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<noinclude>{{short description|Wikimedia project behavioral guidelines regarding conflicts of interest}}
{{selfref|] redirects here. You may also be looking for ], ] or ]}}
{{hatnote|If you want to report a problematic conflict of interest editor, see ].}}
{{hatnote|For practical advice for editors who might have a conflict of interest, see ]}}
{{redirect|Misplaced Pages:Conflict}}
{{pp-move-indef}}
{{subcat guideline|behavioral guideline|Conflict of interest|WP:COI|WP:CONFLICT}}
{{subcat guideline|behavioral guideline|Conflict of interest|WP:COI|WP:CONFLICT}}
{{nutshell|Editors should not edit where they have a conflict of interest, as such involvement may undermine the project’s neutrality. If paid or otherwise connected to the subject, disclosure and following the proper edit request process is required to maintain credibility.}}</noinclude>
{{nutshell|Do not edit Misplaced Pages to promote your own interests, or those of other individuals or of organizations, including employers. Do not write about these things unless you are certain that a neutral editor would agree that your edits improve Misplaced Pages.}}
{{guideline list}}
{{Notice|'''If you want to ask advice about your situation or a possible conflict of interest situation''', please visit the ].}}
'''Conflict of interest''' ('''COI''') '''editing''' involves contributing to ] about yourself, family, friends, clients, employers, or your financial and other relationships. Any ] can trigger a ]. Someone having a conflict of interest is a description of a ''situation'', not a judgment about that person's opinions, integrity, or ].
A Misplaced Pages ''']''' ('''COI''') is an incompatibility between the aim of Misplaced Pages, which is to produce a ], ] encyclopedia, and the aims of an individual editor. COI editing involves contributing to Misplaced Pages in order to promote your own interests or those of other individuals, companies, or groups. '''Where advancing outside interests is more important to an editor than advancing the aims of Misplaced Pages, that editor stands in a conflict of interest.'''
COI editing is strongly discouraged on Misplaced Pages. It undermines public confidence and risks causing ] to the individuals and companies being promoted. Editors with a COI are sometimes ] it has influenced their editing. If COI editing causes disruption, an administrator may opt to place blocks on the involved accounts.
COI editing is strongly discouraged. When editing causes disruption to the encyclopedia through violation of policies such as ], ], and ], accounts may be blocked. COI editing also risks causing public embarrassment for the individuals and groups being promoted.<ref>Editing in the interests of public relations is particularly frowned upon. This includes, but is not limited to, edits made by ] departments of corporations or governmental entities; or of other public or private for-profit or not-for-profit organizations; or by professional editors paid to edit a Misplaced Pages article with the ''sole intent'' of improving that organization's image. Misplaced Pages is a very public forum, and news of what occurs here is frequently reported in the media. "Anything you say here and anything you do here can have real world consequences." '''See: ]'''</ref>
Editors with a COI, including ], are expected to ] whenever they seek to change an affected article's content. Anyone editing for pay ], who the client is, and any other relevant affiliation; this is a requirement of the ]. COI editors are strongly discouraged from editing affected articles directly, and can propose changes on article talk pages instead. However, our ] allows very obvious errors to be fixed quickly, ].
Editors with COIs are strongly encouraged—but not actually required—to declare their interests, both on their ] and on the ] of the related article they are editing, particularly if those edits may be contested. Editors who disguise their COIs are often exposed, creating a perception that they, and perhaps their employer, are trying to distort Misplaced Pages. When someone voluntarily discloses a conflict of interest, other editors should always ]. Do not use a voluntarily disclosed conflict of interest as a weapon against the editor.
When investigating possible cases of COI editing, Wikipedians must be careful not to ] of other editors. Misplaced Pages's ] takesprecedenceoverthisCOIguideline.Aneditor'sconflictofinterestisoftenrevealedwhenthateditordisclosesarelationship to thesubject of the article to whichtheeditoriscontributing. Whereaneditordoesnotdisclosean existing affiliation or otherconflictofinterest,carefullyfollowingMisplaced Pages's] may help counteract biased editing.
When investigating COI editing, ''do not'' ] of editors against their wishes. Misplaced Pages's ], and in particular the prohibition against disclosing personal information, '''takes precedence''' over this guideline. To report COI editing, follow the advice at ], below. Editors making or discussing changes to this guideline or related guidance shall disclose whether they have been paid to edit Misplaced Pages.
== Overview ==
== Misplaced Pages's position ==
=== Purpose of Misplaced Pages ===
{{Guideline list}}
{{further|Misplaced Pages:What Misplaced Pages is not}}
COI editing is strongly discouraged. COI editors causing disruption may be ]. Editors with COIs who wish to edit responsibly are strongly encouraged to follow Misplaced Pages policies and ] scrupulously. They are also encouraged to disclose their interest on their ] and '''also''' on the ] of the related article they are editing, and to request others' views, particularly if those edits may be contested. Most Wikipedians will appreciate your ].
As an encyclopedia, ] is to provide the public with articles that summarize accepted knowledge, written neutrally and sourced reliably. Readers expect to find neutral articles written independently of their subject, not corporate or personal webpages, or platforms for advertising and self-promotion. Articles should contain only material that complies with Misplaced Pages's content policies and best practices, and Wikipedians must place the interests of the encyclopedia and its readers above personal concerns.
=== COI editing ===
If you have a conflict of interest, then any changes that might be seen as controversial or not ] should be first suggested on the relevant ] or ]. Before committing time or undertaking an agreement to write, you may also wish to seek advice before starting any new article in order to confirm it is suitable. It is also '''advisable''' to take similar care on subjects where you do not have a conflict of interest but do hold strong views or have a significant involvement.
{{see also|Misplaced Pages:Plain and simple conflict of interest guide}}
{{Shortcut|WP:COIEDIT}}
Editors with a COI should follow Misplaced Pages policies and best practices scrupulously:
* you should '''] your COI''' when involved with affected articles;
* you are '''strongly discouraged''' from editing affected articles directly;
* you may ''']''' on talk pages (by using the {{tlx|edit COI}} template), so that they can be peer-reviewed;
* you should put new articles through the ] process instead of creating them directly;
* you should '''not act as a reviewer''' of affected article(s) at AfC, ] or elsewhere;
* you should '''respect other editors''' by keeping discussions concise.
Note that no one on Misplaced Pages ]. If Misplaced Pages hosts an article about you or your organization, others may add information that would otherwise remain little known. They may also decide to delete the article or decide to keep it should you later request deletion. The media has several times drawn attention to companies that engage in COI editing on Misplaced Pages (see ]), which has led to embarrassment for the organizations concerned.
'''].''' COI editing is routinely exposed and can be reported adversely in the media. All edits are on the public record and remain so indefinitely. ] and others may ] them, keep them, or add information that would have remained little-known. While Wikipedians generally avoid naming editors and their paymasters, other media routinely do. This has led at times to extreme media embarrassment for the company or organization, dismissal (firing) of those at fault, and at times even court actions or charges, if done in a work or professional context. Editing in the interests of public relations (other than obvious corrections) is particularly frowned upon. This includes, but is not limited to, professionals paid to create or edit Misplaced Pages articles. Misplaced Pages is a very public forum, and news of attempts to improperly influence Misplaced Pages are frequently reported in the media.
{{anchor|Paid editing|Paid advocacy}}
=== Paid editing ===
When investigating possible cases of COI editing, Misplaced Pages's ] takes precedence and requires that Wikipedians must take care not to ] of other editors. Instead, ] and ] can be used to evidence COI or other editorial abuse which avoids the need to formally identify the user. In other cases, carefully following Misplaced Pages's ] and other policies may help counteract biased editing.
Being paid to contribute to Misplaced Pages is one form of financial COI; it places the paid editor in a conflict between their employer's goals and Misplaced Pages's goals. The kind of paid editing of most concern to the community involves using Misplaced Pages for public relations and marketing purposes. Sometimes called "paid advocacy," this is problematic because it invariably reflects the interests of the client or employer.
==What is a conflict of interest?==
{{see also|Misplaced Pages:What Misplaced Pages is not}}
More generally, an editor has a financial conflict of interest whenever they write about a topic with which they have a close financial relationship. This includes being an owner, employee, contractor, investor or other stakeholder.
Misplaced Pages is an encyclopedia, not a vanity press or a forum for advertising and promoting yourself or your ideas. As such it should contain only material that complies with its content policies, and Wikipedians must place the interests of the encyclopedia first. Any editor who gives priority to outside interests may be subject to a conflict of interest.
