03 · What You Need to Know
How AI Can Assist With Competing-Interests Disclosures Without Inventing Declarations
What Is a Conflict-of-Interest Statement?
A conflict-of-interest statement discloses interests or relationships that could influence, or reasonably be perceived to influence, a researcher's professional judgment concerning the submitted work.
Journals may use terms such as conflict of interest, competing interests, or declaration of interests. Their definitions and disclosure requirements may differ.
The statement allows editors, reviewers, and readers to evaluate relevant circumstances surrounding the research. It does not necessarily establish that the research is biased or that an author acted improperly.
Importantly, disclosure is not the same as eliminating a conflict. A relationship may require management or additional safeguards even after it has been reported.
What Types of Interests May Require Disclosure?
Financial relationships are commonly recognized, but disclosure requirements may extend to professional, personal, institutional, or intellectual interests.
The International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) emphasizes transparency concerning relationships and activities that readers could reasonably perceive as relevant to the work. Publisher policies may impose additional requirements.
| Potential Interest |
Illustrative Situation |
What to Verify |
| Research funding |
An organization financially supports the submitted research |
Funder identity, support provided, and applicable disclosure requirements |
| Consulting or advisory roles |
An author provides paid advice to an organization connected to the research topic |
Nature, timing, and relevance of the relationship |
| Employment or organizational affiliation |
An author works for an organization that may benefit from the findings |
Whether the affiliation creates a relevant interest under the journal's policy |
| Equity or ownership |
An author holds shares in a company connected to the research |
Ownership interest and applicable reporting conditions |
| Patents or intellectual property |
An author has patent interests related to the technology investigated |
Patent status, ownership, and potential relevance |
| Personal or professional relationships |
A relevant relationship could reasonably affect perceived impartiality |
Journal definitions and the connection to the submitted work |
| Advocacy or institutional commitments |
An author has a significant role in an organization advocating a position examined by the study |
Whether the commitment falls within the journal's disclosure criteria |
These examples do not mean every relationship must be declared in every journal. The relevant disclosure period, categories, and thresholds depend on the applicable policies.
When uncertain, researchers should consult the journal's instructions or appropriate institutional guidance rather than relying solely on AI's interpretation.
What Is the Difference Between Having an Interest and Having a Conflict?
A researcher may have professional relationships or financial interests without those circumstances necessarily constituting a disqualifying conflict.
Disclosure policies often require reporting relationships that could reasonably be perceived as relevant, even when the author believes they did not affect the research.
This distinction matters because authors sometimes interpret a declaration as an admission of bias. In reality, transparency enables readers and editors to make informed judgments.
Disclosure of an interest
Reporting a relevant relationship, activity, or circumstance under the applicable disclosure requirements.
Determination of a conflict
Assessing whether that interest could compromise, or reasonably appear to compromise, professional judgment and whether management is necessary.
The precise distinction may vary across policies. Authors should not assume that an interest is irrelevant merely because they personally believe they remained objective.
Why AI Should Not Automatically Write That No Conflicts Exist
Generative AI often reproduces familiar journal language. If asked to draft a conflict-of-interest statement without adequate information, it may generate a standard declaration asserting that the authors have no competing interests.
Such a statement is appropriate only when the authors have assessed the relevant disclosure requirements and confirmed that no reportable interests exist.
AI cannot inspect an author's financial arrangements, private consulting agreements, professional commitments, or institutional obligations unless accurate information is provided. Even then, it cannot independently certify completeness.
Watch Out
Never accept an AI-generated "no competing interests" declaration as a default. An absence of information in the prompt is not evidence that the authors have no relevant interests. Each author should complete the required assessment before a collective statement is finalized.
How Can AI Help Organize Disclosures From Multiple Authors?
For manuscripts with several authors, disclosure information may arrive in different formats. One author may report a consultancy, another a patent application, and another no relevant interests.
AI can help organize confirmed information into a consistent narrative, identify missing fields, and adapt wording to the journal's required format.
However, AI should not merge distinct interests in ways that obscure which author has which relationship.
For example, if only one author receives consulting fees from a relevant company, a collective statement suggesting that all authors receive such payments would be inaccurate.
Authors should also avoid sharing unnecessary sensitive personal or financial details with an external AI service. A structured, appropriately limited description may be sufficient for drafting.
How Do ICMJE Disclosure Forms Differ From Narrative Statements?
The ICMJE provides a standardized disclosure form designed to collect information about relationships, activities, and interests relevant to a submitted manuscript.
The form asks authors to report specified categories of information, allowing journals to assess and present relevant disclosures according to their procedures.
