Draft version 1.7 beta — Revised October 29, 2026
← Return to the table in Chapter 4 § 5
Accepting or giving a bribe or a gift
A topic page linked from Chapter 4 § 5, Examples of Reported Violations of Enforceable Ethics Codes.
Definition
The ASBOG model code of ethics 1 states, "Each professional Geologist (P.G.) shall not accept payment, gift or other valuable consideration that would appear to influence a decision made on behalf of the public by a P.G. acting in a position of public trust."
The enabling legislation for licensing geoscientists in California includes a Code of Professional Conduct that has the following provision related to bribes or gifts:2
(4) A licensee shall not solicit or accept payments, rebates, refunds, commissions, or compensation, whether in the form of money or otherwise from other professionals, contractors, suppliers of materials, systems, or equipment in return for specifying their products or professional services to a client or employer of the licensee.
Black's Law Dictionary 3 notes that a gift can also be a bribe:
gift. n. (12c) 1. The voluntary transfer of property to another without compensation. 2. A thing so transferred.
bribe. n. (15c) 1. A price, reward, gift or favor given or promised with a view to pervert the judgment of or influence the action of a person in a position of trust.
Many roles in government service prohibit receiving gifts of any sort or value.
ASBOG included "Gifts – getting and giving" as one of the 13 ethical issues in its Task Analysis surveys in 2010 and 2015, each of which was completed by a few thousand respondents—professional geoscientists and academics in the United States and Canada.4-6 The results of those surveys indicated that "Gifts – getting and giving" was considered a somewhat serious problem.
Relevant provisions in geoethics codes
AIPG – § 2.1.2 ASBOG – § 16-3c; CAL – § d4.
Code Abbreviations
- AIPG — American Institute of Professional Geologists, AIPG Code of Ethics (2019), Link to current document
- ASBOG — Association of State Boards of Geology, Model Rules and Regulations, Section 16, Code of Ethics (2019), Link to current document; see pages 27 to 29.
- CAL — Regulations Relating to the Practices of Geology and Geophysics, California Code of Regulations, Title 16, Division 29, Section 3065, Professional Standards and Code of Professional Conduct – Professional Geology and Professional Geophysics (2026), Link to current document; see pages 30 to 33.
Notes and References
1 Association of State Boards of Geology, 2019, Model Rules and Regulations, Section 16, Code of Ethics, accessed October 29, 2026, fia asbog.org/documents/ASBOG Rules-Regs 2019.pdf; see pages 27 to 29.
2 State of California, 2026, Regulations Relating to the Practices of Geology and Geophysics, California Code of Regulations, Title 16, Division 29, Section 3065, Professional Standards and Code of Professional Conduct – Professional Geology and Professional Geophysics: accessed October 29, 2026, via www.bpelsg.ca.gov/laws/gg_regs.pdf; see pages 30 to 33.
3 Garner, B.A. [editor], 2024, Black's Law Dictionary [12th edition]: St. Paul, MN, Thompson Reuters, ISBN 979-8-350-29089-9, 2071 p.; the quotes are from p. 236 and p. 827.
4 Warner, J.L., and Warner, S.P., 2010, Task Analysis 2010 – A Study of the Practice of Geology in the United States and Canada: National Association of State Boards of Geology (ASBOG), 75 p., accessed October 24, 2026, via https://asbog.org/documents/ASBOG TAS 2010 - Final Report - June 2010.pdf
5 Warner, J.L. 2015, Task analysis survey 2015: A study of the practice of geology in the United States and Canada: National Association of State Boards of Geology (ASBOG), accessible via asbog.org/documents/ASBOG TAS 2015 - Summary Report (July 2021).pdf
6 Williams, J., 2018, The National Association of State Boards of Geology (ASBOG): Involvement in Geoscience Professional Ethics, in Gunderson, L.C., [editor], Scientific Integrity and Ethics in the Geosciences: Washington, D.C., American Geophysical Union, ISBN 978-1-119-06778-8, p. 77–99.