How to spot industry influence in science

Keen to know if vested interests have influenced research methods or policies' Professor Lisa Bero outlines the signs to help scientists, journalists and the public assess scientific communications for industry involvement. Internationally renowned for her studies on the integrity of research evidence used to influence health policy, Professor Lisa Bero leads the University of Sydney's Evidence, Policy and Influence Collaborative at the Charles Perkins Centre. Today in Tobacco Control  (from the BMJ Journals group), Professor Bero presents her top tips to spot industry influence on science policy. Writing in response to new analysis  of how the Brussels Declaration on Ethics and Principles for Science and Society Policy-making was developed with significant - but not always transparent - involvement of industry, as well as earlier studies, Professor Bero warns fellow scientists against being gullible.   "Open access to data, rigorous methods and disclosure of conflicts of interest appeal to most researchers, but these can be twisted to support only industry interests - as in the case of the Brussels Declaration," Professor Bero, from the Faculty of Medicine and Health's School of Pharmacy , says. "For years, corporations have been trying to change the standards by which science is evaluated; and many scientists were convinced to support the Brussels Declaration unaware it was sponsored by the tobacco and alcohol industries. Collectively, scientists need to learn to recognise when genuine commitments to research integrity are being hijacked to advance industry agendas.