Question

How does disclosing a conflict of interest (COI) *completelyabsolve an editor of violating Wikipedia&#x27;s COI policy when contributing to an article?

Accepted Answer

Disclosing a conflict of interest (COI) does *notcompletely absolve an editor of violating Wikipedia&#x27;s COI policy. While disclosure is a crucial and necessary first step, it is not sufficient to fully comply with the policy. A conflict of interest arises when an editor&#x27;s personal, professional, or financial relationships could bias their contributions to Wikipedia, potentially compromising the encyclopedia&#x27;s neutrality. Disclosing a COI means informing the Wikipedia community about the nature of the conflict, typically on the article&#x27;s talk page or the editor&#x27;s user page. However, the COI policy strongly discourages editors with significant COIs from directly editing articles related to their conflict. Instead, they are advised to propose changes on the article&#x27;s talk page and allow independent editors to review and implement them. Even with disclosure, directly editing articles where a COI exists can still lead to violations of the policy if the edits are perceived as biased, promotional, or self-serving. Disclosure simply provides transparency; it does not grant permission to edit in a way that advantages the conflicting interest. The best practice is to avoid direct editing and rely on other editors to incorporate suggested changes after careful evaluation.

How does disclosing a conflict of interest (COI) *completelyabsolve an editor of violating Wikipedia's COI policy when contributing to an article?

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How does disclosing a conflict of interest (COI) *completelyabsolve an editor of violating Wikipedia's COI policy when contributing to an article?

Community Answers