The Harmonization Host Organizations (a group comprised of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, Council of Medical Specialty Societies, JAMA, and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center hosted a symposium at the AAMC's headquarters in 2019 with leaders from across the biomedical research community to discuss harmonizing requirements for disclosure of authors’ financial interests and relationships in biomedical journals. Attendees outlined the actions needed to harmonize disclosures and ways to build greater transparency and consistency around disclosure requirements, recommending the immediate establishment of three connected working groups (the Working Groups on Harmonization) to develop principles and recommendations for implementation across the research community.
The Working Groups on Harmonization (comprised of the working groups on Relevancy, Uniform Disclosure Criteria, and Implementation and Principles of Accountability) met over six months to develop a Harmonized Disclosure Framework, further described in the recommendations report below:
- Symposium Agenda (PDF)
- Symposium Summary (PDF, high-level synopsis of key themes and next steps)
- Harmonization of Financial Disclosure in Biomedical Journals: A Shared Responsibility (PDF)
Implementation and Adoption
The Harmonization Framework was intentionally designed for broad implementation across domestic and international journals, as well as other invested parties, including academic institutions, professional societies, scientific congresses, continuing medical education community, health care providers, federal funding agencies, advisory panels, and grantmaking organizations. The framework was also developed to be easily updated in response to potential changes to the disclosure landscape (e.g., regulatory, policy, professional standards) and with the flexibility for implementation in tandem with a journal’s or organization’s current disclosure policies and procedures.
Learn More
- ICMJE Disclosure Form Updated, No Change to Recommendations (February 2021)
- "A Disclosure Form for Work Submitted to Medical Journals, A Proposal From the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors" (JAMA, January 2020)
- ACCME Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education (December 2020)
News and Publications
- Changes to the Standards for Integrity and Independence in Continuing Medical Education (JAMA, April 2021)
- Scientists Who Discredited Meat Guidelines Didn't Report Past Food Industry Ties (New York Times, 2019)
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The Integrity of our Research Depends on the Full Disclosure of Industry Relationships (AAMCNews, 2018)
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Conflicts of Interests, Authors, and Journals - New Challenges for a Persistent Problem (JAMA, 2018); related: Conflict of Interest and Medical Journals (JAMA, 2017)
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Harmonizing Reporting on Potential Conflicts of Interest: A Common Disclosure Process for Health Care and Life Sciences (PDF, Institute of Medicine Discussion Paper, 2012); concurrent JAMA Viewpoint: Toward a Harmonized and Centralized Conflict of Interest Disclosure, Progress From an IOM Initiative (2012)
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Conflict of Interest in Medical Research, Education, and Practice (Institute of Medicine Report, 2009)