🤝 Ethics and Sportsmanship

Honest evidence

Leagues enforce these rules. Under National Speech & Debate Association rules, distorting evidence, reading evidence you can’t produce, or claiming to read words you skipped can cost you the round.

• Never make up evidence, a statistic, or a quotation.
• Never change what a source means: no cutting out a “not,” no reading the view an author rejects as if it were theirs.
• Read what you say you read. If you skip words in a card, say so.
• Share evidence when asked. The other side and the judge are entitled to check it.
• Admit limits. If your evidence is from one state or one year, say so before they do; it builds trust.

Sources: [1]

Fair argument

• Answer what they said, not a weaker version of it. (See Steelman vs Strawman.)
• Attack arguments, not people. Never mock an opponent’s voice, looks, school or family. (See Attacking the Person.)
• Don’t misstate the round. Telling the judge they dropped an argument they answered is a fast way to lose credibility.
• Argue the side you’re given with your best effort, even if you disagree with it. That’s part of the training, and it’s how you learn the other side’s reasons.

Respect in the room

• Shake hands (or greet) your opponents and judge before and after the round.
• Stay quiet while others speak; don’t make faces or laugh at their arguments.
• Ask permission before recording a round.
• Thank the judge, win or lose. Don’t argue with the decision.
• Cheer for teammates; congratulate other schools’ winners.

After the round

Debate topics can touch real lives. A student across from you may have a personal connection to the issue. After the round, the disagreement is over. It’s fine to say, “That was a good debate; I learned something from your second contention.” The habit of disagreeing without disrespect is one of the best things debate teaches, and it’s useful long after the last tournament.

Codes of conduct

Most leagues publish a code of honor or conduct, and many tournaments add their own. Read yours before your first tournament. Homeschool leagues such as NCFCA and Stoa publish rules for dress and conduct as well as for rounds.