Conflicts of Interest: types

For instance, a conflict of interest can arise when a researcher works for a company that is developing a drug and that researcher is investigating the efficacy of that particular drug. Then on the one hand, it is in the interest of the researcher that the drug is effective but also that the efficacy of the drug is correctly assessed.

However, there are also more personal conflicts of interest. For instance, as a person, a researcher might want to get recognition as a researcher. Hence, a researcher can desire a given outcome of a study.

The ALLEA code urges that “All authors disclose any conflicts of interest and financial or other types of support for the research or for the publication of its results” (ALLEA, 2017, p. 7).

Even if a particular conflict of interest did not actually influence a particular study, even the suggestion of being influenced by this conflict of interest or being biased, may reduce the trust in a study.

This section is based on (Koepsell, 2016).