In recent years, technical communicators have examined ethics, or the moral implications of their work, in increasing detail. Since the 1970s, when ethics first became a major topic of consideration in technical communication journals, more articles have appeared on the subject each year. With writers in the discipline expressing this pessimistic point of view, it is little wonder that practicing technical communicators tend not look to the discipline for ethical guidance.
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This blog includes news and commentary about business ethics and corporate social responsibility.
MacDonald, Chris. Business Ethics (2005). Resources>Business Communication>Ethics>Blogs
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The Open Market of Cut and Paste: Cure the Disease, not the Symptoms 
Beyond its revolutionary timesaving approach, "cut and paste" has metamorphosed into a fancy synonym for organized knowledge piracy, and on a bigger canvas as a psychological disorder that needs to be checked.
Kudesia, Saurabh. International Journal for Technical Communication (2008). Articles>Writing>Ethics
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Theory Meets Practice: Using The Potter Box To Teach Business Communication Ethics 
This paper introduces the Potter Box, a grounded and easy to use method of ethical decisionmaking. The rationale for this technique is seen in the current crisis in business ethics and education in ethical behavior. The Potter Box was developed by Dr. Ralph Potter, Harvard University theologian, grounded in the work of sociologist Talcott Parsons. This device has been used in assessing journalistic and public relations decisions, but can readily be used in the practice and criticism of business communication. The four portions of the Potter Box are explained in terms of eight explicit steps. A case study is presented for use in the classroom.
Backus, Nick and Claire Ferraris. Association for Business Communication (2004). Articles>Education>Communication>Ethics
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The electronic privacy invasion points to the failure of site designers to provide compelling content, clear navigation, and a user experience memorable enough to entice repeat visits. Click-thru is more important than Content. We have opted to become Electronic Rapists.
Herrell, Alan. List Apart, A (2000). Design>Web Design>Ethics
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Towards a Sense of Ethics for Technical Communication
Many articles from recent decades begin with the assumption that technical communicators do not have much power to make ethical decisions about their work. We need to start with a basic understanding of the relationships that technical communicators build with that audience in their work and identify ways in which those relationships might have ethical implications.
McBride, Alicia. Orange Journal, The (2002). Articles>TC>Ethics
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Use Your Fog Lights: Ten Values for Technical Communicators
Ten values that can be applied to technical communication are honesty, legality, privacy, quality, teamwork, loyalty, fairness (avoiding conjlict of interest), cultural sensitivity, social responsibilip,professional development, and advancing the profession. This article provides an operational definition of each value and a capsule-size real-world scenario that spotlights the value in an imbroglio of ethical conflict.
Allen, Lori A. and Daniel W. Voss. STC Proceedings (1998). Articles>TC>Ethics
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Waiver Culture: The Unintended Consequence of Ethics Compliance
The passage of the U.S. Sarbanes-Oxley Act (2002) spawned a series of compliance and ethics programs--the revised Principles of Federal Prosecution of Business Organizations known as the Thompson Memo (Thompson, 2003), the revised Federal Sentencing Guidelines that included the Effective Compliance and Ethics Program and the corporate 'culpability score' (U.S. Sentencing Commission, 2004), and another revision of the Principles of Federal Prosecution of Business Organizations now known as the McNulty Memo (McNulty, 2006). These programs were meant to shift business toward an 'organizational culture that encourages ethical conduct and a commitment to compliance with the law' (U.S. Sentencing Commission, 2007). These developments spurred human resource departments and legal counsel to draft new workplace policies to embrace, implement, and monitor compliance programs. Consequently, there was a dramatic increase in the number of businesses with some kind of ethics training: from 44% in pre-guideline 1987 up to 92% in post-guideline 2005 (Berenbeim, 2006). Because compliance with the McNulty Memo and Federal Sentencing Guidelines can substantially reduce an organization's sentence of improper conduct or cause the government not to prosecute (Berenbeim, 2006), an organization under investigation could turn to its newly minted compliance programs and its cooperation as a shield. But these federal guidelines lacked a clear definition of an organization's 'cooperation' and whether a lack of cooperation could be viewed as obstruction of justice and thereby increase punishment of that organization.
Genova, Gina L. Business Communication Quarterly (2008). Articles>Business Communication>Legal>Ethics
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When the Customer Isn’t Right: A Workshop in Handling Conflicts When Clients Behave Unethically
As consultants and freelancers, we try to adhere to the theory that our clients are always right. However, clients are sometimes dead wrong. Most of us at one time or another face situations in which clients ask us to behave unethically or treat us unethically. How do we handle such situations and maintain good client relations? This workshop explores the use of a value analysis model in resolving ethical dilemmas, using representative case studies.
Allen, Lori A. and Dean Graves. STC Proceedings (1996). Careers>Freelance>Ethics
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Who's Policing the Policy Makers?
This ethics case concerns a technical writer charged with the task of introducing new company policies to employees. The writer faces a dilemma when she discovers that the workplace habits of some managers contradict the policies. Reader responses to this ethics case will appear in an upcoming issue of Intercom.
Wiles, Debbie. Intercom (2001). Articles>Workplace>Ethics
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A video documentary about the appropriate use of computer technologies in the workplace, which may be useful in talking about workplace ethics.
Johnson, Rachel. EServer (2006). Academic>Course Materials>Ethics>Workplace
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Improving Our Ethical Choices: Managing the Imp of the Perverse
Psychologists and ethics researchers say we can take simple steps to align our Want and Should Selves over the three phases of decision making and help keep the Imp of the Perverse in check.
