Recent topics on the Public Editor's Journal, at nytimes.com/publiceditor, include the evolution of the Edward Koch obituary, whether book excerpts constitute conflicts of interest, and a first-day look at the subject of this column.
Culverhouse's relationships with other NFL owners were occasionally, as in his relationship with the Rams, alleged to constitute conflicts of interest.
Members of the guideline committee have disclosed any financial, personal, or professional relationships that might constitute conflicts of interest with this guideline and have received no direct funding related to the development of the recommendations.
What constitutes conflict?
Conflict of interest declarations were left up to the individual authors; each author chose whether associations with different pharmaceutical industry partners constituted conflict.
The same goes for expectations about who owns or controls ideas, data, and writings; what constitutes conflict of interest and informed consent; what responsibilities individuals have if they observe wrongdoing; and other complex issues that arise in scientific research.
It follows that the definition of conflict affectedness involves specifying time period, area whose inhabitants are affected, and the nature of behaviors that constitutes conflict.
Unless there are specific and comprehensive guidelines describing what constitutes conflict of interest and the process for controlling it, these conflicts will be addressed inconsistently or may even remain unaddressed, at the cost of transparency and accountability.
Institutional officials will then determine if any payments constitute a conflict and report these financial conflicts to NIH along with how they are being managed.
Does this constitute a conflict of interest?
