We, the members of the IEEE, in recognition of the importance of our technologies in affecting the quality of life throughout the world, and in accepting a personal obligation to our profession, its members and the communities we serve, do hereby commit ourselves to the highest ethical and professional conduct and agree:
1 to accept responsibility in making engineering decisions consistent with the safety, health and welfare of the public, and to disclose promptly factors that might endanger the public or the environment;
2 to avoid real or perceived conflicts of interest whenever possible, and to disclose them to affected parties when they do exist;
3 to be honest and realistic in stating claims or estimates based on available data;
4 to reject bribery in all its forms;
5 to improve the understanding of technology, its appropriate application, and potential consequences;
6 to maintain and improve our technical competence and to undertake technological tasks for others only if qualified by training or experience, or after full disclosure of pertinent limitations;
7 to seek, accept, and offer honest criticism of technical work, to acknowledge and correct errors, and to credit properly the contributions of others;
8 to treat fairly all persons regardless of such factors as race, religion, gender, disability, age, or national origin;
9 to avoid injuring others, their property, reputation, or employment by false or malicious action;
10 to assist colleagues and co-workers in their professional development and to support them in following this code of ethics.
Approved by the IEEE Board of Directors
August 1990