The ] requires that all paid editing be disclosed. Additionally, ] requires that (if applicable) you '''must''' provide links on your user-page to '''all''' active accounts on external websites through which you advertise, solicit or obtain paid editing. If you receive or expect to receive compensation (money, goods or services) for your contributions to Misplaced Pages, the policy on the English Misplaced Pages is:
There are no firm criteria to determine whether a conflict of interest exists, but there are warning signs. Adding material that appears to promote the interests or visibility of an article's author, its author's family members, employer, associates, or their business or personal interests, places the author in a conflict of interest. When editors write to promote their own interests, their contributions often show a characteristic lack of connection to anything the general reader might want to consult as a reference. If you do write an article on an area in which you are personally involved, be sure to write in a ] and cite reliable, ], ] published ], and beware of unintentional bias. ] is one of Misplaced Pages's ].
* you must ''']''' who is paying you, on whose behalf the edits are made, and any other relevant affiliation;
If other editors suggest that your editing violates Misplaced Pages's standards, take that advice seriously and consider stepping back, reassessing your edits, and discussing your intentions with the community. In particular, consider whether you are editing ].
* you should make the disclosure on your user page, '''on affected talk pages''', and whenever you discuss the topic;
* you are '''strongly discouraged''' from editing affected articles directly;
* you may ''']''' on talk pages by using the {{tlx|edit COI}} template, so that they can be peer-reviewed;
* you should put new articles through the ] process instead of creating them directly;
* you must '''not act as a reviewer''' of affected article(s) at AfC, ] or elsewhere;
* you should '''respect volunteers''' by keeping discussions concise (see ]).
Requested edits are subject to the same standards as any other, and editors may decline to act on them. The ] provides guidance in this area. To find an article's talk page, click the "talk" button at the top of the article. See ] if you have questions about these things. If you are an administrator, you ] (except when related to work as a ], or as someone paid by the Wikimedia Foundation or an affiliate).
===Examples===
=== Wikimedia Foundation terms of use<span class="anchor" id="terms"></span> ===
The ]'s ] require that editors who are being paid for their contributions disclose their ''employer'' (the person or organization who is paying for the edits); the ''client'' (the person or organization on whose behalf the edits are made); and any other relevant ''affiliation''. This is the policy of the English Misplaced Pages.
{{See also|Misplaced Pages:Autobiography}}
Editing in an area in which you have professional or academic expertise is not, in itself, a conflict of interest. Using material you yourself have written or published is allowed within reason, but only if it is relevant and conforms to the content policies. Excessive self-citation is strongly discouraged. When in doubt, defer to the community's opinion. In any case, citations should be in the third person and should not place ] on your work, giving proper due to the work of others as in a review article.
{{anchor|howtodisclose|Declaring an interest}}
====Financial====
== How to disclose a COI ==
{{Policy shortcut|WP:NOPAY|WP:PAY}}
=== General COI ===
If you fit either of these descriptions:
{{shortcut|WP:DISCLOSE|WP:DCOI}}
If you become involved in an article where you have any COI, you should always let other editors know about it, whenever and wherever you discuss the topic. There are three venues to do this.
1. If you want to use a template to do this, place {{tlx|connected contributor}} '''at the top of the affected talk page''', fill it in as follows, and save:
# you are receiving monetary or other benefits or considerations to edit Misplaced Pages as a representative of an organization (whether directly as an employee or contractor of that organization, or indirectly as an employee or contractor of a firm hired by that organization for public relations purposes); or
# you expect to derive monetary or other benefits or considerations from editing Misplaced Pages; for example, by being an owner, officer, or other stakeholder of a company or other organization about which you are writing;
then you are '''very strongly''' discouraged to edit Misplaced Pages in areas where there is a conflict of interest that may make your edits non-neutral (biased). Misplaced Pages's ] policy states that all articles must represent views fairly and without bias, and conflicts of interest may significantly and negatively affect Misplaced Pages's ability to fulfill this requirement. If your financially motivated edits would be non-neutral, do ''not'' post them.
:<span style="font-size:100%;"><code><nowiki>{{</nowiki>Connected contributor|User1=''Your username''|U1-declared=yes|U1-otherlinks=''(Optional) Insert relevant affiliations, disclosures, article drafts or diffs showing COI contributions.''<nowiki>}}</nowiki></code></span>
{{cob}}
Note that someone else may add this for you.
If you have a financial interest in a topic (either as an employee, owner or other stakeholder) it is advised to provide full disclosure of your connection, and to use the "discussion" pages to suggest changes (using the {{t|Request edit}} template to request edits) rather than editing articles directly. Requested edits will be subject to the same editorial standards by neutral editors (which means they are not guaranteed to be carried out) and will help avoid situations of ] and related problems.
2. You can also make a statement in the ] of any COI contribution.
Generally speaking, the ] is an exception to the above cautions. There, you may derive monetary gain from editing Misplaced Pages, as these are usually rewards for featured or good article status which should not introduce bias. However, be wary of editors asking you to make specific edits that challenge your sense of neutral perspective, or to clean up a "hatchet job", as you may unwarily become their ].
3. If you want to note the COI '''on ]''', you can use the {{tlx|UserboxCOI}} template:
====Legal antagonists====
If you are involved in a court case, or close to one of the litigants, you would find it very hard to demonstrate that what you wrote about a party or a law firm associated with the case, or a related area of law, was entirely objective. Even a '''minor''' slip-up in neutrality in a court-case article on Misplaced Pages for an active case-in-progress could potentially be noticed by the courts or their parties, and this could potentially cause real-world harm, not just harm to Misplaced Pages. Because of this, we '''strongly discourage''' editing when this type of conflict exists.
Edit the source of your user page and type <span style="font-size:100%;"><code><nowiki>{{</nowiki>UserboxCOI|1=''Misplaced Pages article name''<nowiki>}}</nowiki></code></span>, then click "save".
{{details|Misplaced Pages:Autobiography}}
{{cob}}
It is not recommended that you write an article about yourself. If you are notable, someone else will notice you and write the article. In some cases, Misplaced Pages users write articles about themselves when the more appropriate action would be to create a ]. In these cases, the article is normally moved into the user namespace rather than deleted. If you believe you may be notable enough, make your case on the appropriate talk pages, and seek ] first, both with the notability ''and'' any proposed autobiography.
Conflict of interest often presents itself in the form of self-promotion, including advertising links, personal website links, personal or semi-personal photos, or other material that appears to promote the private or commercial interests of the editor, or their associates.
|title_fnt=#555555
|halign=center
|quote=For a COI disclosure, see ''']'''<br><small>In this edit, one editor added a COI declaration for another editor.</small>
Also, if you propose significant or potentially controversial changes to an affected article, you can use the {{tlx|edit COI}} template. Place this at the bottom of the talk page and state your suggestion beneath it (be sure to sign it with four tildes, <nowiki>~~~~</nowiki>). If the proposal is ] and appropriate, it will usually be accepted. If it is declined, the editor declining the request will usually add an explanation below your entry.
Examples of these types of material include:
{{clear}}
# Links that appear to promote products by pointing to obscure or not particularly relevant commercial sites (''commercial links'').
{{anchor|COIPAYDISCLOSE|COIDISCLOSEPAY}}
# Links that appear to promote otherwise obscure individuals by pointing to their personal pages.
# Biographical material that does not significantly add to the clarity or quality of the article.
=== Paid editors ===
====Promotional article production on behalf of clients====
Editors should not create articles which serve solely to promote their subject. All Misplaced Pages articles should contain useful information written as if from a ]. The writing of "puff pieces" and advertisements on Misplaced Pages is strictly prohibited. If you contribute to Misplaced Pages on behalf of clients, you owe it to both them and the encyclopedia to make very sure you understand the standards for content here, and do not insert promotional material.
If you are being paid for your contributions to Misplaced Pages, you must declare who is paying you, who the client is, and any other relevant role or relationship. You may do this on your user page, on the talk page of affected articles, or in your edit summaries. As you have a conflict of interest, you must ensure everyone with whom you interact is aware of your paid status, in all discussions on Misplaced Pages pages within any namespace. If you want to use a template to disclose your COI on a talk page, place {{tlx|connected contributor (paid)}} at the top of the page, fill it in as follows, and save:
:<span style="font-size:100%;"><code><nowiki>{{</nowiki>Connected contributor (paid)|User1=''Username of the paid editor''|U1-employer=''Name of person/organization that is paying for the edits''|U1-client= ''Name of client''|U1-otherlinks=''Insert ] to disclosure on your User page.''<nowiki>}}</nowiki></code></span>
Activities regarded by insiders as simply "getting the word out" may appear promotional or propagandistic to the outside world. If you edit articles while involved with organizations or political campaigns that engage in advocacy in that area, you may have a conflict of interest.
