In the Fall of 1999, Chris Lambright, one of the principals of CUFON, put forward several ideas which, if implemented, would increase the contribution to serious UFOlogy that CUFON is making.

One of those ideas, an ethical code of conduct for UFOlogists, was agreed upon, and a draft set of standards was created, and is presented here.  Much discussion ensued over the direction and form that the Standards and Code should take .  To avoid "reinventing the wheel," we decided to look at various sets of standards already in use, and to incorporate into our draft concepts applicable to our purpose.  Care was taken to use concepts only.  Among the ethical codes and other on-line resources that were reviewed in the development of our draft code were those of the following organizations:

• American Nuclear Society
• American Meteorological Society
• American Physical Society
• Association for Institutional Research
• The American Chemical Society
• Association of American University Professors
• American Historical Association
• Association of American Medical Colleges
• Archaeological Institute of America
• American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
• American College of Forensic Examiners

Our original intention was to request input directly from selected individuals within the "UFO community," but a recent event which resulted in a public call for a code of ethical behavior, motivated us to publish our draft standards while still incomplete.

We ask you to provide us with your comments and suggestions on improving the Standards.

We are committed to this project and fully intend to press ahead.  We are looking forward to your input.

Please email your comments to mail@cufon.org 

- 22-July-2000 - Jim Klotz  CUFON SYSOP

DRAFT CUFON STANDARDS and CODE OF CONDUCT
22-July-2000

Internecine arguments, ad hominem attacks instead of civil discourse, irrational championing of ideas long since invalidated, documents without provenance, false claims of special knowledge, misrepresentation of qualifications, unsupportable assertions, and apparently irreconcilable differences between "believer" and "skeptic" camps are but some elements of the chaos that reigns in UFOlogy today. It is no wonder that establishment science and the public, especially those members of the public newly approaching the subject, reject the good work that has been done in the field of UFOlogy along with the bad. The reputation of UFOlogy suffers, efforts to bring respectability and honor to the field and to attain mainstream acceptance are impeded.

This initiative - declaring UFOlogical standards and establishing a peer reviewed UFO oriented internet publication - is an attempt to address this situation. The CUFON Code of Conduct was modeled after established codes in use by several highly respected professional organizations. It is not an attempt to control anything in any way; compliance with the standards are completely voluntary.

The Seal

An official Seal has been created, permission to use or display which will be granted upon receipt of a signed statement of agreement with, and intent to follow, the standards as published. Only individuals and organizations who intend to abide by these guidelines should seek permission to use or display the official seal of the CUFON standards. Persons, web sites and organizations who are authorized to use or display the Seal will be listed on the CUFON web site along with a link. If permission is withdrawn to use or display the Seal, a notice will be posted in the same location.

TOWARD A DEFINITION OF THE PHENOMENON

Although nothing in the following text is intended to be exclusionary to good science and research, we think it important to say a few things toward defining what central issue UFOlogy seeks to solve.

Seeing no need to "reinvent the wheel," we'd like to quote Dr. J. Allen Hynek's statement of definition as many have before us:

It is our contention that what UFOlogy properly seeks is reliable information about the UFO phenomenon, or more likely, the range of observed phenomena, which will bring us closer to an identification of what the phenomena actually represents. Since we maintain that no one really knows exactly what this is, that the best way that a definition can be approached is to list characteristics of UFO reports which indicate high information content. We believe that these kinds of reports represent a most valuable resource and, through proper analysis, are the most likely way of coming closer to identifying what the phenomena truly represents.

Characteristics of High Information Content Reports

Few, if any, UFO reports will have all of these characteristics listed, and in those reports which have several of the listed characteristics, these may not be properly documented. This is an obvious demonstration of the need for higher investigative standards and practices. Law enforcement participation in protecting locations where physical effects exist, and obtaining initial witness information could obviously be of great value. The list below is not intended to be complete, but is designed to give some examples of characteristics.

1. Object(s) observed display behavior not attributable to common, known objects - such as, but not limited to, silent hovering and apparent "massless" acceleration 
2. Object(s) are observed from a close enough distance so that details are clearly visible - generally "the closer the better" (for observation - witness safety is paramount) 
3. Object(s) are observed for a sufficient time so that details of appearance and behavior may be clearly observed and reported. - generally "the longer the better" 
4. Effects on the environment apparently caused by the presence of the object(s) are properly protected and documented. If observed at the time of the sighting, these effects are reported by witness(es) 
5. Object(s) are independently observed by multiple witnesses preferably from several disparate locations. Best if all witnesses are identified and statement obtained as close to the time of sighting as possible 6. Instrumented detection of the object(s) is obtained and documented properly (radar, light spectra, photographs, audio recording, radio spectrum analysis, etc.) Best if such detection is made simultaneously with multiple independent visual sightings.

