Conflict of Interest . Many employees either have positions that allow them to influence University decisions, or they have been entrusted with the authority to make decisions for the University. Conflict of interest exists if an employee's position or authority may be used to influence or make decisions that lead to any form of financial or personal gain for that employee or for his or her family. In academic research, the term conflict of interest refers especially to situations in which financial or other personal considerations may compromise, or may have the appearance of compromising, an investigator's professional judgment in conducting or reporting research. The bias can affect collection, analysis, and interpretation of data, hiring of staff, procurement of materials, sharing of results, choice of protocol, and the use of statistical methods.
Conflicts of interest can affect all scholarly fields.
It is acknowledged that, in their wider roles as academicians and professionals, the faculty may be subject to conflicts of interest that are not necessarily financial and that are not within the scope of a policy that is designed to address conflicts of interest in the employer-employee setting. For example, the policy is not designed to address conflicts that may be encountered in service to a professional society or in community service. Academic and professional activities not covered by this policy are best handled within the ethical guidelines established by the University Policy on Academic Freedom, Responsibility, and Tenure, by various professional organizations, or by governmental policies. In academic administration, the term conflict of interest refers especially to situations in which financial or other personal considerations may compromise, or may have the appearance of compromising, decisions made by administrators. A conflict of interest is material if an ordinary person would take it into account in making a decision.