Conflict of Interest: Do I Have Any?

Conflict of interest is one of the trickiest issues in medical publishing. Sometimes it is so subtle that one may not believe they have any. In different contexts, such as business, academia, politics, etc., the examples might be different. In medical writing/publishing, it is defined as any financial or personal relationship that can inappropriately affect the actions of authors, editors, or reviewers. So, this is not something limited to authors. Editors and peer reviewers may also have potential conflicts of interest.

For example, if you are a shareholder of a pharmaceutical company and at the same time conducting research on a product of the company with the intention to publish it, you potentially have a conflict of interest. You may be conducting the research with good intentions to benefit the community, but the lack of disclosure can cast doubt on your honest intentions. Furthermore, if you ignore a possible side effect of the mentioned product, your scientific reputation may be more affected by the presence of such a conflict of interest.

Reviewers may also have conflicts of interest. For instance, when researchers are performing research on a specific drug, they inevitably have potential interests that should be controlled in order to avoid affecting their judgment when they are requested by medical journals to review a submitted article about the same drug. If they reject the submitted article with the hope that their own research will be published earlier, it is a clear conflict of interest that should be avoided.

Another example involves academic rivalry, which exists in many academic environments. It is possible to receive a request to review an article submitted to a journal by an academic rival. If this article is rejected because of such rivalry and not due to the scientific rigor of the study, it can be attributed to a conflict of interest. Most of the time, when such potential interests exist, proving that the rejection is solely based on issues with the scientific rigor of the study might be difficult. Therefore, disclosing possible rivalry or interest becomes of great importance.

Academic friendship can also lead to conflicts of interest. When an academician provides positive feedback on a review of an article where such friendship exists, the integrity of the science is affected by such undisclosed conflicts of interest.

Journal editors can also have conflicts of interest. If an editor rejects articles submitted by individuals with a specific way of thinking without considering the scientific rigor of the study merely because they do not believe in such ideas (for example, rejecting an article in favor of COVID vaccination because the editor does not believe in such vaccination), this decision can be influenced by a conflict of interest arising from the editor’s personal beliefs.

How can conflicts of interest be managed?

Humans are social creatures. We all have friends in the environment we work in, and we may have rivals in our academic environments. We may also want to invest our money in pharmaceutical companies. Are these necessarily bad? Of course not. What is bad is allowing such relationships to affect our scientific judgment. The best approach to managing conflicts of interest is to disclose them. If you are an author with possible financial interests, use the form released by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), fill it out, and submit it along with your article. If you are a peer reviewer with any of the aforementioned interests, you can write back to the editors who requested your expert opinion on a manuscript and inform them about your potential conflict of interest. Your judgment may not necessarily be affected by such relationships, but disclosing them in advance will prevent future issues and demonstrate your honesty.
Finally, if you have any questions about different patterns of conflicts of interest or other ethical issues during your research and publishing, do not forget to utilize our “Publication Ethics Consultation” service. This resource is designed to help you address any concerns and seek guidance to prevent future problems. By taking advantage of this service, you can ensure that your work adheres to the highest ethical standards.