Code of Conduct

All Fellows agree to be bound by the Royal Astronomical Society Code of Conduct, details of which can be found here.

Revised: 14 April 2026

The Royal Astronomical Society’s Objectives

The Royal Astronomical Society (the Society) encourages and promotes the study of astronomy, solar-system science, geophysics and closely related branches of science.  These are the Society’s Objectives.

Background

The Society’s Bye-laws reference a Code of Conduct of Members (the Code).  Members of the Society, including Fellows and Honorary Fellows (together referred here simply as Fellows), are required on election to commit to this Code and the renewal of membership implies agreement to adhere to the Code.

We seek to maintain a supportive, collegiate community.  It is expected that some Fellows may disagree with others about some matters, or with some aspects of the Society’s activities, and that they may participate in a robust dialogue intended to settle the issues.  However, in pursuing activities that impinge on the affairs or reputation of the Society, Members are required to conduct themselves in accordance with the Code of Conduct laid down by the Society.  Failure to do so may lead to a formal investigation and action being taken by the Society against the Member concerned.

Allegations of bullying, victimisation and harassment between members of the Society’s staff are considered a matter for the Society’s personnel procedures.

Purpose and Acceptance

1. The purpose of this Code of Conduct is to enable the Society to fulfil its Objectives and act as a safe and inclusive forum for free and fair debate on matters and issues concerning the sciences it promotes.  It serves to safeguard and preserve the reputation and effective functioning of the Society.
2. This Code sets out rights and responsibilities of Fellows of the Society with respect to the Society as a whole and other Fellows.  Fellows should endeavour to act in the best interests of the Society and the sciences it seeks to promote.
3. This Code also binds the Society and its Fellows to deal fairly, honestly and respectfully on matters concerning astronomy and geophysics with members of the wider public and society as a whole.
4. By becoming or remaining a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society, individual Fellows are bound by this Code of Conduct and successor versions.
5. The Executive Director, the elected Officers of the Society and the Council shall be responsible for enforcement of this Code of Conduct.
6. This Code of Conduct shall be reviewed periodically by Council, at least once every five years.

General Conduct

7. The Royal Astronomical Society seeks to foster a collegiate and supportive community and Fellows are encouraged to:
   • show empathy and kindness in all interactions;
   • communicate in ways that support respectful dialogue and learning, including offering, and graciously receiving, constructive feedback;
   • respect differing opinions, perspectives, and lived experiences;
   • remain aware of power imbalances and act with sensitivity in situations where they may arise.
8. Fellows must observe the provisions of the Society’s Charter, Bye-laws, and other regulations and conduct any activities pertaining to the Objectives of the Society honourably, with integrity and to the highest professional standards.
9. Fellows should seek to further the Objectives of the Society.
10. With regard to any activity involving, or directly related to, the Society, Fellows must at all times behave with due respect and consideration for other Fellows, the Society’s staff, potential Fellows and visitors to the Society.
11. Fellows are expected to conduct themselves in full compliance with the law. The status of a Fellow who is convicted of a serious criminal offence – such as, but not limited to, fraud or dishonesty - shall automatically be subject to investigation under this Code of Conduct. 
12. Without just cause, Fellows should not (a) conduct themselves in a manner which damages the Society or its reputation, or that of the Society’s staff, elected officers and councillors performing duties on behalf of the Society, and (b) should not take part in any activity which is in conflict with the overall Objectives of the Society.
13. The Society may take into account conduct which occurred prior to an individual becoming a Fellow in determining whether the Code of Conduct has been breached.
14. Fellows are bound by the Code of Conduct at all meetings and events sponsored by the Society, whether they be at the Society’s premises or elsewhere, and at all meetings and events where they can be considered to be representing the Society or can be identified as a Fellow.
15. Fellows must respect the property of the Society, such as its premises, furnishings, facilities, collections and books, and follow the regulations for the use of its rooms and library.
16. Fellows should be guided by the UK government’s Seven Principles of Public Life which provides a reference point for Fellows’ behaviour.
17. Where they may have conflicts of interest, Fellows should clearly acknowledge them and be open about them, and – if the conflicts are serious – take action to avoid them.