Lamantia, Joe. UXmatters (2008). Articles>TC>Ethics
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Ethics Case: The Engineered Résumé
A proposal specialist must decide whether to pursue more information about a new coworker whom she has reason to suspect was dishonest during the hiring process.
Kuszmaul, JoEllen. Intercom (2008). Articles>TC>Ethics>Resumes
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Ethical and Legal Aspects of Human Subjects Research on the Internet
Many IRBs recognize their unfamiliarity with the nature of Internet research and their lack of technical expertise needed to review related research protocols. To both protect human subjects and promote innovative and scientifically sound research, it is important to consider the ethical, legal, and technical issues associated with this burgeoning area of research.
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Usability Testing: Revisiting Informed Consent Procedures for Testing Internet Sites
This paper explores issues of professional, ethical conduct in usability testing centering around the concept of 'informed consent'. Previous work on informed consent has been in homogeneous geographic locations. With Internet sites being developed at a prodigious rate, these procedures need to be revisited for their applicability to heterogeneous locations, in terms of culture, business practice, language and legal requirements. Some previously valued principles might now be considered discretionary, that is their applicability has situational specificity. Other principles are mandatory.
Burmeister, Oliver K. ACM (2000). Articles>Usability>Testing>Ethics
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Online Experiments: Ethically Fair or Foul?
Online experiments may be helping researchers gather more data faster than ever before, but those advantages are coming with greater ethical challenges--threats to participant confidentiality, questions over whether the participants really understand what they're getting into and the possibility that less scrupulous researchers could steal your ideas.
Azar, Beth. Monitor on Psychology (2000). Articles>Research>Ethics>Online
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The Ethics of Computers that Persuade
Ethics is an important perspective from which to view computers as persuasive technologies. Adopting an ethical perspective on this domain is vital because the topic of computers and the topic of persuasion both raise important issues about ethics and values.
Fogg, B.J. Stanford University (1998). Articles>Technology>Persuasive Design>Ethics
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Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct
Commitment to ethical professional conduct is expected of every member (voting members, associate members, and student members) of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM). This Code, consisting of 24 imperatives formulated as statements of personal responsibility, identifies the elements of such a commitment. It contains many, but not all, issues professionals are likely to face.
ACM (1992). Articles>Computing>Professionalism>Ethics
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UPA Code of Professional Conduct
The Code of Professional Conduct of the Usability Professionals' Association expresses the profession's recognition of its responsibilities to the public, clients, employers, and colleagues. The Code guides members in the performance of their professional responsibilities and express the basic tenets of ethical and professional conduct.
Usability Professionals Association (2005). Articles>Usability>Professionalism>Ethics
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Documentation Honesty and Poor User Interfaces — An Ethical Dilemma?
We’ve all run in to situations where we have to document poor user interfaces. As much as we complain and suggest improvements, the project manager decides to go ahead with the interface as is because redesigning it is too costly. When I run into these situations, rather than insult the interface in straightforward talk in the documentation, I euphemize the language (against my better desires) in order to maintain the consistency of the company voice. It just doesn’t sound right to be so frank.
Johnson, Tom H. I'd Rather Be Writing (2008). Articles>Documentation>Ethics
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Compliance and Ethics Cause Need for Policies and Procedures Communicatioin
Increasing competition, generational differences, widespread social awareness, and customer demand for higher quality products and services make it necessary to ensure that the right protections are in place. Other reasons for the increased attention include the numerous reports of corporate scandals and corruption, along with ensuing legislative regulations in today’s global economy. This article describes some of the specific causes.
Urgo, Raymond E. Policies and Procedures Authority, The (2008). Articles>Documentation>Policies and Procedures>Ethics
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Tips for Presenting Ethics Practices
Because the nature of ethics information is highly abstract and related to integrity, it is based upon judgment and therefore subject to varying interpretations by employees. To increase common understanding and consistent interpretations, the use of language, choice of words, sentence formation, and presentation style are important.
Urgo, Raymond E. Policies and Procedures Authority, The (2008). Articles>Presentations>Ethics>Policies and Procedures
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How to Comply With Moral and Ethical Standards in Technical Documentation
Technical writing has a number of moral and ethical standards that a professional technical writer needs to comply with. Violate them at your own peril, by risking the sudden demise of your career. Here are some of these issues.
Akinci, Ugur. Technical Communication Center (2009). Articles>Documentation>Technical Writing>Ethics
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Literacy 2.0: Plagiarism in the Internet Age
In an age when students gravitate to online sources for research—and when tremendous amounts of both reputable and questionable information are available online—many have come to regard the Internet itself as a culprit in students' plagiarism. Some teachers go so far as to forbid students from researching online, in the mistaken assumption that if students are working from hard-copy sources only, the problem will disappear. We believe that an approach far different from either warnings and punishment or attempts to curtail online research is warranted.
Howard, Rebecca Moore and Laura J. Davies. Educational Leadership (2009). Articles>Education>Writing>Ethics
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When it comes to truth, my approach is to be candid and honest in formats that live on the web, which I can update on the fly. But when I’m printing hundreds of copies of a guide, which I know will be pinned up on walls, filed in desk drawers, and laminated for long-term reference, I often lie and don’t mention the bugs, hoping that developers will soon fix them and convert my fiction into truth.
Johnson, Tom H. I'd Rather Be Writing (2009). Articles>Documentation>Professionalism>Ethics
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Looking for a New Job - Discreetly
Most people change jobs more than they change mates. But no matter how many times you do it, looking for a new position can be tricky.
DeZube, Dona. Dice (2007). Careers>Interviewing>Professionalism>Ethics
