First, regulatory requirements require that researchers clearly identify and report real or potential financial conflicts of interest. Second, individuals, particularly in the biomedical sciences, are now frequently faced with the need to balance academic responsibilities with esoteric concepts such as intellectual property rights, insider trading, and confidentiality agreements. Having a conflict of interest is not, by definition, scientific misconduct. However, it is possible that an individual may be tempted to commit misconduct because of a conflict of interest. Although this temptation may be increased when large sums of money are at stake, it is equally plausible that such mistakes might be made simply to publish another paper.
Perception is often more important than reality.
When large sums of money are involved, it may be difficult for the public, legislators, the judicial system, and even your colleagues to assume that you were not biased by the potential for personal gain. This week's readings and assignments should not be considered comprehensive. The nature of potential conflicts of interest, and the strategies for dealing with those conflicts, are still evolving. However, the material provided in this unit should give you a perspective on some of the issues involved and strategies to think about new problems as they arise.