Public document establishing a framework for ethical behaviour and decision making in the conduct of activities in a certain field of activity ( code of ethics in the field of quality assurance and accreditation activities in higher education, universities code of ethics, etc.). It usually consists of a set of basic principles, values and rules of conduct together with a set of procedural regulations for observing compliance with the Code. Code of ethics may include references to issues such as conflict of interest, confidentiality, intellectual property, permanent development, trust, etc. It runs as a moral contract between members of the academic community.