A narrative competing-interests statement may summarize the relevant information, but it does not necessarily replace a required individual disclosure form.
AI can help explain form terminology or organize verified information for review. It should not independently complete declarations, select negative answers, or submit forms without the author's confirmation.
Researchers should use the current official ICMJE form when the journal requires it.
Is Research Funding Always a Conflict of Interest?
Not necessarily. Funding and competing interests are related but distinct disclosure matters.
A research grant may need to be acknowledged in a funding statement even when the authors do not consider the funding arrangement a competing interest. Other circumstances may require the funding relationship to be disclosed in both places.
For example, support from an organization with a direct commercial interest in the study's findings may warrant additional disclosure concerning the sponsor's role in study design, analysis, or publication decisions.
The relevant requirements depend on the journal and the nature of the relationship.
AI should not automatically convert every funding acknowledgment into a conflict declaration, nor should it omit relevant financial relationships simply because funding is mentioned elsewhere.
Can AI Decide Whether a Nonfinancial Interest Must Be Declared?
AI can help identify questions that an author should consider, but it should not make the final determination.
Nonfinancial interests may be difficult to assess because their relevance depends on the research topic, the author's role, and the journal's definitions.
For example, membership in a professional association is not automatically a competing interest. A significant leadership position in an organization whose policies are directly evaluated in the manuscript may raise different considerations.
Where the circumstances are ambiguous, researchers should seek guidance from the journal or institutional research-integrity office.
Can AI Use Create a Conflict of Interest?
Using generative AI to improve a disclosure statement does not automatically create a competing interest.
However, a relevant financial or professional relationship with an AI provider, or an interest in a technology evaluated by the study, may require disclosure under the journal's policy.
AI-use disclosure and conflict-of-interest disclosure are separate questions. The first concerns how AI contributed to the research or manuscript preparation. The second concerns relationships and interests that may affect, or appear to affect, professional judgment.
Authors should follow the journal's applicable requirements for both rather than assuming that one declaration replaces the other.
What Happens If a Relevant Interest Is Discovered After Submission?
If an author discovers an omitted or inaccurately described interest, the appropriate response is generally to notify the journal promptly and follow its correction procedures.
The required action may depend on whether the manuscript is under review, accepted, or already published, as well as the significance of the omission.
AI may help draft a factual explanation, but it should not minimize the omission, invent a justification, or advise concealment.
Editorial decisions about disclosure corrections and possible consequences remain with the journal and relevant authorities.
06 · What This Means for You
Establish the Disclosure Facts Before Asking AI to Draft the Declaration
The appropriate workflow begins with individual author assessment, not AI-generated wording.
Each author should review the journal's disclosure categories, identify potentially relevant relationships, and confirm what must be reported. Only after that process should AI be used to organize the information into a statement.
When a relationship is difficult to classify, the author should seek authoritative guidance rather than rely on the confidence of an AI-generated answer.
A simple decision framework
If all authors have completed the required assessment
Use AI to organize the confirmed disclosures into the journal's prescribed format.
If an author has not provided disclosure information
Leave that author's declaration unresolved rather than automatically stating that no interests exist.
If a financial or nonfinancial relationship may be relevant
Apply the journal's disclosure criteria and seek clarification where necessary.
If the journal requires individual disclosure forms
Complete those forms separately; do not assume a narrative statement replaces them.
If an earlier declaration is found to be inaccurate
Notify the journal and follow its procedures for updating or correcting the disclosure.
A Reusable AI Prompt for Conflict-of-Interest Statements
Reusable Prompt
Draft a conflict-of-interest or competing-interests statement using only the verified author disclosures and official journal requirements provided below. Do not invent financial relationships, professional interests, funding arrangements, or declarations that no conflicts exist. Attribute each disclosed interest to the correct author. Distinguish funding acknowledgments from competing-interests declarations where the journal requires separate reporting. If an author's disclosure information is missing or ambiguous, identify the issue rather than assuming the answer. Do not make an independent determination of whether an interest is reportable when the applicable policy is unclear.
Journal disclosure requirements: [Insert official instructions]
Authors and confirmed disclosures: [Insert verified information]
Research funding information: [Insert confirmed funding details]
Required reporting format: [Insert narrative or form requirements]
Unresolved questions: [Insert any uncertainties]
After drafting, circulate the statement to the authors for confirmation and compare it with the individual disclosure forms and manuscript funding information.
The final declaration should be included in the broader process of verifying AI-assisted journal submission materials. Accurate disclosure is an authorship responsibility, not a task that can be delegated entirely to a language model.
