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- Do practicing acupuncturists have a conflict of interest (COI) when editing acupuncture-related articles?
I understand the argument that they do: they stand to benefit from the positive depiction of acupuncture. On Misplaced Pages, opinion on the matter is divided, with an RfC on the general question of CAM practitioners finding no consensus (opinion leaning toward "no" by nearly 2:1).
On Misplaced Pages, simply having a profession is not generally considered a COI, but COI can arise from one's external roles and relationships in one's profession. For example, I'd have a COI when writing about a client or business partner.
In the "real world", there is evidently little or no precedent for a CAM-specific COI. I'm aware of no journal, editorial board, or academic department with such a policy. The Cochrane Collaboration produces what we consider to be among the highest-level MEDRS's, and they consider CAM professionals to be no more (and no less) conflicted than any medical specialist. The same goes for Nature Medicine (and its parent journal Nature) and the New England Journal of Medicine.
That said, of course I understand the concern, and respect WP:ADVOCACY and WP:PAG generally.
(I'm on long-term leave from my practice, but may return at some point. If and when I retire, that should moot the question of COI.)
- See also: User:Middle 8/Privacy