{{cob}}
The ''employer'' is whoever is paying you to be involved in the article (such as a PR company). The ''client'' is on whose behalf the payment is made (usually the subject of the article). If the employer and client are the same entity—that is, if Acme Corporation is paying you to write about Acme Corporation—the client parameter may be left empty. See {{tlx|connected contributor (paid)}} for more information. Note that other editors may add this template for you. Paid editing without such a declaration is called ''undisclosed paid editing'' ('''UPE''').
====Close relationships====
] would have had difficulty editing the ] article, because he was a close friend, follower, and collaborator of Marx.<ref>]:
You are expected to maintain a clearly visible list on your user page of your paid contributions. If you advertise, solicit or obtain paid editing work via an account on any external website, you must provide links on your user-page to all such accounts.
: ''In his own lifetime Engels desired no better fate than to live in the light of Marx's teaching, perceiving in him a spring of original genius which gave life and scope to his own peculiar gifts; with him he identified himself and his work, to be rewarded by sharing in his master's immortality.''
If you propose changes to an affected article, you can use the {{tlx|edit COI}} template. Post it on the talk page and make your suggestion underneath it.
From Berlin's ''Karl Marx'', 4th edition, p. 75. This description covers several aspects of what it might be to stand ''too close'' to a subject.</ref> Any situation in which strong relationships can develop may trigger a conflict of interest. Conflict of interest can be personal, religious, political, academic, financial, and legal. It is not determined by area, but is created by relationships that involve a high level of personal commitment to, involvement with, or dependence upon a person, subject, idea, tradition, or organization.
The use of administrative tools as part of any paid editing activity, except as a Wikipedian-in-Residence, or when the payment is made by the Wikimedia Foundation or an affiliate of the WMF, is considered a ] and likely to result in sanctions or their removal.
Closeness to a subject does not mean you're incapable of being neutral, but it may incline you towards some bias. Be guided by the advice of other editors. If editors on a talk page suggest in good faith that you may have a conflict of interest, try to identify and minimize your biases, and consider withdrawing from editing the article. As a rule of thumb, the more involvement you have with a topic in real life, the more careful you should be with our core content policies—], ], and ]—when editing in that area.
The definition of "too close" in this context is governed by ]. An article about a little-known band should preferably not be written by the band's manager or a band member's spouse, and a biography should preferably not be written by the subject's spouse, parent, or offspring. However, an expert on a given subject is welcome to contribute to articles on that subject, even if that editor is deeply committed to the subject.
== What is conflict of interest? ==
==How to avoid COI edits==
=== External roles and relationships<span class="anchor" id="External relationships"></span> ===
{{shortcut|WP:AVOIDCOI|WP:INSIDE}}
{{Shortcut|WP:EXTERNALREL}}
Misplaced Pages is "the encyclopedia that anyone can edit," but if you have a conflict of interest, we have some advice for minimizing problems:
While editing Misplaced Pages, an editor's primary role is to further the interests of the encyclopedia. When an external role or relationship could reasonably be said to undermine that primary role, the editor has a conflict of interest similar to how a judge's primary role as an impartial adjudicator would be undermined if they were married to one of the parties.
#'''Avoid editing''' or exercise great caution when editing articles related to you, your organization, or its competitors, as well as projects and products they are involved with
#:''Why we recommend this:'' When people are very close to a subject, their view of it might be distorted, despite ]. Their closeness might cause them to see the subject in a more (or less) flattering light than the ] do. Misplaced Pages wants to reflect the sources' views, not the personal views of individual editors.
#'''Avoid advocating deletion''' of articles related to your competitors at ]
#:''Why we recommend this:'' Everyone is encouraged to identify ] that might be useful for building an article, even for your own company or competitors. People close to a subject often know more about the available sources for the subject than anyone else. However, advocating against the articles about your competitors might be seen as unfair, especially if you do it "secretly" (without disclosing that you are connected to the subject).
# '''Avoid linking''' to the Misplaced Pages article, your own ], or a website of your organization from other articles (see ])
#:''Why we recommend this:'' Misplaced Pages benefits when people ] between articles and provide links to external resources. However, Misplaced Pages also needs to prevent ] and ]. People who are close to a subject may consider these links more important than they actually are.
# '''Avoid breaching''' relevant policies and guidelines, especially ], ], and ].
#:''Why we recommend this:'' Compliance with the content policies is mandatory for everyone, not just users with a connection to the subject. However, people who are close to a subject are more likely to accidentally breach these policies. Therefore, the community encourages them to be particularly careful.
Any external relationship—personal, religious, political, academic, legal, or financial (including holding a ])—can trigger a COI. How close the relationship needs to be before it becomes a concern on Misplaced Pages is governed by common sense. For example, an article about a band should not be written by the band's manager, and a biography should not be an ] or written by the subject's spouse. There can be a COI when writing on behalf of a competitor or opponent of the page subject, just as there is when writing on behalf of the page subject.
{| style="border:solid black 1px; margin:10px; padding:10px;background-color: floralwhite; "
! Action
|-
|Those who feel the need to make controversial edits, in spite of a real or perceived conflict of interest, are '''strongly encouraged''' to submit proposed edits for review on the article's talk page along with a {{]}} tag to attract users to review the edit, or to file a ].
|}
]s (SMEs) are welcome on Misplaced Pages within their areas of expertise, subject to the guidance below on ] and on ]. SMEs are expected to make sure that their external roles and relationships in their field of expertise do not interfere with their primary role on Misplaced Pages.
==User subspace to publish short autobiographies==
Contributing signed-in users may use their ] to publish short autobiographies within the bounds of good taste and compatible with the purpose of working on the encyclopedia. If you wish to write about yourself without working on the encyclopedia, consider starting a website or a blog instead. ] a free ].
=== COI is not simply bias<span class="anchor" id="notbias"></span> ===
==How to handle conflicts of interest==
{{further|WP:ADVOCACY}}
Conflict of interest often raises questions as to whether material should be included in the encyclopedia or not. It also can be a cause, or contributing factor, in disputes over whether editors have an agenda that undermines the mission of Misplaced Pages. Suspected conflict of interest incidents may be reported on the ] (]), and users may be warned with the {{tl|uw-coi}} user warning template. Conflict of interest is not a reason to delete an article, though other problems with the article arising from a conflict of interest may be valid ].
{{shortcut|WP:COINOTBIAS}}
Determining that someone has a COI is a '''description of a situation'''. It is not a judgment about that person's state of mind or integrity. A COI can exist in the absence of bias, and bias regularly exists in the absence of a COI. Beliefs and desires may lead to biased editing, but they do not constitute a COI. COI emerges from an editor's roles and relationships, and the ''tendency to bias'' that we assume exists when those roles and relationships conflict.
=== Why is conflict of interest a problem?<span class="anchor" id="Why is conflict of interest a problem?"></span> ===
;Dealing with suspected conflicted editors
On Misplaced Pages, editors with a conflict of interest who unilaterally add material tend to violate Misplaced Pages's content and behavioral policies and guidelines. The content they add is typically unsourced or poorly sourced and often violates the ] policy by being ] and omitting negative information. They may ] to retain content that serves their external interest. They may overuse ] or ], and they may give too much ] to certain ideas.
The first approach should be direct discussion of the issue with the editor, referring to this guideline. If persuasion fails, consider whether you are involved in a ]. If so, an early recourse to ] may help. Another option is to initiate discussion at ], where experienced editors may be able to help you resolve the matter without recourse to publishing assertions and accusations on Misplaced Pages. Using COI allegations to harass an editor or to gain the upper hand in a content dispute is prohibited, and can result in a block or ban.
=== Actual, potential and apparent COI ===
Misplaced Pages places importance on both the neutrality of articles and the ability of editors to edit pseudonymously. Do not ] in order to prove a conflict of interest. Misplaced Pages's ] prohibits this. COI situations are usually revealed when the editor themself discloses a relationship to the subject that they are editing. In case the editor does not identify themself or their affiliation, reference to the ] may help counteract biased editing.
An '''{{vanchor | actualCOI | text=actual COI}}''' exists when an editor has a COI with respect to a certain judgment <em>and</em> is in a position where the judgment must be exercised.
<div style="margin-left:1.6em;">Example: A business owner has an actual COI if they edit articles and engage in discussions about that business.</div>
A '''{{vanchor | potentialCOI | text=potential COI }}''' exists when an editor has a COI with respect to a certain judgment ''but is not'' in a position where the judgment must be exercised.
