 What is a conflict of interest? We can define a conflict of interest as a situation in which one's professional judgment in relation to a primary interest might be influenced or compromised by a secondary interest. So, what exactly does that mean? Well, let's take a look at Dr. Sally Smith. Sally studies green energy, solar panel production to be specific. Because Sally is so committed to green energy, she decided to purchase stock in one of the solar panel producers she has been researching for her university. Sunny Day solar panels is the third largest solar panel producer in the country and an important part of Sally's research. Now Sally has a financial interest in a company that she studies at the university. A conflict of interest is the situation that Sally has encountered. Having a conflict of interest does not mean that Sally cannot continue her research. Only that a plan must be in place to ensure the integrity of Sally's work. Sally, what are you going to do? Luckily for Sally, her university has a policy in place for conflicts of interest. This policy was created to comply with the myriad regulations aimed at ensuring research integrity. Sally talked to the conflict of interest coordinator in the research compliance services department to explain to her how the process of disclosing her financial interests will work. First, Sally disclosed all of her financial interests that were related to her institutional responsibilities. Next, the disclosure was reviewed by her department chair, her dean, and research compliance. If none of these people identifies a conflict, Sally's disclosure is approved and valid for one year. When a conflict of interest is identified, however, Sally must make a plan with research compliance services. This plan is designed to mitigate Sally's conflict. The plan may include additional disclosures or safety measures for staff and students who may be influenced by Sally's CLI. Now that Sally has a plan, it must be approved by the conflict of interest in the research committee. Comprised of faculty members from across campus, the CERC determines if the plan is sufficient to manage Sally's conflict. Once everyone has agreed on the plan, Sally can continue the research. In the course of her research on solar solutions, the main competitor of sunny day solar panels, Sally discovered harmful flaws in their production methods. Publishing her findings will undoubtedly have a negative effect on solar solutions stock and a relatively positive effect on sunny day solar stock. It could be perceived that Sally's findings may have been biased by her financial relationship with sunny day solar panels. However, if anyone should ever question the integrity of Sally's research in the future because of the situation of the conflict of interest, she can demonstrate that she dealt with the situation through the proper channels and addressed COI issues up front.