It is not uncommon for faculty to be compensated for outside work. For instance, a faculty member may be paid to deliver a talk or to act as a consultant. If the same company that provides compensation also sponsors a faculty member’s research, there is the potential for a conflict of interest. Especially if the compensation is perceived as generous, the possibility of bias in data interpretation (to ensure the company gets the desired result) creeps in.

Bias due to this type of compensation is less likely if the sponsored research is of an exploratory nature. If the research is product testing, however, the sponsor may be looking to add academic credibility to its product. A faculty member who is generously compensated by the sponsor for other work may have difficulty in providing objective results.

Gifts from a research sponsor may pose a similar problem, but they are probably less common than monetary compensation. It is worth noting, however, that in the academic publishing industry, gifts are common. Most faculty have received complimentary copies of books that they have not requested and that are not under consideration for adoption. Occasionally, publisher representatives will distribute other small tokens, particularly at trade shows. In most cases, the financial value of these gifts is small enough not to cloud judgment.