Code of Ethics

General Principles

l. Each member of The Association of Applied Geochemists shall conduct his/her affairs in accordance with the highest standards of ethics, personal honor, scientific integrity, and professional conduct. The word "member" as used throughout this Code of Ethics shall refer to members of any class of membership in The Association of Applied Geochemists.

2. Each member shall be held to a duty of honesty, integrity, loyalty, fairness, impartiality, candor, fidelity to trust, and inviolability of confidence.

Duties of Members to the Public

3. A member shall avoid and discourage sensational, exaggerated, and unwarranted statement with regard to professional matters that might induce participation in unsound enterprises.

4. A member shall not knowingly permit the publication of reports or maps he/she has prepared for any unsound, illegitimate, or illegal undertaking.

5. A member shall not give a professional opinion, make a report, or give legal testimony without being as thoroughly informed as might reasonably be expected given the purpose for which the opinion, report, or testimony is desired. In giving or making such an opinion, report, or testimony, a member shall disclose the extent to which such opinion, report or testimony is based upon incomplete knowledge or information.

6. A member may publish dignified business, professional or announcement cards, but shall not advertise his work or accomplishments in a self-laudatory or unduly conspicuous manner.

7. A member shall not issue a false statement or false information even though directed to do so by an employer or client.

8. No member may use his/her membership in the Association to promote his commercial interests, except that Fellows and Honorary Members may list their category of membership on stationery, business cards, and professional notices in accord with Section 2.12.

9. A member shall protect, to the fullest extent possible, the interest of his/her employers or clients so far as is consistent with the public welfare and his professional obligations and ethics.

10. A member who finds that his/her obligations to his employer or client conflict with his/her professional obligations or ethics shall either remove such conflict of duties or withdraw his professional services from such employer or client.

11. It is the duty of a member who has any interest, whether direct or indirect, which may conflict with the interests of an employer or client to disclose the existence of the interest to such employer or client.

12. A member shall not use, whether directly or indirectly, any confidential information of an employer or client which is in any way competitive, adverse, or detrimental to the interest of such employer or client.

13. A member retrained by one client shall not accept, without that client's written consent, an engagement by another client if the interests of the two clients in any way conflict.

14. A member who has obtained by secret information during the course of this work for any employer or client shall not seek to make a personal profit from such information unless permission in writing to do so is granted by such employer or client, or until it is clear that the use of such information by the member shall not prejudice the employer or client in any way.

15. A member shall not divulge information given to him/her in confidence.

16. A member shall engage, or advise his/her employer or client to engage, and cooperate with other experts and specialists whenever the employer's or client's interests would be best served by engaging and cooperating with such experts and specialists.

17. A member shall not accept a concealed fee or secret commission for referring a client or employer to a specialist or for recommending geochemical services other than his/her own.

Duties of Members to Each Other

18. A member shall not falsely or maliciously attempt to injure the reputation or business of another member.

19. A member shall not state as his/her own knowledge or belief information which he has obtained from another member and shall freely attribute other members as the source of such knowledge or belief.

20. A member shall endeavor to cooperate with other exploration geochemists in the study and dissemination of exploration geochemistry.

Duties of Members to the Association

21. A member shall endeavor to ensure that candidates for membership are fit and proper persons to be elected members.

22. It shall be the duty of every member not only to uphold the standards of this Code of Ethics in precept and by example, but also, where necessary, to encourage by counsel and advice to other members, their adherence to such standards.