Professional conduct

18. As befits members of a scientific society, Fellows should exercise their decision-making, representational, advisory and advocacy roles related to the Society on the basis of fact, recognised constitutional procedure and sound professional judgement.
19. In their professional conduct, Fellows of the Royal Astronomical Society are expected to behave ethically, adhering to core principles of honesty, integrity, and accountability.  Fellows are encouraged to reflect on relevant guidance, including the UK government’s Rigour, respect, responsibility: a universal ethical code for scientists.
20. Fellows must follow the Society’s Code of Conduct for Meetings (https://ras.ac.uk/code-conduct-ras-meetings) at meetings and events organised or sponsored by the Society.
21. At all other professional meetings and events, organised by related societies and organisations, Fellows must respect the relevant codes of conduct and ethics.

Wider society and the public

22. In their dealings on matters concerning the sciences that the Society sets out to promote, Fellows should treat members of the wider society, including policy-makers, members of the media and young people, according to the principles outlined above for the treatment of other Fellows and the Society as a whole.
23. When occasions to do so arise, Fellows should endeavour to give the best advice and information they can on the basis of fact and fact-supported theory.
24. Fellows must not claim expertise or skill in any area of knowledge or professional practice in which they have insufficient competence, qualifications or experience.
25. Where they may have conflicts of interest, Fellows should clearly acknowledge them and be open about them.

Bullying, victimisation and harassment

26. Whilst there is no strict legal definition of bullying, the Society understands it to mean the use of power, threats, coercion or force to cause hurt or harm to others who are less able or unable to respond.  Bullying may consist of a single incident or a series of repeated actions.
27. Victimisation is considered to be the use of power, threats, coercion or force against someone who has legitimately asserted their rights or complained that their rights have been infringed (as defined in the Equality Act 2010).
28. Harassment is considered to be bullying and/or victimisation and/or unwanted conduct related to a “protected characteristic” and is as defined in Section 26 of the Equality Act 2010 or subsequent UK legislation that replaces it.
29. Bullying, victimisation and harassment can be physical, verbal, or non-verbal conduct and include abusive or offensive spoken or written words, including content in emails or on social media postings.
30. Bullying, victimisation and harassment are prohibited within the Society and its activities. This includes between Fellows and/or groups of Fellows, and between Fellows and staff. 

Disciplinary proceedings relating to the Code of Conduct of Members

Under Charity Law, the Trustees of the Royal Astronomical Society - its duly elected Council - are the final arbiters in any disciplinary hearing(s). Any actions that flow from decisions/recommendations that result from such hearings shall be decided by Council.

The following regulations record the processes for the investigation, hearing and resolution of disciplinary proceedings against a Fellow or Honorary Fellow (together referred here simply as Fellows) who is alleged to have:

• been found guilty in a court of law of a serious criminal offence such as, but not limited to, fraud or dishonesty;
• failed to observe the Charter (including any supplemental Charters in effect at any time), Bye-laws or regulations of the Society;
• engaged in activity inconsistent with membership of the Society;
• acted in a manner detrimental to the welfare or reputation of the Society; or
• violated the Society’s Code of Conduct in any other way.

If an allegation against a Fellow becomes the subject of a criminal investigation, any procedure initiated or underway by the Society in relation to that allegation shall be suspended for the duration of the criminal investigation.

Making a formal allegation

Formal allegations against Fellows must be made in writing and sent to the Executive Director or to an unconflicted member of Council if the Executive Director is personally involved and would have a conflict of interest in the matter.  The formal allegation must set out how the Fellow concerned is alleged to have contravened the Code of Conduct, or otherwise brought the Society into disrepute, and the nature of the evidence on which the allegation is based.

Any Fellow or group of Fellows may make a formal allegation, including members of Council.  Apart from providing evidence for the investigation, the Fellow(s) making the allegation shall take no further part in the investigation.

Formal allegations against Fellows can also be received from non-Fellows who shall be provided with information on the Code of Conduct of Members and the procedure for investigating alleged breaches of the Code of Conduct.  In such cases the investigation shall be carried out as if the individual who made the allegation were a Fellow. 

The Fellow against whom the allegation has been made (the Respondent) shall be informed promptly and sent a copy of the formal allegation, including the name of the person(s) bringing the allegation (the Complainant).

All communications with the Respondent in relation to the allegation, any investigation and any hearing shall be sent by email, if any email address is held by the Society, with a request for the recipient to confirm receipt within 48 hours.  If no such confirmation is received by this deadline then communications shall be sent by post using a ‘Signed for’ (or equivalent) service to the address the Society holds on record.

Should a Fellow resign after they have been notified that a formal allegation has been made against them, Council shall decide whether to continue the investigation and any subsequent proceedings. The former Fellow shall be informed of the Council’s decision on whether to proceed with the investigation or not. The former Fellow shall be entitled to respond to the allegation and engage in any proceedings on the same basis as if they had remained a Fellow.

