Potential Conflict of Interest and Financial Disclosure Form

The purpose of the Potential Conflict of Interest and Financial Disclosure Form is to fully inform The Oncologist’s editors, reviewers, and readers of the existence of any financial relationships that may be pertinent to the article and thus ensure full transparency of the peer-review and publication processes.

Each author is required by The Oncologist to reveal any financial commitment or obligation with a company or its competitor who manufactures products that are discussed within the manuscript or with a company making a competing product. Additional relationships that might be considered competing interests, such as holding equity or paid consultancy, patent rights, etc., must also be stated. All information concerning potential conflicts of interest will be revealed to the peer reviewers and thereafter kept confidential (and on file by the Journal’s editorial office). The Editorial Office will work with the Corresponding Author to formulate a disclosure statement for publication, should the manuscript be accepted.

Authors who identify contracted writers should disclose funding source. Contracted medical writers are also required to submit Potential Conflict of Interest Disclosure Forms.

Content submitted to the Journal may be selected for certification as a CME activity. It is the policy of The Oncologist to ensure balance, independence, objectivity, and scientific rigor in all of its educational activities through the disclosure of financial interests and other relationships.

Policy

In accordance with Journal policy and the policy of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), all persons who affect the content of a CME activity regarding the products or services of a commercial interest must disclose any financial relationships with that commercial interest occurring within the last 12 months. The Oncologist abides by a policy of anonymous peer review: any potential conflicts of interest are reviewed by the Editorial Board with the ad hoc assistance of external reviewers and are resolved prior to publication.

Defining a Conflict of Interest

A conflict of interest exists when individuals have both a financial relationship with a commercial interest and the opportunity to affect the content of CME about the product or services of that commercial interest. The Oncologist has faith in the integrity of the individuals who present educational activities. However, to avoid the appearance of any conflict of interest, and to comply with the ACCME Standards for Commercial Support, this Potential Conflict of Interest form has been adopted to identify and resolve any potential conflicts of interest.

Criteria for Disclosure of Conflicts of Interest

A commercial interest is defined as any entity producing, marketing, re-selling, or distributing health care goods or services consumed by, or used on, patients. Relationships with governmental agencies (e.g., the NIH), do not have to be disclosed. In addition, honoraria (or fee-for-service) or consulting funds from a CME provider do not need to be disclosed. In addition to personal disclosure, you must disclose financial relationships your spouse or life partner has with applicable commercial interests. A spouse or life partner’s disclosure information should be included with your disclosure information in the table below (and marked accordingly).

Sample Author Potential Conflict of Interest and Financial Disclosure Form

Sample Medical Writer Potential Conflict of Interest and Financial Disclosure Form

Sample Reviewer Potential Conflict of Interest and Financial Disclosure Form

Definitions

Editors and Reviewers

Editors and reviewers are required to disclose financial interests or relationships, and are asked to answer the same questions as authors. Reviewers are asked to disclose potential conflicts when accepting a review assignment. These disclosures are held in confidence within the Editorial Office, while the Editors’ disclosures are published online annually beginning 2010.

If in doubt about reporting any potential conflict of interest, it is better to declare a conflict than not.

All contributors to The Oncologist are required to disclose financial and other relationships with entities that have an investment, licensing, or other commercial interest in the subject matter of their manuscript. These disclosures should include, but are not limited to, relationships with pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, device manufacturers, or other commercial entities whose products or services are related to the subject matter of the submission.