October 2020: This policy was developed in 2014 and applies to all Cochrane Reviews that were registered before the launch of the Cochrane Conflict of Interest Policy for Cochrane Library Content (2020) on 14 October 2020, and any updates where the work began on the update before this date.

March 2020: This policy was developed in 2014 and applies to all Cochrane Reviews until the launch of the new Cochrane Conflict of Interest Policy for Cochrane Library Content , which is planned for July 2020(October 2020). After the launch of the 2020 policy, the policy set out below will still apply to the following content: protocols being prepared based on new titles registered before the July October launch date; protocols for Cochrane Reviews already in progress before the July October 2020 launch date; and Cochrane Reviews (including updates) in progress before the July October 2020 launch date.

May 2014: Changes to Cochrane’s Commercial Sponsorship policy were agreed by the Steering Group in April 2014 and these are reflected below.The policy has two parts: one for Cochrane Reviews (below) and one relating to Cochrane Groups.

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3. Editors and editorial staff within Cochrane Review Groupswithin Cochrane Review Groups

This section has now been superseded by Cochrane Conflict of Interest Policy for Cochrane Library Content (2020). Please see Section 6: Rules relating to declared interests (specifically Section 6.2: Rules for Cochrane Review Groups/Networks and the Editorial & Methods Department).

Editors and the editorial team of each Cochrane Review Group must disclose any potential conflict of interest that they might have, both on Cochrane Community website and on the Cochrane Review Group website.

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Authors and Cochrane Review Groups should not receive royalties on sales of reprints of their Cochrane Reviews, since these sales are likely to have been made to commercial sources and might, therefore, be assumed to be equivalent to direct sponsorship of the Cochrane Review or Group. Therefore, the current policy that royalties on reprint sales go to The Cochrane Collaboration centrally, via the Collaboration Trading Company, will continue. 

8. If a Cochrane Review Group has questions about conflict of interest

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8. If a Cochrane Review Group has questions about conflict of interest

8.1. Funding Arbiter

This section has now been superseded by the Cochrane Conflict of Interest Policy for Cochrane Library Content (2020). Please see Section 8: Policy governance (specifically Section 8.1: Conflict of Interest Panel).

The Funding Arbiter is accountable to the Cochrane’s Governing Board and convenes a standing panel of four to give guidance on difficult cases. See the Funding Arbiter page for information about the role of the Funding Arbiter and the Funding Arbitration Panel and to refer a conflict of interest issue.

8.2. Scenarios and actions for editorial teams and authors

A list of potential conflict of interest scenarios and actions is available here.