Investigation

At the first meeting of the Council held after receipt of a written formal allegation, Council shall determine whether there is, prima facie, a case to answer. The Council may defer its decision and direct that Officers examine the allegation and report in writing to Council.

If there is a delay of more than 28 calendar days before the next Council meeting then Officers can draw an initial conclusion and make a recommendation to Council by email, out of committee.

If following the initial investigation the Council decides there is no case to answer, the Complainant and the Respondent shall be informed of the decision and the reasons for it.

If, however, the Council decides that there is a case to answer, the Complainant shall be informed. The Respondent shall also be informed and given a copy of any written report made by the Officers.  The Council shall cause the Executive Director, as soon as is practical, to institute a hearing by a minimum of three members of the Council of the Society (the Panel), one of whom shall be appointed to chair the hearing.  The identities of the Council members making up the Panel shall be disclosed to both the Complainant and the Respondent.  The hearing shall be administered by the Executive Director.  It shall be the Executive Director’s responsibility to advise the Panel on conducting a fair hearing and to ensure that a written record is made.  The Panel may choose to extend deadlines during the process in exceptional circumstances at their sole discretion. 

The Respondent shall be given 14 days to submit written observations, representations and other relevant evidence to the Panel on the subject matter of the allegation and, if they desire to do so, to appear before the Panel in person.  The Panel may require the Respondent to attend before them and to produce any documents which they consider to be relevant to the investigation; the Panel can also request the attendance of witnesses.  The Respondent and potential witnesses shall be given reasonable notice of any such requests.  The Society will reimburse travel expenses of those who are asked to attend the hearing, according to its ordinary regulations.

If, given reasonable notice, the Respondent fails to attend or otherwise to avail themselves of their rights to participate in the investigation and hearing, the Panel may proceed in the Respondent’s absence.

The Report

Following the investigation, the Panel shall conclude the examination with a written report (the Report) which will include recommendations as to what action, if any, the Society should take to resolve the matter of the dispute, and to uphold its Code of Conduct and its reputation.  The Report must give the reasons why the Panel had reached its conclusions.  The Panel may make any of the following recommendations:

• That the allegation be rejected.
• That the allegation be upheld and that the Council adopt one or more of the following courses of action in relation the Member concerned:
  • take no further action;
  • require the Fellow to apologise in writing for the behaviour found to be contrary to the Code of Conduct;
  • require the Fellow to give an undertaking in writing to refrain from continuing or repeating the conduct which is found to have breached the Code of Conduct;
  • suspend the Fellow from membership of the Society for such period as the Council may determine;
  • expel the Fellow from the Society.

If the Panel upholds any part of the complaint, the Report shall be sent to the Respondent who will be given 14 days to respond to the Report should they wish.  The Report and any reply from the Respondent shall then be sent to the Complainant and the Complainant will be given 14 days to respond should they wish.

If the Panel dismisses the complaint, the Report shall be sent to the Complainant who will be given 14 days to respond to the Report should they wish.  The Report and any reply from the Complainant shall then be sent to the Respondent and the Respondent will be given 14 days to respond should they wish.

Decision

Once the Complainant and the Respondent have had the opportunity to reply to the Report, the Panel shall submit the Report and any responses from the Complainant and the Respondent to the Council for its consideration.  If there is a significant time delay before the next Council meeting then the Council can, at its discretion, convene an additional Council meeting or consider the case by email, out of committee.

The Council shall consider the Report and any responses received from the Complainant and the Respondent.  If the Council concludes that the Respondent has indeed acted materially in contradiction to the Code, then the Council shall take into account the recommendation(s) on any sanction to be imposed.  The final decision shall be a matter for Council.

A record of the investigation, of the Report containing the recommendation of the Panel, and of the decision of Council shall be kept.  The Respondent and the Complainant shall both be informed of the decision of Council.

Expulsion

If the Respondent is expelled their name shall immediately be removed permanently from the register of members of the Society and they shall thereupon cease for all purposes to be a member of the Society.  The Respondent shall not be entitled to use any designation or description which implies membership or former membership of the Society nor attend Society meetings or events as a non-member.

Suspension

If the Respondent is suspended they shall not be entitled during the period of suspension to exercise any of the rights or privileges of membership of the Society or to use any designation or description which implies membership of the Society.  The Respondent shall, however, remain in all other respects subject to the provisions of the Society’s Bye-laws.