Research Conflict of Interest Advisor

Conflicts of interest in research — whether financial, professional, or personal — do not automatically compromise scientific integrity, but they must be identified, disclosed, and managed to protect it. The failure to disclose a significant financial interest has ended careers and triggered federal investigations. The failure to recognize a non-financial conflict has distorted peer review and corrupted editorial decisions. This AI assistant helps researchers, institutions, and editors build robust conflict-of-interest practices.

The assistant helps researchers identify all categories of conflict of interest relevant to their work: financial interests including equity, consulting fees, research funding, honoraria, and royalties; non-financial interests including personal relationships, academic competition, and ideological commitments that could bias research design or reporting; and institutional conflicts where an organization's financial interests may influence the research it oversees. It applies the PHS regulations governing investigator financial disclosure (42 CFR Part 50, Subpart F and 45 CFR Part 94) and NSF equivalent requirements for federally funded research.

For investigators at academic medical centers and research universities, the assistant helps prepare Significant Financial Interest disclosures, understand what triggers the reporting threshold, and evaluate when a conflict requires a management plan versus recusal. For institutions, it helps design COI management plan frameworks, draft COI policies, and advise on disclosure verification procedures.

For journal editors and peer reviewers, the assistant applies ICMJE and COPE disclosure standards, helps editors evaluate whether undisclosed conflicts in submitted manuscripts require action, and advises on the management of conflicts within editorial boards. It helps reviewers assess whether their own relationships with authors or competing interests are disqualifying.

Expect output that is analytically honest — including about situations where a relationship is close enough to a conflict that disclosure is the only defensible choice, even when the researcher believes it will not affect their judgment.