Competing Interests Statement
ICMJE requires disclosure of relationships and activities that could be perceived as potential conflicts of interest. Journals can use different labels and forms, so this guide focuses on transparent disclosure rather than imposing one universal heading or wording.
A competing interests statement discloses relevant relationships or activities that could be perceived to influence a scholarly work. Use the journal’s requested label, scope, disclosure form and placement.
Key details
Important caveats
Scope Boundary
["Terminology, disclosure period, placement and required wording vary by journal and discipline; the page does not substitute for the target publication’s policy."]
Further guidance
Content
["Follow the journal’s disclosure form or instructions and state applicable relationships accurately; where the journal requires a no-conflict statement, use its prescribed wording."]
Practical Application
Disclose relationships or activities that the target journal asks authors to report as possible competing interests, using that journal’s label, scope, form, and placement. Do not substitute a generic sentence if the journal requires a structured disclosure, and do not imply that a disclosure automatically establishes actual bias.
Purpose
["Use a competing-interests/conflict-of-interest statement to disclose relevant relationships or activities under the journal’s policy."]
Reader Check
Does the statement follow the journal’s requested disclosure scope and make relevant relationships transparent without making unsupported conclusions about influence?
Worked Example
If the journal requires disclosure of consulting fees, funding relationships, or board roles, report the applicable relationship in its required form; if none apply, use the journal’s prescribed “none declared” wording rather than inventing a different formula.
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
- Author Responsibilities—Conflicts of Interest — ICMJE (opens in a new tab)International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) · ICMJE disclosure guidance for relationships and activities that may represent or be perceived as conflicts/competing interests