Code of Conduct
Integrity
Integrity is the foundation of doctoral leadership. It means adherence to truth even when inconvenient, acknowledgment of uncertainty, and transparency about limitations.
Doctoral leaders must never misrepresent evidence, cherry-pick data to support predetermined conclusions, or allow personal interests to distort analysis. They must be willing to revise positions in light of new evidence and to admit error when warranted.
Transparency
Transparency requires disclosure of potential conflicts of interest, funding sources, and methodological choices. It means making reasoning visible, so that others can evaluate arguments on their merits.
In an age of misinformation and epistemic mistrust, transparency is essential for maintaining the credibility of doctoral leadership. It is not enough to be trustworthy; one must also demonstrate trustworthiness through openness.
Non-Political Posture
Doctoral leadership is non-political in the partisan sense. It does not serve political parties, electoral campaigns, or ideological movements. This does not mean disengagement from politics understood as public affairs, but rather a refusal to instrumentalize knowledge for partisan purposes.
Doctoral leaders may engage with policymakers across the political spectrum, but always in service of evidence-based reasoning, not political advantage. They may critique policies, but on methodological and empirical grounds, not ideological ones.
Respect for Democratic Institutions
Doctoral leadership operates within, not above, democratic institutions. The role of the doctoral leader is advisory, not directive. Decisions ultimately rest with elected representatives and citizens.
This humility is essential. Expertise does not confer authority to override democratic processes. It confers responsibility to inform them, to clarify trade-offs, and to highlight long-term consequences. But the final judgment belongs to democratic publics.
Commitment to Universal Values
The Council upholds universal values: freedom, equality, fraternity, human dignity, and the rule of law. These are not ideological positions but foundational principles that underpin democratic societies and respect for human rights.
Doctoral leaders must defend these values when they are threatened, while remaining committed to evidence-based reasoning and methodological rigor in all engagements.