NEW ONLINE ** Assignment of Copyright Form **

Competing Interests Form

A competing interest can be defined as a set of conditions in which professional judgment concerning a primary interest (such as patients' welfare or the validity of research) may be influenced by a secondary interest (such as financial gain). Competing interests should be disclosed when you submit your paper to enable impartial Editorial Board review and the publication of relevant information.

Many authors are confident that competing interests have not influenced their work and therefore choose not to declare them. However, secondary interests can lead to sub-conscious bias in the reporting of data or may affect the interpretation of an article. As this term covers a broad range of topics (see the link), it is inevitable that many authors will have something to declare.

Please print the BCMJ Competing Interests Form, answer the questions indicating a positive response with a tick, and give details overleaf. If you have no competing interests, please print and sign the attached form and we will publish: "Competing interests: None declared." Please complete and return the form (fax 604 733-7317) in either case.