Abstract
Disclosure is a common response to conflicts of interest; it is intended to expose the conflict to scrutiny and enable it to be appropriately managed. For disclosure to be effective the receiver of the disclosure needs to be able to use the information to assess how the conflict may impact on their interests and then implement a suitable response. The act of disclosure also creates an expectation of self-regulation, as the person with the conflicting interests will be mindful of their own potential biases and aware that their decisions may be monitored. This article discusses some of the problems of relying on disclosure as a solution to address conflicts of interest in research, including the added complexities around institutional conflicts of interest. The case of Dan Markingson illustrates these issues and highlights the vulnerable position relying on disclosure as a solution leaves research participants in.
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Notes
During the period 2002–2008, Dr Olson received $149,344 from AstraZeneca. Dr Schulz received $112,020 over the same period, although it is unclear whether these amounts relate to research grants and therefore ended up in university coffers or whether they were accepted personally (Elliot 2010). Either way, there is a clear financial conflict of interest, whether direct or indirect.
The Stanford prison experiment was a psychological study conducted in 1971 simulating prison life and examining the impacts of power, or lack of it, on individual’s behaviour (Stanford University 2011).
Thereza Imanishi-Kari was accused of fabricating or falsifying data after a student discovered that trial data documented in her notebooks was inconsistent with the published report, but she only admitted to poor record keeping and was exonerated by an appeals board (Resnik 2004).
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Jacmon, H. Disclosure is Inadequate as a Solution to Managing Conflicts of Interest in Human Research. Bioethical Inquiry 15, 71–80 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11673-017-9824-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11673-017-9824-7