time staff.
2. It should be the responsibility of the Head of Department, or the institutional equivalent of the Head of Department, to ensure the code is observed