<div style="margin-left:1.6em;">Example: A business owner has a potential COI with respect to articles and discussions about that business, but they have no actual COI if they stay away from those pages.</div>
An '''{{vanchor | apparentCOI | text=apparent COI}}''' exists when there is reason to believe that an editor has a COI.
<div style="margin-left:1.6em;">Example: Editors have an apparent COI if they edit an article about a business, and for some reason they appear to be the business owner or in communication with the business owner, although they may actually have no such connection. Apparent COI raises concern within the community and should be resolved through discussion whenever possible.</div>
== Dealing with edit requests from COI or paid editors<span class="anchor" id="Responding"></span> ==
;Primacy of basic content policies
{{see|Misplaced Pages:Edit requests}}
All text created in the Misplaced Pages main ] is subject to rules covering criteria for articles (]); encyclopedic quality (] and ]); editorial approach (]); as well as the Misplaced Pages ]. All editors are expected to stick closely to these policies when creating and evaluating material, and to respect the good faith actions of others who edit content to ensure it complies with these policies.
=== Responding to requests ===
{{shortcut|WP:COIRESPONSE}}
Editors responding to edit requests from COI or paid editors are expected to do so carefully, particularly when commercial interests are involved. When large amounts of text are added to an article on behalf of the article subject, the article has, in effect, been ] by the subject without the readers' knowledge. Responding volunteers should therefore carefully check the proposed text and sources. That an article has been expanded does not mean that it is better.
* Make sure the proposed paid text complies with ].
* Look for unnecessary detail that may have been added to overwhelm something negative.
* Make sure nothing important is missing. Responding editors should do their own search for ]. '''Do not rely on the sources offered by the paid editor.'''
* Look for non-neutral language and unsourced or poorly sourced content.
* Be cautious about accepting content based on ] such as a personal website, or ]s such as a company website or press release.
If the paid text is added to the article, the edit summary should include full attribution.
=== Attribution in edit summaries<span class="anchor" id="Attribution"></span> ===
Who has written the material should be irrelevant so long as these policies are closely adhered to. The imputation of conflict of interest is not by itself a good reason to remove sound material from articles. However, an apparent conflict of interest is a good reason for close review by the community to identify any subtle bias.
{{see|Misplaced Pages:Copying within Misplaced Pages|Misplaced Pages:Copying text from other sources}}
{{shortcut|WP:COIATTRIBUTE|WP:PAIDATTRIBUTE}}
If editors choose to add material to an article on behalf of a COI or paid editor, they must provide ] for the text in the ]. The edit summary should include the name of the COI or paid editor, a link to the draft or edit request, and that the edit contains a COI or paid contribution. For example:
<p><code><nowiki>Text inserted on behalf of paid editor User:X; copied from ].</nowiki></code></p>
or you can also use the following format, from text requested in a talk page,
<p><code><nowiki>Edit made due to ] edit request by User:SVeatch; copied or adapted from "Revisions to Infobox, Introduction and History" at ]</nowiki></code></p>
<small>The ] helps avoid broken links when sections are archived.</small>
This transparency helps editors and readers to determine the extent of COI influence on the article. It also complies with copyright requirements.
Where an article is about something obviously important, but was written with too much COI to easily edit, it is often possible to reduce the article to basic identifying information, and then neutral editors can help improve the article.
=== Paid editors on talk pages<span class="anchor" id="talk"></span> ===
;Importance of civility
{{Shortcut|WP:COITALK|WP:PAYTALK}}
During debates on articles' talk pages and at ], disparaging comments may fly about the subject of the article/author and the author's motives. These may border on forbidden ], and may discourage the article's creator from making future valuable contributions.
Paid editors must respect the volunteer nature of the project and keep discussions concise. When proposing changes to an article, they should describe the suggested modifications and explain why the changes should be made. Any changes that may be contentious, such as removal of negative text, should be highlighted.
Before being drawn into long exchanges with paid editors, volunteers should be aware that paid editors may be submitting evidence of their talk-page posts to justify their salaries or fees. No editor should be expected to engage in long or repetitive discussions with someone who is being paid to argue with them.
'''Avoid using the word "vanity" or similar judgmental terms'''—this is accusatory and ]. It is not helpful, nor reason to delete an article. ], start from the idea that the contributor was genuinely trying to help increase Misplaced Pages's coverage.
Editors who refuse to accept a consensus by arguing '']'' may find themselves in violation of the ].
;Conflict of interest in point of view disputes
Another case can arise in disputes relating to ], where underlying conflicts of interest may aggravate editorial disagreements. In this scenario, it may be easy to make claims about conflict of interest. Do not use conflict of interest as an excuse to gain the upper hand in a content dispute. When conflicts exist, invite the conflicted editor to contribute to the article talk page, and give their views fair consideration.
== Copyright of paid contributions<span class="anchor" id="Copyright"></span> ==
There is a little drama that is enacted more often than it should be.
Editors are reminded that any text they contribute to Misplaced Pages, assuming they own the copyright, is irrevocably licensed under a ] license and the ]. Content on Misplaced Pages, including article drafts and talk-page comments, can be freely copied and modified by third parties for commercial and non-commercial use, with the sole requirement that it be attributed to Misplaced Pages contributors.
Paid editors must ensure that they own the copyright of text they have been paid to add to Misplaced Pages; otherwise, they are unable to release it. A text's author is normally assumed to be the copyright holder. Companies sometimes provide paid editors with text written by someone else. Alternatively, a paid editor might write text for Misplaced Pages within the scope of their employment (a "]"), in which case copyright resides with the employer.
* ''Act One:'' Someone writes a hatchet job about a company with a less-than-stellar reputation.
* ''Act Two:'' The company arrives, and is (justifiably) horrified and angered by the hatchet job. It responds without experience, clumsily, by trying to ] the article.
* ''Act Three:'' Self-righteous Wikipedian responds in anger against the attempt to "censor" or "whitewash" by yelling at the company, and forcing the article back to hatchet job status.
* ''Act Four:'' Company complains to the ] and the ].
* ''Act Five:'' In the happy version of the ending, OTRS/the office comes in and reminds everyone to act with love and neutrality to write a good article which is acceptable to both reasonable critics and reasonable supporters of the company ... reliance on ], ], etc., carries the day.
Where there is doubt that the paid editor owns the copyright, they (or the employer or author) are advised to forward a release from the copyright holder to the ] (<kbd>{{No spam|permissions-en|wikimedia.org}}</kbd>). See ] for how to do this and ] for a sample letter.
In reality, Act Five often ends up cycling back through Acts One through Four. This is a Bad Thing.
If editors choose to add material to an article on behalf of a paid editor, they must provide ] for the text in the ]. See ] for how to do this.
Remember: an editor with a self-evident interest in the matter turning up on the talk page is an indication that they are ''playing it straight''. Even if the changes they advocate are hopelessly biased, treat them with respect and courtesy, refer to policy and sources, and be ''fair''.
This section of the guideline is aimed at editors who may have a conflict of interest. In keeping with Misplaced Pages's ] policy, edits in mainspace where there is a clear conflict of interest, or where such a conflict can be reasonably assumed, are strongly discouraged. Significantly biased edits in mainspace are forbidden.
All editors are expected to follow United States law on undisclosed advertising, which is described by the ] (FTC) at and ''''. The FTC regards advertising as deceptive if it mimics a content format, such as a news report, that appears to come from an independent, impartial source:
{{quotes|]
Editors who may have a conflict of interest may nevertheless add material that accords with the ] or ] sections below, and are allowed to make certain kinds of non-controversial edits, such as:
Marketers and publishers are using innovative methods to create, format, and deliver digital advertising. One form is "native advertising", content that bears a similarity to the news, feature articles, product reviews, entertainment, and other material that surrounds it online. ...{{pb}}In digital media, native ads often resemble the design, style, and functionality of the media in which they are disseminated. ... The more a native ad is similar in format and topic to content on the publisher's site, the more likely that a disclosure will be necessary to prevent deception. —Federal Trade Commission, 2015}}
To judge whether an ad is deceptive under the ], the FTC considers "both what the ad says and the format it uses to convey that information ... Advertisements or promotional messages are deceptive if they convey to consumers expressly or by implication that they’re independent, impartial, or from a source other than the sponsoring advertiser ...".
