Abstract

A conlict of interest situation can potentially harm the integrity of research and contribute to research misconduct. This study highlights participants’ perception and knowledge on issues related to conWlict of interest. In response to mails to 40 participants in RCR training, 15 of them agreed to the interview. The interviews demonstrated that the participants’ knowledge regarding conWlict of interest in research was rather limited and particularly focused on the Winancial aspect of conWlict of interest. Participants stated that the training program had increased their knowledge on the different types of conWlict of interest and also provided them the necessary knowledge on how to manage conWlict of interest in their research. However, since this is an incidental Winding, the necessary method of handling different types of conWlict of interest was not immediately instigated during this study as it was not the focus of the interview at the time. Conclusively, there should be a need to expose the researcher to issues related to conWlict of interest. Considering the variation of conWlict of interest policies by research institution, academic journals and funding agencies, they might not be adequate to maintain a high level of research integrity.