Administrative Procedures & Compliance Guidelines

Conflicts of Interest

We all have conflicts at one time or another between, for example, our responsibilities to family, friends, and/or work. Having conflicts is not in itself an ethical problem. The question is how we deal with those conflicts when they arise.

In science, particular attention has been focused on the conflict between financial gain and scientific integrity. Although a case can be made that few scientists would intentionally falsify or fabricate data for the sake of a financial interest, a strong association has been repeatedly found between financial support from industry and positive findings in research. There are many possible reasons for this correlative relationship, but one important factor is unconscious individual or systemic bias. For this reason alone, it is understandable that efforts are made to identify, disclose, minimize, manage or even eliminate  financial conflicts of interest.

Whether or not a conflict is financial, the risk of bias maybe mitigated, if not eliminated, by the appropriate design and conduct of research studies. This can be accomplished, for example, by coding samples for data collection and analysis or having studies conducted to the extent possible by others who do not have the same conflicts. Doing so will help to not only protect against financial conflicts but other contributors to bias such as the desire to publish another paper, or to prove an attractive hypothesis.

Federal, state, and institutional regulations and policies are in place to require research investigators to declare financial conflicts of interest to the institutional conflict of interest office. Depending on the extent and nature of those conflicts, an investigator might be told that while a  conflict of interest exists,  the research can continue if appropriate measures are taken to manage that conflict, or that the researcher needs to minimize or eliminate that conflict before research can continue.

For more information about institutional reporting requirements and procedures, contact:

• UC San Diego Conflict of Interest Office: 858-534-6465; info@coi.ucsd.edu