# Removing ] and reverting ].
# Deleting content that violates Misplaced Pages's ] policy.
# Fixing spelling and grammar errors.
# Reverting or removing their own COI edits. Cleaning up your own mess is allowed and encouraged.
# Making edits that have been agreed to on the talk page.
# Adding citations, especially when another editor has requested them.
State law may have similar prohibitions. While the FTC law may apply only to interstate and foreign commerce, state law applies to intrastate commerce and must be obeyed. At least one state court case found liability for an ad disguised as editorial content.{{Citation needed}}
If another editor objects for any reason, then it's a controversial edit. Such edits should be discussed on the article's talk page.
====Photographs and media files====
Wikimedia Commons encourages parties with potential conflicts of interest to upload digital media files, such as photographs, illustrations, audio files, and video clips, so long as the media is of good quality, is in a format we use, and the copyright holder is willing do so under one of the free licenses we accept.
=== European fair-trading law ===
While Commons prefers full resolution media, reduced resolution images are acceptable when the copyright owner is unwilling to freely license a full quality image. See ] for detailed requirements.
In 2012 the Munich ] court ruled that if a company or its agents edit Misplaced Pages with the aim of influencing customers, the edits constitute covert advertising, and as such are a violation of European fair-trading law. The ruling stated that readers cannot be expected to seek out user and talk pages to find editors' disclosures about their corporate affiliation.
=== UK Advertising Standards Authority ===
Once media files are uploaded to Commons, they can then be incorporated into Misplaced Pages articles where appropriate. The best approach is to mention the availability of the image or media files on the article's talk page. But it is usually acceptable to edit the article directly to add one or two images that illustrate the existing article content,'' e.g.'' adding a publicity mug shot to the biography of a performing artist (but only if it's available under a free license).
The ] (ASA) in the UK found in 2012 that the content of ] from two footballers had been "agreed with the help of a member of the Nike marketing team". The tweets were not clearly identified as Nike marketing communications and were therefore in breach of the ASA's code.
=== Advertising Standards Canada ===
====Subject and culture sector professionals ====
The ], administered by ], states: "No advertisement shall be presented in a format or style that conceals the fact that it is an advertisement."
{{Policy shortcut|WP:CURATOR}}
Museum curators, librarians, archivists, art historians, heritage interpreters, conservators, documentation managers, subject specialists, and managers of a special collection (or similar profession) are encouraged to use their knowledge to help improve Misplaced Pages, or to share their information with Misplaced Pages in the form of links to their resources.
== Other categories of COI ==
Misplaced Pages prefers the addition of content using ]. If a link cannot be used to expand an article, the link may be placed under further reading or external links providing the link complies with the ] and is not covered by any of the points under ]. Keep in mind that ].
=== Legal and other disputes<span class="anchor" id="disputes"></span> ===
{{further|WP:BLPCOI}}
{{shortcut|WP:COIBLP|WP:COILEGAL}}
The ] says: "n editor who is involved in a significant controversy or dispute with another individual – whether on- or off-wiki – or who is an avowed rival of that individual, should not edit that person's biography or other material about that person, given the ]."
Similarly, editors should not write about court cases in which they or those close to them have been involved, nor about parties or law firms associated with the cases.
Don't create a ] and don't use the ]: the account is yours, not your employer's. It is recommended, but not required, that such editors to declare their affiliation on their user pages.
When in doubt, first suggest the addition of the link on the talk page of the article, or discuss the addition with an appropriate ]. For more information, see ].
{{shortcut|WP:COICAMPAIGN|WP:COIPOLITICAL}}
{{seealso|WP:ADVOCACY}}
Activities regarded by insiders as simply "getting the word out" may appear promotional or propagandistic to the outside world. If you edit articles while involved with campaigns in the same area, you may have a conflict of interest. Political candidates and their staff should not edit articles about themselves, their supporters, or their opponents. Government employees should not edit articles about their agencies, government, political party, political opponents, or controversial political topics.
=== Writing about yourself, family, friends ===
===Declaring an interest===
{{redirect|WP:COS|the "credible claim of significance" essay|Misplaced Pages:Credible claim of significance}}
Some editors declare an interest in a particular topic area. They do this in various ways. Many Wikipedians show their allegiances and affiliations on their user pages. You may choose to reveal something about yourself in a talk page discussion.
You should generally refrain from creating articles about yourself, or anyone you know, living or dead, unless through the ] process. If you have a personal connection to a topic or person with an existing article, you are advised to refrain from editing that article directly and to provide full disclosure of the connection if you comment about the article on talk pages or in other discussions. Requests for updates to an article about yourself or someone with whom you have a personal connection can be made on the article's talk page by following the instructions at ].
An exception to not editing an article about yourself or someone you know is made if the article contains defamation or a serious error that needs to be corrected quickly. If you do make such an edit, please follow it up with an email to ], Misplaced Pages's volunteer response team, or ask for help on ], our noticeboard for articles about living persons, or the talk page of the article in question.
;Reasons to declare an interest
* You will benefit from the ]. Most editors will appreciate your ] and try to help you.
* You lay the basis for requesting help from others to post material for you, or to review material you wish to post yourself.
* Professional public relations firms are required to abide by the .
* Although other editors are not allowed to reveal your identity, they may come to understand who you are, and may realize that you are ].
{{See also|WP:MEDCOI}}
* People outside Misplaced Pages, such as reporters, may uncover your COI editing, and may generate negative publicity for you or your company. Misplaced Pages cannot prevent outsiders from discovering and revealing your identity.
Using material you have written or published is allowed within reason, but only if it is relevant, conforms to the content policies, including ], and is not excessive. Citations should be in the third person and should not place ] on your work. You will be permanently identified in the ] as the person who added the citation to your own work. When in doubt, defer to the community's opinion: propose the edit on the article's talk page and allow others to review it. However, adding numerous references to work published by yourself and none by other researchers is considered ].
{{anchor|Culture sector|Culture-sector}}
=== Cultural sector ===
;Reasons NOT to declare an interest
{{Redirect|WP:CURATOR|the tool used by ]|Misplaced Pages:Page Curation}}
* Do not publicly declare an interest if this could put you at harm in the real world, e.g., from stalkers.
{{further|Misplaced Pages:GLAM|Misplaced Pages:Advice for the cultural sector|Misplaced Pages:The Misplaced Pages Library/Cultural Professionals}}
* Please read ]. Some COI declarations have the effect of announcing your real name (e.g., the sole author of a book cannot simultaneously identify himself as the author and prevent editors from knowing his real name).
{{Shortcut|WP:CURATOR}}
Museum curators, librarians, archivists, and similar are encouraged to help improve Misplaced Pages, or to share their information in the form of links to their resources. If a link cannot be used as a reliable source, it may be placed under further reading or external links if it complies with the ]. Bear in mind that ] of links, images, or media files.
See also ].
;Example of a disclosure
{{anchor|Wikipedians in residence}}
* shows how a user who wishes to edit on behalf of a topic to which they are closely connected can request help from other editors.
=== Wikipedians in residence ===
{{shortcut|WP:WIRCOI}}
There are forms of paid editing that the Wikimedia community regards as acceptable. These include ] (WiRs)—Wikipedians who may be paid to collaborate with mission-aligned organizations, such as ]. WiRs must not engage in public relations or marketing for their organization in Misplaced Pages, and they should operate within the bounds defined by ] at ]. They must work closely with a Misplaced Pages project or the general Misplaced Pages community, and are expected to identify their WiR status on their user page and on talk pages related to their organization when they post there.
===Defendinginterests===
===Reward board===
Another example of acceptable paid editing is the ], where editors can post incentives, usually to raise articles to featured-article or good-article status. If you participate in this, transparency and neutrality are key.
In a few cases, outside interests coincide with Misplaced Pages’s interests. An important example is that unsupported defamatory material appearing in articles may be removed at once. Anyone may do this, and should do this, and this guideline applies widely to any unsourced or poorly sourced, potentially libelous postings. In this case it is unproblematic to defend the interest of the person or institution involved. An entire article that presents as an attack piece or hostile journalism can be nominated for ] and will be removed promptly from the site. Those who post here in this fashion will also be subject to administrative sanction. ] gives details on how biographical articles on living persons should be written.
== Miscellaneous ==
On the other hand, the removal of reliably sourced critical material is not permitted. Accounts of public controversies, if backed by reliable sources, form an integral part of Misplaced Pages's coverage. Slanting the balance of articles as a form of defence of some figure, group, institution, or product is bad for the encyclopedia. This is also the case if you find an article overwhelmed with correctly referenced, but exclusively negative, information. This may present a case of ], for example, when 90% of an article about a particular company discusses a lawsuit one client once brought against it. In such a case, such material should be condensed by a neutral editor, and the other sections expanded. One of the best ways to go about this is to request this on the article's talk page.
