Wikipedia:Conflicts of interest (medicine)
This is an Wikipedia:Conflict of Interest page. This page provides additional information about concepts in the page(s) it supplements. This page is not one of Wikipedia's policies or guidelines as it has not been thoroughly vetted by the community . |
On Wikipedia, a
This essay outlines possible issues related to conflicts of interest in medicine-related articles on Wikipedia.
Who has a conflict of interest?
It's essential to differentiate between actual and potential conflicts of interest. For instance, an employee of a pharmaceutical company possesses a potential conflict of interest regarding that company and its products. However, it only becomes an actual conflict only if they choose to edit the associated article, engage in discussions about it, or make edits about rival products. In most other contexts, their editing remains uncontroversial.
Expertise, especially in niche fields, often comes with proximity to the subjects at hand. An expert, by virtue of their deep knowledge and involvement in their area, is more likely to have personal or professional connections, past collaborations, or even subtle biases regarding specific topics or entities within their field. This proximity can be an asset, providing detailed and accurate information. However, it also raises the potential for conflicts of interest. Recognizing and navigating this balance is vital for ensuring the integrity of contributions.
Nevertheless, experts should refrain from using Wikipedia as a platform to push personal theories or to unduly highlight matters that they find especially significant, particularly if this emphasis doesn't mirror the consensus within the broader scientific community. Actions like these might contravene Wikipedia's stance against
COI disclosure and direct article editing
General conflict of interest
If you have a general conflict of interest, you are encouraged by the
Self-identification is a two-edged sword: You get points from most users for being honest, and editors often recognize your expertise, but a few have used it to harass editors. Do not disclose personal information that could put you at risk in the real world, such as by attracting stalkers to your home.
Financial conflict of interest
Editors with a financial COI are advised by
Paid editing
The Wikimedia Foundation's
- a statement on your user page,
- a statement on the talk page accompanying any paid contributions, or
- a statement in the edit summary accompanying any paid contributions.
Some paid editors have included their employers' names in their account names, e.g., these accounts from GlaxoSmithKline. You may not, however, set up a
If your conflict of interest relates to your employment, you should check with your employer. Some companies require public disclosure of the conflict of interest, and a few prohibit their employees from editing Wikipedia. If editing from your workplace, or as part of your job, it may be worth establishing a legitimate
Editing without an account exposes your IP address to the world. Corporate IP addresses are highly traceable, and public reports are sporadically issued on abusive editing by unregistered users from corporate offices, leading to embarrassment and occasionally real-world disciplinary actions.
Common mistakes
These are some common mistakes that are specific to editors who have health- or medicine-related conflicts of interest.
Editors | COI mistakes |
---|---|
Owners, employees or contractors of pharmaceutical, contract research organizations , and public-relations representatives for such companies
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Healthcare providers (physicians, surgeons, nurses, etc.) |
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Healthcare advocates and activists
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Scientists in academia or companies |
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People with a close tie to the subject may be very knowledgeable about it, and their input on talk pages can be useful when it comes to the who, what, where, when, and how of complex topics. Examples include:
Editors | Expertise |
---|---|
Owners, employees or contractors of pharmaceutical, dietary supplement, or medical device manufacturers, and their PR representatives | Knowledge of sources regarding a product's regulatory and commercial history |
Members of healthcare-advocacy groups | Knowledge of sources regarding social movements and their effects |
In these cases, "knowledgeable" means knowing about
How you can help if you have a COI
- Meeting obvious needs. Anyone is welcome to revert fix grammar problems.
- Identifying non-controversial changes. Within your expertise, focus on the 90% that everyone agrees on, rather than the 10% that is disputed. Factual errors can be brought to the attention of other editors, either on the article's talk page or at one of the noticeboards.
- Learning our standards. Read our advice on finding the best sources for medical information at medical adviceand is not a patient guide or drug formulary.
- Supplying top-quality sources. Supplying high-quality independent, third-party sources on the talk page is often helpful.
- Working together. Propose improvements on the talk pages, explaining your reluctance to edit directly. Be careful not to take up a disproportionate amount of volunteer time; see WP:COITALK.
- Getting help with disputes. If you need help, post a message at WikiProject Pharmacology.
What does a conflict of interest not mean?
That a conflict of interest exists does not mean that material from a conflicted source or editor should necessarily be dismissed. It does mean that COI editors, and in particular paid editors, are advised to raise concerns on talk pages rather than edit affected articles directly, and to be more respectful of
See also
- Wikipedia:Conflict of interest
- WP:EXPERT– an essay to help subject-matter experts understand Wikipedia
- Wikipedia:How to not get outed on Wikipedia
- Wikipedia:Wikipedia is in the real world
- Wikipedia:Ten Simple Rules for Editing Wikipedia– first published in PLoS and intended for scientists and physicians
- Wikipedia:Expert retention
- Writing for the wrong audience
- Giving equal validity, on the need to present mainstream views as being mainstream, and minority views as being minority views
- WP:CITESELFYou are allowed to cite your own papers, but within limits
References
- ^ The Foundation's terms of use are Wikipedia policy, see Wikipedia:Terms of use.
External links
- Guidelines for Participating in Wikipedia from NIH, example of an employer's policy on editing Wikipedia