Financial, nonfinancial and editors' conflicts of interest in high‐impact biomedical journals

Abstract

Purpose To assess financial, nonfinancial and editors' conflicts of interest (COI) disclosure policies among the most influential biomedical journals publishing original research. Materials and methodsWe conducted a cross-sectional study of 399 high-impact biomedical journals in 27 biomedical categories of the Journal Citation Reports (JCR) in December 2011. Information relevant to COI and requirements for disclosures that was publicly available on journal websites was collected.Results While financial COI disclosures were required by 358 (89Á7%) and nonfinancial by 280 (70Á2%) journals, 155 (38Á8%) required editors' disclosures. Journals in the first decile of the JCR classification scored significantly higher than those in the second decile for all disclosure policies. Ninety (22Á6%) journals were published by Elsevier and 59 (14Á8%) by Wiley-Blackwell, with Elsevier scoring significantly better in financial disclosure policies (P = 0Á022). Clinical journals scored significantly higher than basic journals for all disclosure policies. No differences were observed between open-access (n = 25) and nonopen-access (n = 374) journals for any type of disclosure. Somewhat incoherently, authors' disclosure statements were included in some published manuscript in 57Á1% of journals without any COI disclosure policies.Conclusions Authors' financial COI disclosures were required by about 90% of high-impact clinical and basic journals publishing original research. Unlike recent studies showing a significantly lower prevalence of nonfinancial compared with financial disclosures, the former were required by about 70% of journals, suggesting that editors are increasingly concerned about nonfinancial competing interests. Only 40% of journals required disclosure of editors' COI, in conflict with the recommendations of the most influential editors' associations.

Should we try to manage non-financial interests?

“…Non-financial conflicts of interest in medical research and practice, which include those of a political, ideological, individual, or religious nature,12 are often overlooked, denied, and even defined out of existence 34. The focus is directed instead towards financial interests, such as those stemming from drug industry sponsorship of research, or payments to doctors.…”

Conflict of Interestの1例

“…4 ) This indicates that there is a great need to ensure that COI disclosure policies are enforced for editors and publishers as well 5 ) as little is known about how COI disclosure of editors and publishers are managed and how effective they are in ensuring transparency in the medical publication process.…”

“…4) 5) 6) 1) Associate Professor, Department of International Medical Communications, Tokyo Medical University 2) Member, COPE 3) Freelance Translator 4) Emeritus Professor, Tokyo Medical University 5) Council Member, COPE 6) Adjunct Professor, Seoul National Bundang Hospital…”

Industry payments to physician journal editors

“…12 Bosch et al found also in 2011 that among high-impact medical journals, 38.8% required COI disclosure from editors. 13 There is a paucity of studies that examine actual industry payments to medical editors, and these existing studies have been based on voluntary data from editors rather than a broad inclusive database with mandatory reporting. Wong et al surveyed 95 editors-in-chief of clinical medical journals in 2009 and found that 9% reported receiving $1,000 or more from industry in the past year.…”