===Solicitations by paid editors===
In any solicitation sent to a prospective client, paid editors should disclose the following information:
* Paid editors do not represent the Wikimedia Foundation nor the Misplaced Pages editing community, and they have no authority beyond that of any volunteer editor.
* Paid editors must disclose their employer, client, and affiliations on Misplaced Pages. There is no confidentiality for the client.
* Paid edits may be reviewed and revised in the normal course of work on Misplaced Pages. Neither the client nor the paid editor own the article.
* Paid editors cannot guarantee any outcome for an article on Misplaced Pages. It can be revised or deleted by other editors at any time.
Providing a client with a link to this section is appropriate disclosure if it is done in a neutral and non-deceptive manner.
The intermediate territory will naturally contain some grey areas. Although this is not recommended in the ], criticism may tend to collect in a separate section. There you may find properly referenced reports of well-publicised debates next to vague assertions that "Some people say X, while others think Y." Treat everything on its merits. Ask for reliable sources. Before removing a whole criticism section or article and distributing its parts over other sections of the article, which may be the best way ahead, consult other editors on the talk page. Use crisp, informative edit summaries to detail what you have done, an excellent way to establish your reputation as a diligent editor. Raise any less-obvious reasoning as a note on the talk page, with any additional links that support your edits.
* Paid editors must also provide a link to their user page which includes a ]. If an external website claims that a particular Misplaced Pages editor works for them, but that editor's user page has no such declaration, this is likely to indicate that the website is impersonating that editor.
If you received a solicitation from a paid editor that does not include this information, we recommend that you not do business with them. They are not following our policies and guidelines.
===Suggesting changes to articles, or requesting a new article===
{{shortcut|WP:COIC|WP:COI compliance}}
{{seealso|Misplaced Pages:Suggestions for COI compliance}}
An editor with a conflict of interest who wishes to suggest substantive changes to an article should use that article's ]. When making a request, please consider ] to avoid misunderstanding.
====Beware of scams====
To request a new article, you can present your idea on the talk page of a relevant article or ].
{{shortcut|WP:BEWARESCAM}}
{{further|Misplaced Pages:Articles for creation/Scam warning}}
Some solicitations from paid editors have been linked to ]; see for example ]. A ] claim to offer editing services, but some of these are scams. If someone claims that experienced editors work for them, ask them for the user names of those editors and check the corresponding editor user pages for a ]; its absence likely indicates that the claim is false. Offers to guarantee that a page will be saved from deletion, in return for significant sums of money, are always fraudulent, as are offers to use special privileges on Misplaced Pages.
If you think you've received a fraudulent solicitation, please forward it to {{Nospam|paid-en-wp|wikipedia.org}} for investigation.
===Consequences of ignoring this guideline===
=== Law of unintended consequences<span class="anchor" id="LUC"></span> ===
{{further|Misplaced Pages:Misplaced Pages is in the real world}}
{{shortcut|WP:LUC}}
{{shortcut|WP:LUC}}
Once an article is created about yourself, your group, or your company, ] to control its content, or to delete it outside the ]. If there is anything publicly available on a topic that you would ''not'' want to have included in an article, it will probably find its way there eventually.
{{see|Misplaced Pages:Ownership of articles}}
:{| style="border:black solid 1px" width="90%"
| style="background-color:#c8ffc8" | <center>'''Misplaced Pages's Law of Unintended Consequences'''</center><br /> If you write in Misplaced Pages about yourself, your group, your company, or your pet idea, once the article is created, ], and no right to delete it outside our ]. Content is '''irrevocably added''' with every edit, and once added will not be deleted just because the author doesn't like it anymore. Any editor has the right to add or remove material to the article within the terms of our content policies. If there is anything publicly available on a topic that you would not want included in an article, it will probably find its way there eventually. More than one user has created an article only to find themselves presented in a poor light long-term by other editors. If you breach our editing policies or "]" in an attempt to obtain a version of your liking you are likely to have your editing access ].
=== No shared accounts, no company accounts ===
In addition, if your article is found to not be worthy of inclusion in the first place, it ''will'' be deleted, as per our ]. Therefore, do not create promotional or other articles lightly, especially on subjects you care about.
{{further|WP:NOSHARE|WP:ORGNAME}}
|}
Do not create a shared organizational account, or use the name of an organization as the account name. The account is yours, not your employer's.
=== Making uncontroversial edits<span class="anchor" id="COIADVICE"></span> ===
Editors who have a general conflict of interest may make unambiguously uncontroversial edits (but see ]). They may:
Accounts that appear, based on their editing history, to be ] that exist for the '''sole or primary purpose''' of promotion (e.g., of a person, company, product, service, website, or organization), in apparent violation of this guideline, should be warned and made aware of this guideline. If the same pattern of editing continues after the warning, the account may be blocked.
# remove ] and unambiguous ],
==See also==
# remove unambiguous violations of the ] policy,
*]
# fix spelling, grammatical, or markup errors,
*] for warning editors who have an apparent conflict of interest.
# repair ],
*] for tagging articles affected by conflict of interest that may be candidates for ].
# remove their own COI edits, and
*] lists proposed edits for review where the proposer has a self-reported conflict of interest.
# add independent ] when another editor has requested them, although it is better to supply them on the talk page for others to add.
*]
*]
*]
*], an essay
*], on conflicts of interest by the authors of reliable sources
*]
*, an edit filter.
* of biographies of living people with a close title to their page creator.
If another editor objects for any reason, it is not an uncontroversial edit. Edits not covered by the above should be discussed on the article's talk page. If an article has few uninvolved editors, ask at the talk page of a related ] or at ]. See also ].
==Notes==
{{Reflist}}
=== Supplying photographs and media files ===
==Further reading==
Editors with a COI are encouraged to upload high-quality media files that are appropriately licensed for Misplaced Pages and that improve our coverage of a subject. For more information, follow the ]. In some cases, the addition of media files to an article may be an uncontroversial edit that editors with a COI can make directly, but editors should exercise discretion and rely on talk pages when images may be controversial or promotional. If the addition of an image is challenged by another editor, it is controversial.
*]. The risks of trying to subvert Misplaced Pages.
*]. Guidance for ] people
*]. On writing about subjects that are close to oneself.
*]. An essay for ] people.
*]. About interests that may not be conflicts.
*]
* Advice from a UK PR company
*]. What to do when it comes to paid editing and you.
{{Misplaced Pages policies and guidelines}}
The use of ] contents are restricted. Generally, using press photos or images provided by client who wish to feature them in the article but unwilling to irrevocably release the copyright under Creative Commons is unacceptable. Editors may not upload images provided by client for "Misplaced Pages article purpose only" and falsely claim they're licensed under CC BY-SA, as such photos are fundamentally incompatible with free content principles. Only the copyright owner or their authorized representatives may grant permission to use a work under a Creative Commons license, not the photographed subject or their public relations agent. If the same image is found copyrighted elsewhere prior to the upload date, it may be removed as a copyright violation. If you are the copyright owner and want to release content to Creative Commons for use on Misplaced Pages, see ].
== How to handle conflicts of interest ==
===Advocacy, noticeboards===
{{main|Misplaced Pages:Neutral point of view/Noticeboard|Misplaced Pages:Reliable sources/Noticeboard}}
If a user's edits lead you to believe that they might have a COI (that is, if they have an ]), and there has been no COI disclosure, consider first whether the issue may be simple ]. Most advocacy does not involve COI. Whether an editor is engaged in advocacy should first be addressed at the user's talk page, then at ], the neutral-point-of-view noticeboard. The appropriate forum for concerns about sources is ], the reliable-sources noticeboard. If there are concerns about ] or ], please bring that concern to ].
{{anchor|Opening a COIN|Posting at the conflict of interest noticeboard}}
===Reporting to the conflict of interest noticeboard===
{{main|Misplaced Pages:Conflict of interest/Noticeboard}}
{{shortcut|WP:COICOIN}}
If you believe an editor has an undisclosed COI and is editing in violation of this guideline, raise the issue in a civil manner on the editor's talk page, which is the first step in resolving user-conduct issues, per the ], citing this guideline. If that fails to resolve the issue, such as when an editor has repeatedly added problematic material over an extended period, then open a discussion at the ]. This also applies to a ] that is causing a problem: for example, an acknowledged BLP subject who is editing their own BLP.
During the COIN discussion, avoid making disparaging remarks about the user in question, their motives or the subject of the article(s).
