Any situation or action creating suspicion that the design, conduct, and/or reporting of research activities are biased erodes trust at all levels and is damaging to scientific research.

In the university setting, individuals often face competing obligations and conflicting interests.  These may include, but are not limited to:

• Competing professional obligations, such as time spent teaching versus time spent conducting research
• Conflicting personal interests and professional obligations, such as the pressure to publish versus the obligation to report research data honestly and accurately

Where competing obligations exist, it is important that one obligation does not blind an individual to the other(s).