21. Declaration of interests
A competing or conflict of interest is anything that interferes with (or could be perceived as interfering with) the full and objective presentation, analysis, and interpretation of the research. Competing or conflicts of interest can be financial or non-financial, professional or personal. They can exist in institutions, in teams, or with individuals. Potential competing interests are considered in peer review, editorial and publication decisions; the aim is to ensure transparency, and in most cases, a declaration of a conflict of interest does not obstruct the publication or review process.
Examples are provided below. If unsure, declare all potential conflicts, including both perceived and real conflicts of interest [1].
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Financial: Funding and other payments received or expected by the authors directly arising from the publication of the study, or funding or other payments from an organisation with an interest in the outcome of the work. Non-financial: Research that may benefit the individual or institution in terms of goods in kind. This includes unpaid advisory position in a government, non-government organisation or commercial organisations. Affiliations: Employed by, on the advisory board or a member of an organisation with an interest in the outcome of the work. Intellectual property: Patents or trademarks owned by someone or their organisation. This also includes the potential exploitation of the scientific advance being reported for the institution, the authors, or the research funders. Personal: Friends, family, relationships, and other close personal connections to people who may potentially benefit financially or in other ways from the research. Ideology: Beliefs or activism (e.g. political or religious) relevant to the work. Membership of a relevant advocacy or lobbying organisation. |
References
- Bero L, Anglemyer A, Vesterinen H and Krauth D (2016). The relationship between study sponsorship, risks of bias, and research outcomes in atrazine exposure studies conducted in non-human animals: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Environment International. doi: 10.1016/j.envint.2015.10.011
Example 1
“The study was funded by Gubra ApS. LSD; PJP ; GH ; KF and HBH are employed by Gubra ApS. JJ and NV are the owners of Gubra ApS. Gubra ApS provided support in the form of materials and salaries for authors LSD ; PJP ; GH ; KF ; HBH ; JJ and NV.” [1]
Example 2
“The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.” [2]
References
- Dalbøge LS, Pedersen PJ, Hansen G, Fabricius K, Hansen HB, Jelsing J and Vrang N (2015). A Hamster Model of Diet-Induced Obesity for Preclinical Evaluation of Anti-Obesity, Anti-Diabetic and Lipid Modulating Agents. PLOS ONE. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0135634
- Garcia de la serrana D, Vieira VLA, Andree KB, Darias M, Estévez A, Gisbert E and Johnston IA (2012). Development Temperature Has Persistent Effects on Muscle Growth Responses in Gilthead Sea Bream. PLOS ONE. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0051884
The identification of funding sources allows the reader to assess any competing interests, and any potential sources of bias. For example, bias, as indicated by a prevalence of more favourable outcomes, has been demonstrated for clinical research funded by industry compared to studies funded by other sources [1-3]. Evidence for preclinical research also indicates that funding sources may influence the interpretation of study outcomes [4,5].
Report the funding information including the financial supporting body(s) and any grant identifier(s). If the study was supported by several sources of funding, list them all, including internal grants. Specify the role of the funder in the design, analysis, reporting and/or or decision to publish. If the research did not receive specific funding but was performed as part of the employment of the authors, name the employer.
References
- Lundh A, Sismondo S, Lexchin J, Busuioc OA and Bero L (2012). Industry sponsorship and research outcome. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.MR000033.pub2/full
- Popelut A, Valet F, Fromentin O, Thomas A and Bouchard P (2010). Relationship between Sponsorship and Failure Rate of Dental Implants: A Systematic Approach. PLOS ONE. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0010274
- Lexchin J, Bero LA, Djulbegovic B and Clark O (2003). Pharmaceutical industry sponsorship and research outcome and quality: systematic review. Bmj. doi: 10.1136/bmj.326.7400.1167
- Krauth D, Anglemyer A, Philipps R and Bero L (2014). Nonindustry-Sponsored Preclinical Studies on Statins Yield Greater Efficacy Estimates Than Industry-Sponsored Studies: A Meta-Analysis. PLoS Biology. doi: 10.1371/journal.pbio.1001770
- Bero L, Anglemyer A, Vesterinen H and Krauth D (2016). The relationship between study sponsorship, risks of bias, and research outcomes in atrazine exposure studies conducted in non-human animals: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Environment International. doi: 10.1016/j.envint.2015.10.011
Example 1
“Support was provided by the Italian Ministry of Health: Current research funds PRC 2010/001 [http://www.salute.gov.it/] to MG. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.” [1]
Example 2
“This study was financially supported by the Tuberculosis and Lung Research Center of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences and the Research Council of University of Tabriz. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.” [2]
Example 3
“This work was supported by the salary paid to AEW. The funder had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.” [3]
References
- Genchi M, Prati P, Vicari N, Manfredini A, Sacchi L, Clementi E, Bandi C, Epis S and Fabbi M (2015). Francisella tularensis: No Evidence for Transovarial Transmission in the Tularemia Tick Vectors Dermacentor reticulatus and Ixodes ricinus. PLOS ONE. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0133593
- Kolahian S, Sadri H, Shahbazfar AA, Amani M, Mazadeh A and Mirani M (2015). The Effects of Leucine, Zinc, and Chromium Supplements on Inflammatory Events of the Respiratory System in Type 2 Diabetic Rats. PLOS ONE. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0133374
- Eyre-Walker A and Stoletzki N (2013). The Assessment of Science: The Relative Merits of Post-Publication Review, the Impact Factor, and the Number of Citations. PLOS Biology. doi: 10.1371/journal.pbio.1001675