Post whatever public evidence you have to support that there is a COI, or that it is causing a problem, in the form of edits by that user or information the user has posted about themselves. Do not post private information; see ], which is policy, and the section below, "Avoid outing".
If private information must be shared to resolve a COI issue, it may be emailed to ''{{No spam|paid-en-wp|wikipedia.org}}''. Follow the advice in ]: "Only the minimum information necessary should be conveyed and the minimum number of people contacted." The priority should be to avoid unnecessary privacy violations.
=== Avoid outing ===
{{shortcut|WP:AVOIDOUTING}}
{{further|Misplaced Pages:Harassment#Posting of personal information|Misplaced Pages:Wikimedia Foundation statement on paid editing and outing}}
When investigating COI editing, the ] takes precedence. It requires that Wikipedians ] against their wishes. Examine editors' behavior instead and seek advice by email if necessary. Do not ask a user if they ''are'' somebody; instead one can ask if they have an undisclosed connection to that person. If revealing private information is needed to resolve COI editing, and if the issue is serious enough to warrant it, editors can '''email''' ''{{No spam|paid-en-wp|wikipedia.org}}''. Also see the section ] above.
Accounts that appear to be ], existing for the sole or primary purpose of promotion or denigration of a person, company, product, service, website, organization, etc., and whose postings are in apparent violation of this guideline, should be made aware of this guideline and warned not to continue their problematic editing. If the same pattern of editing continues after the warning, the account may be blocked.
=== Templates ===
Relevant article talk pages may be tagged with {{tlx|connected contributor}} or {{tlx|connected contributor (paid)}}. The article itself may be tagged with {{tlx|COI}}. A section of an article can be tagged with {{tlx|COI|section}}
Other templates include:
* {{tlx|uw-coi}} (to be placed on user Talk pages to warn editors that they may have a conflict of interest)
* {{tlx|uw-coi-username}} (another Talk page warning, this one for editors whose username appears to violate the ] policy)
* {{tlx|COI editnotice}} (this template goes on article talk pages and gives instructions to COI editors on how to submit edit requests to the article)
* {{tlx|User COI}} (userbox for users to self-declare on their own Userpages those articles with which they have a conflict of interest; userbox can list up to nine articles)
== See also ==
{{div col|colwidth=26em}}
'''Wikimedia Foundation'''
* ]
* ], , Wikimedia Foundation, 21 October 2013.
'''Contact us'''
* ]
'''Article'''
* ]
'''Policies'''
* ]
* ]
* ]
'''Wikiprojects'''
* ]
'''Miscellaneous'''
* ]
* ]
* ] (lists edits for review where proposer has a conflict of interest)
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* (an edit filter)
* ], June 2014
'''Essays'''
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
'''Historical'''
* ] (defunct)
* ], 2009, sparked by discovery that admin/crat/OTRS editor was editing for pay
* ], 2012.
* ]<small> (failed proposal, 21 February 2013)</small>
* ] <small>(failed policy proposal turned into an essay, November 2013)</small>
* ] <small>(failed policy proposal, November 2013)</small>
* ] <small>(failed policy proposal, November 2013)</small>
* ] <small>(failed policy proposal, December 2013)</small>
{{div col end}}
== Further reading ==
{{Commons category|Conflict-of-interest editing on Misplaced Pages}}
:''(chronological)''
{{refbegin}}
* ] (1982). , ''Business and Professional Ethics Journal'', 1(4), pp. 17–27 (influential). {{doi|10.5840/bpej1982149}}
* Luebke, Neil R. (1987). "Conflict of Interest as a Moral Category," ''Business & Professional Ethics Journal'', 6, pp. 66–81. {{jstor|27799930}} (influential)
* Davis, Michael (Winter 1993). "Conflict of Interest Revisited," ''Business & Professional Ethics Journal'', 12(4), pp. 21–41. {{jstor|27800924}}
* Stark, Andrew (2003). , Harvard University Press.
* Carson, Thomas L. (January 2004). "Conflicts of Interest and Self-Dealing in the Professions: A Review Essay," ''Business Ethics Quarterly'', 14(1), pp. 161–182. {{jstor|3857777}}
* ] (2006). , in Trudo Lemmings and Duff R. Waring (eds.), ''Law and Ethics in Biomedical Research: Regulation, Conflict of Interest, and Liability'', University of Toronto Press.
* McDonald, Michael (23 April 2006). , The W. Maurice Young Center for Applied Ethics, University of British Columbia.
This page in a nutshell: Editors should not edit where they have a conflict of interest, as such involvement may undermine the project’s neutrality. If paid or otherwise connected to the subject, disclosure and following the proper edit request process is required to maintain credibility.
Conflict of interest (COI) editing involves contributing to Misplaced Pages about yourself, family, friends, clients, employers, or your financial and other relationships. Any external relationship can trigger a conflict of interest. Someone having a conflict of interest is a description of a situation, not a judgment about that person's opinions, integrity, or good faith.
COI editing is strongly discouraged on Misplaced Pages. It undermines public confidence and risks causing public embarrassment to the individuals and companies being promoted. Editors with a COI are sometimes unaware of whether or how much it has influenced their editing. If COI editing causes disruption, an administrator may opt to place blocks on the involved accounts.
When investigating COI editing, do notreveal the identity of editors against their wishes. Misplaced Pages's policy against harassment, and in particular the prohibition against disclosing personal information, takes precedence over this guideline. To report COI editing, follow the advice at How to handle conflicts of interest, below. Editors making or discussing changes to this guideline or related guidance shall disclose whether they have been paid to edit Misplaced Pages.
As an encyclopedia, Misplaced Pages's mission is to provide the public with articles that summarize accepted knowledge, written neutrally and sourced reliably. Readers expect to find neutral articles written independently of their subject, not corporate or personal webpages, or platforms for advertising and self-promotion. Articles should contain only material that complies with Misplaced Pages's content policies and best practices, and Wikipedians must place the interests of the encyclopedia and its readers above personal concerns.
Editors with a COI should follow Misplaced Pages policies and best practices scrupulously:
you should disclose your COI when involved with affected articles;
you are strongly discouraged from editing affected articles directly;
you may propose changes on talk pages (by using the {{edit COI}} template), so that they can be peer-reviewed;
you should put new articles through the Articles for Creation (AfC) process instead of creating them directly;
you should not act as a reviewer of affected article(s) at AfC, new pages patrol or elsewhere;
you should respect other editors by keeping discussions concise.
Note that no one on Misplaced Pages controls articles. If Misplaced Pages hosts an article about you or your organization, others may add information that would otherwise remain little known. They may also decide to delete the article or decide to keep it should you later request deletion. The media has several times drawn attention to companies that engage in COI editing on Misplaced Pages (see Conflict-of-interest editing on Misplaced Pages), which has led to embarrassment for the organizations concerned.
Being paid to contribute to Misplaced Pages is one form of financial COI; it places the paid editor in a conflict between their employer's goals and Misplaced Pages's goals. The kind of paid editing of most concern to the community involves using Misplaced Pages for public relations and marketing purposes. Sometimes called "paid advocacy," this is problematic because it invariably reflects the interests of the client or employer.
More generally, an editor has a financial conflict of interest whenever they write about a topic with which they have a close financial relationship. This includes being an owner, employee, contractor, investor or other stakeholder.
The Wikimedia Foundation requires that all paid editing be disclosed. Additionally, global policy requires that (if applicable) you must provide links on your user-page to all active accounts on external websites through which you advertise, solicit or obtain paid editing. If you receive or expect to receive compensation (money, goods or services) for your contributions to Misplaced Pages, the policy on the English Misplaced Pages is:
you must disclose who is paying you, on whose behalf the edits are made, and any other relevant affiliation;
you should make the disclosure on your user page, on affected talk pages, and whenever you discuss the topic;
you are strongly discouraged from editing affected articles directly;
you may propose changes on talk pages by using the {{edit COI}} template, so that they can be peer-reviewed;
you should put new articles through the Articles for Creation (AfC) process instead of creating them directly;
you must not act as a reviewer of affected article(s) at AfC, new pages patrol or elsewhere;
you should respect volunteers by keeping discussions concise (see WP:PAYTALK).
Requested edits are subject to the same standards as any other, and editors may decline to act on them. The guide to effective COI edit requests provides guidance in this area. To find an article's talk page, click the "talk" button at the top of the article. See WP:TEAHOUSE if you have questions about these things. If you are an administrator, you must not use administrative tools for any paid-editing activity (except when related to work as a Wikipedian-in-residence, or as someone paid by the Wikimedia Foundation or an affiliate).
