LAWS FOR THE LAWLESS - ETHICS IN (INFORMATION) SCIENCE

Information workers are increasingly required to involve themselves in activities which may have ethical implications: deciding between information sources, evaluating output, carrying out surveys of usage, etc. There is little guidance as to what constitutes reasonable behaviour and there is, as yet, no adequate code of conduct for the profession. Debates on the usefulness of such a code have often lacked direction and failed to address the major issue of whether information can ever by supplied on a neutral, value-free, basis. This article considers the arguments for and against the neutral supply of information services and summarises the main areas of ethical concern in information work and information research before assessing whether a formal code of ethics is really the best solution for the profession.