Conflict of interest in scientific publications: a historical review and update

There is a stigma surrounding the reporting of conflicts of interest (COIs) that should be overcome. This article provides a discussion about COI, a brief historical review of requirements, and an update of policy for the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics that includes the alignment of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors new COI form requirement. This article reviews types of COI and suggests that professions (eg, chiropractic, physical therapy, acupuncture) not directly affiliated with pharmaceutical and device companies, though they may be faced with different circumstances, should still comply with current COI reporting standards. There should be no disgrace in properly declaring interests; instead, COI declaration should be considered an important part of publication and recognized as an honorable action. Declaration of COI helps to provide transparency and disclosure to all involved including editorial staff, peer reviewers, and the readers.