Canon #2

Engineers shall perform services only in the areas of their competence; they shall build their professional reputation on the merit of their services and shall not compete unfairly with others.

The ASME offers several interpretations of this canon:

1. Engineers shall undertake responsible charge of engineering assignments only when qualified by education and/or experience in the specific technical field of engineering involved.
2. Engineers may accept an assignment requiring education and/or experience outside of their own fields of competence, so long as those aspects and phases of the project are under the supervision and review responsibility of qualified associates, consultants, or employees with responsible charge.
3. Engineers shall negotiate contracts for professional services on the basis of demonstrated competence and qualifications for the type of professional service required.
4. Engineers shall not request, propose, or accept professional commissions on a contingent basis if, under the circumstances, their professional judgments may be compromised.
5. Engineers shall not falsify or permit misrepresentation of their, or their associates, academic or professional qualification. They shall not misrepresent or exaggerate their degrees of responsibility in or for the subject matter of prior assignments. Brochures or other presentations used to solicit personal employment shall not misrepresent pertinent facts concerning employers, employees, associates, joint ventures, or their accomplishments.
6. Engineers shall prepare engineering and technical articles for the lay or technical press which are only factual and within the context of the engineer’s competency and level of experience.
   1. Technical Communications for publication (theses, articles, papers, reports, etc.) which are based on research involving more than one individual (including students and supervising faculty, industrial supervisor/researcher, or other co-workers) must recognize all significant contributors. Co-authors listed on proposed and accepted publications should have entered the joint authorship arrangement by mutual consent prior to submittal of the document for publication and should have received written permission to use any unpublished work of others which serves as the major basis or key component of the publication.
   2. Technical Communications should adhere to clearly defined and appropriately disseminated guidelines on authorship. These guidelines should be promulgated and publicized in corporate, university or other employer’s policies and should be in accord with professional and technical society’s recommendations on ethical practice.
   3. Engineers may express publicly technical opinions that are founded upon knowledge of the facts
      and competence in the subject matter.
7. Engineers shall not engage in plagiarism. The act of substantially using another’s ideas or written materials without due credit and advance notification is unethical.
8. Engineers neither shall maliciously or falsely, directly or indirectly, injure the professional reputation, prospects, practice, or employment of another engineer, nor shall they indiscriminately criticize another’s work. Engineers shall inform in advance another engineer whenever they plan to publicly criticize or critically comment upon another’s work.
9. Engineers shall not use equipment, supplies, and laboratory or office facilities of their employers to carry on outside private practice without consent nor without offering reimbursement for employers’ costs.