Conflict of Interest Statement Generator
List any grants, fees, employment, stock, patents or roles that an author should declare, choose your journal’s style, and copy a finished statement. With nothing to declare, it gives the standard “no competing interests” sentence. The example below is fictional.
Does any author have an interest to declare?
Add one entry per relationship, using the categories of the ICMJE disclosure form. Leave the list empty if no author has anything to declare.
- Interest 1
- Interest 2
- Interest 3
Choose the wording and copy
Competing interests A.B. received consulting fees from Northwind Pharma outside the submitted work. C.D. received grants or contracts from the Example Heart Fund (paid to the institution) outside the submitted work. C.D. has a leadership or fiduciary role in the European Society of Example Medicine (unpaid). The remaining authors declare no competing interests.
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Conflict of interest statement examples
Each example comes from the generator. Replace the names and organisations with your own, and use the wording your journal asks for.
No conflicts of interest (general)
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
No competing interests (Springer Nature, BMC and others)
The authors declare no competing interests.
Declaration of competing interest, nothing to declare (Elsevier)
The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
No competing interests (PLOS)
The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
No conflict of interest (Frontiers)
The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
One author with consulting fees
J.K. received consulting fees from Example Medical Devices Ltd outside the submitted work. The remaining authors declare no competing interests.
Declaration of competing interest with interests (Elsevier)
The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Maria Rossi received grants or contracts from the National Institutes of Health for the submitted work. Tom Lee holds stock or stock options in Acme Diagnostics. The other authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
ICMJE form summary (BMJ style)
All authors have completed the ICMJE uniform disclosure form at www.icmje.org/disclosure-of-interest/ and declare: no support from any organisation for the submitted work; PS received honoraria for lectures or educational events from Example Pharma outside the submitted work; no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work.
Which heading journals use
| Heading | Used by, for example |
|---|---|
| Declaration of competing interest | Elsevier journals |
| Competing interests | Springer Nature, BMC, PLOS and the BMJ |
| Conflict of interest statement / Conflicts of interest | Wiley, MDPI and many society journals |
| Conflict of interest | Frontiers |
| Declaration of interests | The Lancet and Cell Press journals |
Journals of the same publisher can differ, so check the instructions for authors. Elsevier’s declaration tool builds the statement from four screens, and many medical journals ask each author to complete the ICMJE disclosure form as well.
What to declare
- Money for this study. Grants, drugs, devices or medical writing provided for the work itself. These also go in the funding statement.
- Money outside this study, in the last 36 months. Consulting fees, speaker fees, advisory boards, expert testimony, travel support, royalties, from any organisation with an interest in the topic.
- Ownership. Employment, stock or stock options, and patents planned, issued or pending.
- Roles. Leadership or fiduciary roles in boards, societies, committees or advocacy groups, paid or unpaid, and editorial roles at the journal you are submitting to.
- Non-financial interests. Personal relationships or beliefs a reader would consider relevant.
If in doubt, declare it. For why undeclared interests lead to corrections and retractions, read our guide to conflict of interest disclosure in medical manuscripts.
Frequently asked questions
- What is a conflict of interest statement?
- It is a short section of a paper in which the authors declare financial and personal relationships that readers might think could have influenced the work, such as consulting fees, grants, employment, stock or patents, or state that they have none. Journals call it a conflict of interest statement, competing interests, declaration of interests or, at Elsevier, a declaration of competing interest.
- What should I write if I have no conflicts of interest?
- Use the journal’s standard sentence. Common versions are “The authors declare no competing interests.”, “The authors declare no conflicts of interest.” and, for Elsevier journals, “The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.” Leave the list in the generator empty to get the sentence for the style you choose.
- What counts as a competing interest?
- The ICMJE disclosure form asks about the past 36 months: support for the submitted work, grants or contracts, royalties or licences, consulting fees, honoraria for lectures, payment for expert testimony, support for meetings or travel, patents, participation on a data safety monitoring or advisory board, leadership or fiduciary roles (paid or unpaid), stock or stock options, receipt of equipment, materials, drugs or medical writing, and other financial or non-financial interests. Declare anything a reasonable reader would want to know, even if you believe it did not affect the work.
- Is a declaration of competing interest the same as a conflict of interest statement?
- Yes. They are different names for the same section. “Declaration of competing interest” is the heading Elsevier journals use, “Competing interests” is used by Springer Nature, BMC, PLOS and the BMJ, and “Conflict of interest statement” or “Conflicts of interest” by Wiley, MDPI and many others. Use the heading and wording in your journal’s instructions for authors.
- Where does the conflict of interest statement go in a paper?
- Usually in the end matter, after the main text and before the references, next to the funding, author contributions and data availability statements. Many journals also collect disclosures in the submission system or ask each author to upload an ICMJE disclosure form, and then print a summary.
- Do I need to declare non-financial interests?
- Yes, when they are relevant. Personal relationships, academic rivalries, unpaid advisory or advocacy roles, and strong beliefs that relate to the topic can all count. The ICMJE form has a category for other financial or non-financial interests, and the generator’s “Other” option lets you describe one in your own words.
- Does funding for the study count as a conflict of interest?
- Funding for the submitted work is declared in the funding statement, with grant numbers and the funder’s role. Many formats also list it among competing interests, for example the ICMJE form’s first item, support for the present manuscript. Tick “For the submitted work” for that grant so the statement says so, and keep the funding statement consistent with it.
- What is the ICMJE disclosure form?
- It is a standard form from the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors on which each author reports relationships and activities from the past 36 months. Many medical journals ask every author to complete it at submission. The BMJ prints a one-paragraph summary that starts “All authors have completed the ICMJE uniform disclosure form”; choose the ICMJE form summary style to write that paragraph.
- What happens if I do not declare a conflict of interest?
- An undisclosed interest that surfaces later can lead to a correction, an expression of concern or a retraction, depending on how much it affects confidence in the work. Declaring a relationship rarely harms a paper; hiding one often does. When in doubt, declare it and let the editor decide.
- Is my information stored anywhere?
- No. The generator runs in your browser and sends nothing to a server. Your draft is kept in this browser’s local storage so it is still there when you come back.
Sources
- International Committee of Medical Journal Editors. ICMJE disclosure of interest form.
- International Committee of Medical Journal Editors. Author responsibilities: disclosure of financial and non-financial relationships and activities, and conflicts of interest.
- Elsevier. Declaration of competing interests.
- BMJ. Competing interests policy.
- PLOS ONE. Competing interests.
- Springer Nature. Editorial policies.
Content updated November 15, 2026. This is an independent tool and is not affiliated with the ICMJE or any publisher.