While the above mainly addresses UFO reports, we recognize that properly conducted research in other areas also has great value. Examples include, but are not limited to, physics of sight, physiology and psychology of witnesses, historical documentation, official verified documents (with proper provenance), related astronomy, atmospherics, location and preservation of collections, libraries and other historical materials, etc.

We do not believe that enough objective evidence exists at this time to connect crop circles, animal mutilations, cryptozoological topics, ghosts and hauntings or other topics characterized as "new age" such as channeling to the subject of UFO.

UFO Abductions - In many jurisdictions, much of the research that is done in this area may fall under the definition of "therapy," "social work," "counseling," "therapy," "research on human subjects," or similar definitions. These endeavors may fall under several sets of rules, regulations and ethical codes general and also specific to the jurisdiction in which the work is takes place. It is beyond the scope of these Standards to address all the complexities and legalities of this situation. Therefore, UFO Abduction is not addressed. This is not to say that we wish to prohibit research into abductions, quite the contrary; we wish to establish standards which will promote objective properly conducted research.

STANDARDS - THE CUFON CODE OF CONDUCT

In short, the goal is for all persons working in the field of UFOlogy and related pursuits to adhere to the highest ethical standards.

These standards start with some general concepts followed by more detailed examples of desirable and undesirable behaviors for each of the initial concepts listed. These sections are then followed by additional more detailed sections addressing certain additional areas of pursuit.

Initial Concepts

Behaviors which breach standards presented here have negative effects not only on individuals, but compromise the whole of UFOlogy.

Persons active in UFOlogy and related pursuits will:

1. act with honesty, integrity 
2. conduct research, write, report and speak with accuracy and objectivity 
3. act in ways which will increase and uphold the honor and dignity of UFOlogy 
4. treat others with respect, tolerance and dignity 
5. continue to advance their own knowledge and competency 
6. seek to locate and protect collections of UFO-related material 
7. act as a contributing member of the "UFO Community" 
8. conduct data collection activities ethically

Honesty and Integrity

1. Honesty is to be considered the foundation of ethics in UFOlogy 
2. UFOlogists should encourage adherence to ethical standards, and to act appropriately when violations of ethical standards are detected. 
3. Information should only be published or otherwise disseminated in a truthful and objective manner. 
4. UFOlogists should always give credit where it is due 
5. UFOlogists should work in the areas of their strengths 
6. UFOlogists should acknowledge that honest error is a natural part of life, that it is not unethical to be honestly wrong. However, verified errors should be acknowledged and corrected in a timely manner

UFOlogists should never:

7. knowingly take credit for the work of others 
8. misrepresent one's own education, training, experience or other qualifications 
9. plagiarize the work of others or fail to properly credit sources or act indifferently to such acts 
10. fabricate results of evidence or its sources, research, documents, etc, or act indifferently to such acts 
11. act in deceptive ways or in ways that damage the credibility of UFOlogy or act indifferently to such acts 
12. permit a conflict of interest to bias, or appear to compromise, honesty, integrity, objectivity or effectiveness, or act indifferently toward a known conflict of interest 
13. permit the opportunity for financial or other compensation to bias, or appear to compromise, honesty, integrity, objectivity or effectiveness , or act indifferently toward such a known situation 
14. withhold or omit any findings or opinions that would cause facts of a case to be misinterpreted 
15. compete unfairly with anyone 16. make overstated or unfounded or premature claims or statements

Integrity in Accurate and Objective Research and Reporting

1. Techniques and practices used in research should be reasonable and appropriate to the project 
2. All evidence should be thoroughly examined and sound principles utilized in a scientific manner in accordance with accepted standards where possible 
3. UFOlogists should verify that information produced by others is accurate and of appropriate quality 
4. Strive to make certain that written materials are as complete and accurate as possible, and that opinion, speculation and conclusions are clearly identified as such, and that limitation in analytical methods employed are disclosed 
5. Research results should be presented clearly to facilitate analysis and review 
6. Sources of information should be properly identified 
7. Sources of information should be made available to other researchers 
8. UFOlogists should exercise critical self-discipline and judgment in using, extending, and disseminating knowledge 
9. Be aware of one's own bias, predilections and beliefs so that these may be avoided as pitfalls and objectivity prevail 
10. Proper practices dictates that researchers follow wherever the data leads 
11. Opinions on UFOlogical subjects should only be issued when based on adequate knowledge and honest conviction

