The Office for Responsible Outside Interests encourages transparency in publications and presentations to protect the integrity of research by reducing the potential for, as well as the appearance of, bias. One way to achieve transparency is to include a disclosure of outside interests in any publication or presentation that results from a research project, even if your outside interest has no direct involvement in the research project. In the absence of journal-specific requirements, the following are examples of appropriate disclosures that you can use (and amend as needed to reflect the facts related to your outside interest).
- In the event that the Institutional Review Committee finds that there is not a financial conflict of interest, here are some sample disclosure statements to include in any publication or presentation that results from a research project:
[Investigator Name] has an outside interest in [Entity Name] that had no involvement in the work reported here. This interest has been disclosed to the University of Arizona and reviewed in accordance with its conflict of interest policies.
[Investigator Name] has an outside interest in [Entity Name]. This interest has been disclosed to the University of Arizona and reviewed in accordance with its conflict of interest policies.
- In the event that the Institutional Review Committee finds that there is a financial conflict of interest that can be managed, the following is an example of an appropriate disclosure:
[Investigator Name] has disclosed an outside interest in [Entity Name] to the University of Arizona. Conflicts of interest resulting from this interest are being managed by The University of Arizona in accordance with its policies.
Transparency is equally important in informed consent forms. The following are examples of appropriate disclosures that you can amend to reflect the facts related to your outside interest.
- For an individual conflict of interest:
This study is paid for by [Entity Name]. [Investigator Name] has disclosed an outside interest in [Entity Name]. This interest has been properly disclosed to the University of Arizona and reviewed in accordance with its conflict of interest policies.
This study is paid for by [Entity Name]. [Investigator Name] has disclosed an outside interest in [Entity Name] to The University of Arizona. Conflicts of interest resulting from this interest are being managed by The University of Arizona in accordance with its policies.
- For an institutional conflict of interest:
The University of Arizona has a patent with respect to the intellectual property that underlies this study. This means that the University and certain of its employees may stand to gain financially if this study and others lead to the successful commercialization of the intellectual property.
The [Device Name] device used in this study is owned in part by the University of Arizona which receives royalties for this device.
Questions?
If you have a question related to the disclosure of your outside interest, please contact the Office for Responsible Outside Interests at coi@email.arizona.edu or (520) 626-6406.