As Chair of the Linguistic Society of America‘s Ethics Committee, I am delighted to announce that the 2019 LSA Ethics Statement has been officially approved! This statement, comprehensively revised from the previous 2008 version, comprehensively provides members with an ethical framework and guiding principles that apply to all LSA-sponsored activities and all settings where linguists conduct their work. This statement aligns with other key LSA statements, such as the new Civility Policy. The 2019 Ethics Statement also expounds more fully on responsibilities to participants, communities, and the public, as well as to students and colleagues. The statement is now accompanied by a list of further resources that includes other ethics statements, guidelines, and related material.
The 2019 revised statement also incorporates comments from LSA members, based on a 3 month period in which the LSA hosted the working draft of the revised statement. Members can continue leave comments using the “Add new comment” field at the bottom of the Ethics Statement. While this is a “final” statement, we recognize that it is a living document as dialog continues around this topic. All comments posted on the 2019 Ethics Statement will be considered the next time it is reviewed, in approximately 7 years unless circumstances warrant earlier.
Christine Mallinson, Ph.D. 