Competing Interest Guidelines

Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest

Authors must report all relationships or interests that may influence or bias the research presented. Although the author may think that there are no conflicts of interest, their reporting offers a more transparent process and leads to an accurate and objective evaluation of the study. Knowledge of actual or perceived conflicts of interest is a perspective to which readers are entitled and does not imply that a financial relationship with an organization that sponsored the research or compensation for the consulting work is inappropriate. Examples of possible conflicts of interest that are directly or indirectly related to the research can be reported in the following manner:

Funding: This study was funded by X (grant number X).
Conflict of Interest: Author A has received research grants from Company A. Author B has received a speaker honorarium from Company X and owns stock in Company Y. Author C is a member of committee Z.
If no conflict exists, the authors should state: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Criteria:
1) When a researcher or author has a financial/personal opinion or interest that could affect their objectivity or improperly influence their actions, there exists a possible conflict of interest. Conflicts can be actual or potential.
2) The most evident conflicts of interest are financial, such as
a. Direct: employment, stocks, scholarships, patents.
b. Indirect: assistantship to promoting organizations, investment funds, paid expert testimony.
3) Conflicts can also arise from personal relationships, academic competition, and intellectual passion. For example, an author could have
a. Some personal interest in the results of the research.
b. Personal opinions that are in direct conflict with the research topic.

Recommendations:
1) Disclose all conflicts of interest, actual or potential, that inappropriately influence the findings or results of a study, including any that arise within the three (3) years after the start of said study if they could unduly (bias) influence the study.
2) Disclose the role of any promoter (or promoters) in the study, if any, in the design, in the collection, analysis, or interpretation of the data, in the document review, or in the decision to present the document for publication.
3) The researchers must not enter into agreements that interfere with their access to all of the data or with their ability to independently analyze the data or to prepare and publish the manuscript.
4) The document must contain a statement (with the heading "Role of the financial source") in a section that is separate from the text and before the References section.
5) Some examples of conflicts of interest that must be revealed include: employment, consulting, stocks, honorariums, paid expert testimony, patent requests or registration, and subsidies or other financings.
6) All of the sources of financial support for the project must be revealed.
7) The role of any study sponsors must be described.