By the Fancy Comma, LLC team

Note: Fancy Comma has affiliate partnerships to support its blog content. We may earn commissions for products purchased via affiliate links.

Ethical communication can build trust, establish your credibility, and generally be a force for good in the scientific world. Many global scientific challenges can only be met by having a meaningful conversation with society, and that can’t happen from a place of fear or deception. That’s where ethics in communication can be really helpful! Ethical communication is more persuasive than unethical modes of communication. In other words, ethical communication works.

Simply said: ethical communication works.

Tweet

Want to learn how to communicate more ethically for FREE? Check out our blogs on ethical communication! Learn about science communication, science policy, science marketing, science journalism, and more – also for FREE – through our unique web resources.

If you’re looking to deepen your understanding of ethical communication through a good book, keep reading. 

You’re interested in “big picture” communications ethics and examples

Ethical Issues in Communications Professions, edited by Minette Drumwright

Ethical Issues in Communications Professions is part of the larger “New Agendas in Communication” series from the University of Texas at Austin. The series unpacks various larger issues across communication, and yes, even science communication. This particular book, though, focuses on ethics in communication. The chapters, each written by various communication scholars, discuss topics including ethics in blogging, media, advertising, crisis communications, and more. The book also delves into specific case studies of unethical marketing communications, including “green advertising” and advertising of direct-to-consumer (DTC) drugs. It also discusses diversity in advertising, as well as communication challenges in emerging markets. If you’re interested in a survey of all things communication ethics, you might like Ethical Issues in Communication Professions.

You want to nerd out about communications ethics from multiple perspectives

Handbook of Communications Ethics, edited by George Cheney, Steve May, and Debashish Munshi 

Whether you’re interested in ethical communications theory or its practice, academic or general discourse, universal or specific cases of communications ethics, or issues of rationality versus emotion, all are discussed in the Handbook of Communications Ethics. The book starts off talking about human rights through the lens of ethical communication, then goes on to discuss a variety of topics, from rhetoric to public relations to environmentalism to democracy to economic justice.

You’re interested in a communications ethics book that talks about the role of science literacy

Communication: Ethical and Moral Issues, edited by Lee Thayer

Communication: Ethical and Moral Issues was first published in 1974. “Daily life communication…has abandoned the goal of truthfulness,” Jurgen Ruesch states in an essay in the book. “The social consequences are alarming.” While scientists and others can fact-check information within their realm of expertise, they write, “…the majority of the population…no longer are capable of checking what’s true and what’s not.” The other essays and reflections delve into topics such as persuasion, ethical judgment, and developing an ethical standard for the communications field. The book also features interviews with scholars in communications ethics.

You want to communicate ethically in a diversity of contexts

Communication Ethics in an Age of Diversity, edited by Josina Makau and Ronald Arnett

Communication Ethics in an Age of Diversity was published in 1996, but its insights remain relevant to the present day. The book both talks about communication ethically in many contexts, ranging from a one-on-one, interpersonal, level versus communicating ethically in mass media. The book also discusses ensuring ethical communication in consideration of race, gender, and other types of diversity.

You’re looking for an interactive guide to ethical communication

Communication Ethics by Spoma Jovanovic, Leeanne McManus, Tammy Swenson Lepper, Robert Ballard, Melba Vélez Ortiz, Michelle Leavitt, and Lori Charron

Textbooks can be boring, but Communication Ethics promises to be different in its goal of helping readers make informed communication ethics decisions. The book “emphasizes the importance of asking questions, thinking about the possibilities, and reflecting on the consequences, rather than having answers handed to you.” Focusing on four areas – knowledge, skills, values, and action – the book includes dozens of activities that help improve knowledge by thinking about possibilities and consequences involved in communication challenges.

You want to learn about communication ethics grounded in human rights

Communication & Human Rights: Towards Communicative Justice by Cees Hamelink

Cees Hamelink, a leading expert on communication and human rights, wrote Communication & Human Rights advancing his idea of “communicative justice” as the end goal of uniting human rights advocacy and communication. Communicative justice, Hamelink argues, can only occur with an idea of human rights which is all-inclusive and comprehensive of different cultures and global communities.

You want to read a book that’s actually about ethics

Ethics in Human Communication by Richard Johannesen, Kathleen Valde, and Karen Whedbee 

Communicators sometimes talk about the ethics of their work, but there are many examples of unethical communication. Let’s face it; most journalists and writers have not studied ethics or morality in any real level of detail. One thing you’ll get in Ethics in Human Communication is an in-depth introduction to ethics, including various theories, as well as ways to bridge divides such as through multicultural communication. In this book, you’ll get an intro to various theories of morality and ethics, which you can use to inform your communications goals and strategies.

You want to develop your own personal ethical standard

Practicing Communication Ethics: Development, Discernment, and Decision-Making by Paula Tompkins

Perhaps you’ve learned about communication ethics, and now you feel that it’s time to apply it in your own work. That might entail developing your own ethical code of conduct for communications. Practicing Communication Ethics can help you with that! It talks about different values communicators should value to adhere to an ethical standard in their work: things like truth, justice, and freedom. The book also walks you through exercises you can use to develop your own personal style of communication as an ethical communicator.

Check out our other book reviews

We’ve previously written about books that can help improve science communication, marketing books for science communicators, and books about writing for those in technical fields such as science, medicine, and engineering. Check out all of our book lists here or peruse all of our book reviews, including SciComm book reviews. Did we mention we also wrote two books ourselves?

Learn SciComm for FREE!

Fancy Comma, LLC is a company with a unique dual mission: to serve clients in the strategic and digital marketing space while also helping scientists communicate more effectively. We have FREE resources anyone can use to improve their science communication skills. 

About Fancy Comma, LLC’s Dual Mission

We’re a unique science communications company with a dual purpose in our quest to improve science literacy. Fancy Comma, LLC communicates the complexities of science simply for clients, while also helping training scientists to communicate better, themselves. That’s why we provide science communication training as well as the other services you’d expect from a digital and strategic communications company. 

Not sure whether our services meet your needs? Get in touch today!