Transparency in research funding and institutional affiliations preserves public trust in science. Leading publishers require explicit declarations covering all commercial, financial, and personal relationships.
What Constitutes a Conflict of Interest?
- Direct Financial Interests: Consultancies, honoraria, patent ownership, stock holdings, or paid expert testimonies.
- Non-Financial Relationships: Academic rivalries, advisory board memberships, close personal relationships, or ideological commitments.
- Data Availability Statements: Clear repositories (e.g., Figshare, Zenodo, Dryad) where underlying raw datasets and analysis scripts can be audited.