Advance and Uphold the Dignity and Honor of UFOlogy

1. UFOlogists should conduct themselves such that their actions increase the competence, dignity and honor of UFOlogy 
2. UFOlogists should always act in a dignified and modest manner when in explaining his/her work, therefore upholding the honor and dignity of UFOlogy 
3. Respect for the truth, proper procedure and respectful behavior reflects well not only upon the individual, but upon UFOlogy as a whole. Therefore, each individual's behavior, if in concert with ethical principles can either uphold and increase the dignity of UFOlogy, or if counter to ethical principles, damage and decrease the dignity of UFOlogy.

Treat Others with Respect and Tolerance

1. UFOlogists should act in ways that will not falsely demean the reputation of others. 
2. UFOlogists should not unjustly or unfairly criticize the work of other researchers 
3. UFOlogists should treat associates with respect, encourage them, share ideas honestly, and give credit for their contributions 
4. UFOlogists should not discriminate against or harass colleagues. 
5. UFOlogists show due respect for the opinions of others, even during the heat of the exchange of ideas and criticism 
6. Accurate, appropriate criticism of a published work is justified; but personal criticism is not. 
7. Civility and tolerance should govern the conduct of UFOlogists in their relations with one another and with other interested parties. 
8. Respectful dialogue among UFOlogists and other interested persons holding diverse points of view is of great value and makes possible the fruitful exchange of views, opinions, and knowledge

Personal Development

1. UFOlogists should continue their personal development, striving to improve his/her own skills, breadth of knowledge and abilities 
2. UFOlogists should strive to keep current with developments not only in fields related to matters UFOlogical, but also in other scientific and technical fields 
3. UFOlogists should share ideas and information to facilitate others in advancing themselves.

Locate and Protect Collections and Resources

UFOlogists should:

1. strive to locate, acquire and protect research collections, historic resources and other relevant materials 
2. strive to prevent irrevocable loss of data and documentation, not only during its immediately useful life; but advocate documentation and systematic permanent archiving 
3. strive to make collections under their control available to others. 
4. advocate free and open access to research collections, historic resources and other relevant materials 
5. strive to avoid actions which might prejudice future open access to research collections, historic resources and other relevant materials

UFOlogist as Member of the "UFO Community"

1. Each UFOlogist, as member of the "UFO community," shares responsibility for the welfare of that community because conduct reflects not only on the reputations of individual UFOlogists and their organizations, but also on the image and credibility of UFOlogy as perceived by colleagues, the scientific establishment and the public. 
2. UFOlogists should strive to implement, uphold and improve the code of ethics in cooperation with peers 
3. Even though UFOlogy is made up of diverse people in diverse situations, all UFOlogists should be guided by the same code of conduct 
4. Each person working in UFOlogy should strive to establish and maintain a tradition ethical behavior so that this tradition may be conferred upon persons newly entering UFOlogical endeavor and future generations. 
5. Mutual trust among members of the "UFO Community," which results from honest behavior is the best support for advancement within the community.

Data Collection Behavior

1. When information is obtained privately, such as in conversation, correspondence, or discussion, it should not be used without permission from the person with whom the information originated 
2. Certain kinds of research or use of records impose obligations to maintain confidentiality. If promises are made to persons giving information, these promises must be honored. 
3. UFOlogists should, to the best of their ability, make certain of the nature and degree of confidentiality desired or required before interviews or other information gathering begins. 
4. Persons being interviewed or otherwise providing information should clearly understand the degree of confidentiality with which said information will be handled. 
5. Any such conditions placed upon information should be clearly explained in any publications incorporating the information in question. 
6. UFOlogists conducting interviews should adhere to established standards for "oral history" projects. 
7. Information or interviews obtained constitute historical material, and as such, should be protected from loss and made available to others so that verification and further research may be conducted.

= = = = = =

Down here, specialized sections for:

• Accepting UFO reports and proper follow-up Field investigations and proper handling of information obtained
• Oral history and other interviews 
• Obtaining and providing proper provenance for documents

WHAT ELSE?  PLEASE GIVE US YOUR COMMENTS AND INPUT

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