RESEARCH &

PUBLICATION ETHICS

CHAPTER 6: CONFLICT OF
INTEREST
Presented by: Ayushi Singh
TWO TRUTHS & A LIE
 You are 10 times more likely to get bitten by a New
Yorker than a shark.
 37.3% of pedestrians who fall victim to road accidents,
are reported to have been on their phones when the
accident occurred.
 At train stations, 80% of the air we breathe in comprises
human skin.
INTRODUCTION
 Consider the research funded and manipulated by the
tobacco industry: attempts to mitigate the effects of
passive smoking; the Brown & Williamson case of
stating “Doubt is our product”; distraction research and
press coverage.
 The case of Dr. Hwang Woo-suk, who, in 2004, claimed
to have cloned the human embryo, obtaining stem cells
of the same. He was commemorated via a postage stamp,
national laurels, and humongous grants, being made the
head of an international research institute in the field.
INTENTIONAL & UNINTENTIONAL
PUBLICATION MISCONDUCT
 Unintentional: editorial mistakes

 Intentional: conflict of interest, data manipulation,

manufactured conclusions, plagiarism, unethical
research, dilution of the review process
CONFLICT OF INTEREST IN RESEARCH
 In context, conflict of interest refers to circumstances
wherein the objectivity of conducted research and
veracity of data is affected by personal bias, occurring on
account of the scope of fulfillment of certain self-serving
interests.
 These interests may be of an individual, an organization
or even a society or country with a set agenda or public
opinion that it seeks to mould. They harm the rationale
behind the research, and can have consequences beyond
the legality of it.
POSSIBLE SOURCES OF SUCH
CONFLICTS
 Financial gains: funding, consultancies, equities,
royalties
 Personal interests: career advancements, securing
valuable connections
 Academic or professional laurels: patents, publication
credits, citations, H-index
 Political gains: furthering certain ideologies, shaping
campaigns, becoming a key expert authority on the
concerned subject
SCOPE: SUCH CONFLICTS OF INTEREST
MAY AFFECT:
 Unbiased, comprehensive presentation of data and
results
 Peer review procedure

 Editorial decision-making

 Credibility of the publication as well as the organization

sponsoring said research
 Public trust and confidence in the very scientific manner
of conducting research
TYPES OF CONFLICTS ON INTEREST
 On the basis of intentionality:
Conflicting interests
Conflicts of interest
Competing interests

 Financial conflicts of interest:

Direct: equity, stocks, ownership, patent, grant
Indirect: consultancies, paid testimonies, honoraria

 Non-financial conflicts of interest:

Social recognition, publication, tenure
PROHIBITION MODEL FOR CURBING
CONFLICTS OF INTEREST
 This ‘presumption against’ approach discourages such
arrangements and research practices wherein primarily
financial gains are to be made by the researcher’s
findings.
 These risks may be allowed, however, if such a system
generates employment, has particular scope for
innovation, mines further support for research work and
grants greater efficacy
DISCLOSURE OR PEER REVIEW MODEL
 This ‘presumption for’ approach refers to a system of
peer review which acknowledges the inevitability of
conflicts of interest arising due to human nature and
multiple affiliations of an individual, and seeks to work
in full disclosure of them.
OTHER WAYS TO PREVENT AND
MANAGE SUCH CONFLICTS
 Identifying and declaring possible conflicts
 Encoding acceptable behaviour in research and
rewarding self-control
 Implementing financial distancing and robust support

 Putting in place oversight, control and prohibition

systems
 Code of Conduct for Journal Editors by Committee on
Publication Ethics