The Wikimedia Foundation's terms of use require that editors who are being paid for their contributions disclose their employer (the person or organization who is paying for the edits); the client (the person or organization on whose behalf the edits are made); and any other relevant affiliation. This is the policy of the English Misplaced Pages.
If you become involved in an article where you have any COI, you should always let other editors know about it, whenever and wherever you discuss the topic. There are three venues to do this.
1. If you want to use a template to do this, place {{connected contributor}}at the top of the affected talk page, fill it in as follows, and save:
Connected contributor template
{{Connected contributor|User1=Your username|U1-declared=yes|U1-otherlinks=(Optional) Insert relevant affiliations, disclosures, article drafts or diffs showing COI contributions.}}
Note that someone else may add this for you.
2. You can also make a statement in the edit summary of any COI contribution.
Edit the source of your user page and type {{UserboxCOI|1=Misplaced Pages article name}}, then click "save".
Example
For a COI disclosure, see Talk:Steve Jobs In this edit, one editor added a COI declaration for another editor.
Also, if you propose significant or potentially controversial changes to an affected article, you can use the {{edit COI}} template. Place this at the bottom of the talk page and state your suggestion beneath it (be sure to sign it with four tildes, ~~~~). If the proposal is verifiable and appropriate, it will usually be accepted. If it is declined, the editor declining the request will usually add an explanation below your entry.
If you are being paid for your contributions to Misplaced Pages, you must declare who is paying you, who the client is, and any other relevant role or relationship. You may do this on your user page, on the talk page of affected articles, or in your edit summaries. As you have a conflict of interest, you must ensure everyone with whom you interact is aware of your paid status, in all discussions on Misplaced Pages pages within any namespace. If you want to use a template to disclose your COI on a talk page, place {{connected contributor (paid)}} at the top of the page, fill it in as follows, and save:
Connected contributor (paid) template
{{Connected contributor (paid)|User1=Username of the paid editor|U1-employer=Name of person/organization that is paying for the edits|U1-client= Name of client|U1-otherlinks=Insert diff to disclosure on your User page.}}
The employer is whoever is paying you to be involved in the article (such as a PR company). The client is on whose behalf the payment is made (usually the subject of the article). If the employer and client are the same entity—that is, if Acme Corporation is paying you to write about Acme Corporation—the client parameter may be left empty. See {{connected contributor (paid)}} for more information. Note that other editors may add this template for you. Paid editing without such a declaration is called undisclosed paid editing (UPE).
You are expected to maintain a clearly visible list on your user page of your paid contributions. If you advertise, solicit or obtain paid editing work via an account on any external website, you must provide links on your user-page to all such accounts.
If you propose changes to an affected article, you can use the {{edit COI}} template. Post it on the talk page and make your suggestion underneath it.
The use of administrative tools as part of any paid editing activity, except as a Wikipedian-in-Residence, or when the payment is made by the Wikimedia Foundation or an affiliate of the WMF, is considered a serious misuse and likely to result in sanctions or their removal.
While editing Misplaced Pages, an editor's primary role is to further the interests of the encyclopedia. When an external role or relationship could reasonably be said to undermine that primary role, the editor has a conflict of interest similar to how a judge's primary role as an impartial adjudicator would be undermined if they were married to one of the parties.
Any external relationship—personal, religious, political, academic, legal, or financial (including holding a cryptocurrency)—can trigger a COI. How close the relationship needs to be before it becomes a concern on Misplaced Pages is governed by common sense. For example, an article about a band should not be written by the band's manager, and a biography should not be an autobiography or written by the subject's spouse. There can be a COI when writing on behalf of a competitor or opponent of the page subject, just as there is when writing on behalf of the page subject.
Subject-matter experts (SMEs) are welcome on Misplaced Pages within their areas of expertise, subject to the guidance below on financial conflict of interest and on citing your work. SMEs are expected to make sure that their external roles and relationships in their field of expertise do not interfere with their primary role on Misplaced Pages.
Determining that someone has a COI is a description of a situation. It is not a judgment about that person's state of mind or integrity. A COI can exist in the absence of bias, and bias regularly exists in the absence of a COI. Beliefs and desires may lead to biased editing, but they do not constitute a COI. COI emerges from an editor's roles and relationships, and the tendency to bias that we assume exists when those roles and relationships conflict.
Why is conflict of interest a problem?
On Misplaced Pages, editors with a conflict of interest who unilaterally add material tend to violate Misplaced Pages's content and behavioral policies and guidelines. The content they add is typically unsourced or poorly sourced and often violates the neutral point of view policy by being promotional and omitting negative information. They may edit war to retain content that serves their external interest. They may overuse primary sources or non-independent sources, and they may give too much weight to certain ideas.
An actual COI exists when an editor has a COI with respect to a certain judgment and is in a position where the judgment must be exercised.
Example: A business owner has an actual COI if they edit articles and engage in discussions about that business.
A potential COI exists when an editor has a COI with respect to a certain judgment but is not in a position where the judgment must be exercised.
Example: A business owner has a potential COI with respect to articles and discussions about that business, but they have no actual COI if they stay away from those pages.
An apparent COI exists when there is reason to believe that an editor has a COI.
Example: Editors have an apparent COI if they edit an article about a business, and for some reason they appear to be the business owner or in communication with the business owner, although they may actually have no such connection. Apparent COI raises concern within the community and should be resolved through discussion whenever possible.
Dealing with edit requests from COI or paid editors
Editors responding to edit requests from COI or paid editors are expected to do so carefully, particularly when commercial interests are involved. When large amounts of text are added to an article on behalf of the article subject, the article has, in effect, been ghostwritten by the subject without the readers' knowledge. Responding volunteers should therefore carefully check the proposed text and sources. That an article has been expanded does not mean that it is better.
Make sure the proposed paid text complies with WP:WEIGHT.
Look for unnecessary detail that may have been added to overwhelm something negative.
Make sure nothing important is missing. Responding editors should do their own search for independent sources. Do not rely on the sources offered by the paid editor.
Look for non-neutral language and unsourced or poorly sourced content.
Be cautious about accepting content based on self-published sources such as a personal website, or primary sources such as a company website or press release.
If the paid text is added to the article, the edit summary should include full attribution.
If editors choose to add material to an article on behalf of a COI or paid editor, they must provide attribution for the text in the edit summary. The edit summary should include the name of the COI or paid editor, a link to the draft or edit request, and that the edit contains a COI or paid contribution. For example:
Text inserted on behalf of paid editor User:X; copied from ].
or you can also use the following format, from text requested in a talk page,
Edit made due to ] edit request by User:SVeatch; copied or adapted from "Revisions to Infobox, Introduction and History" at ]
The permalink helps avoid broken links when sections are archived.
This transparency helps editors and readers to determine the extent of COI influence on the article. It also complies with copyright requirements.
Paid editors must respect the volunteer nature of the project and keep discussions concise. When proposing changes to an article, they should describe the suggested modifications and explain why the changes should be made. Any changes that may be contentious, such as removal of negative text, should be highlighted.
Before being drawn into long exchanges with paid editors, volunteers should be aware that paid editors may be submitting evidence of their talk-page posts to justify their salaries or fees. No editor should be expected to engage in long or repetitive discussions with someone who is being paid to argue with them.
Editors are reminded that any text they contribute to Misplaced Pages, assuming they own the copyright, is irrevocably licensed under a Creative Commons-Attribution-Sharealike license and the GNU Free Documentation License. Content on Misplaced Pages, including article drafts and talk-page comments, can be freely copied and modified by third parties for commercial and non-commercial use, with the sole requirement that it be attributed to Misplaced Pages contributors.
Paid editors must ensure that they own the copyright of text they have been paid to add to Misplaced Pages; otherwise, they are unable to release it. A text's author is normally assumed to be the copyright holder. Companies sometimes provide paid editors with text written by someone else. Alternatively, a paid editor might write text for Misplaced Pages within the scope of their employment (a "work for hire"), in which case copyright resides with the employer.
If editors choose to add material to an article on behalf of a paid editor, they must provide attribution for the text in the edit summary. See WP:COIATTRIBUTE for how to do this.
All editors are expected to follow United States law on undisclosed advertising, which is described by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at Endorsement Guidelines and Dot Com Disclosures. The FTC regards advertising as deceptive if it mimics a content format, such as a news report, that appears to come from an independent, impartial source:
Marketers and publishers are using innovative methods to create, format, and deliver digital advertising. One form is "native advertising", content that bears a similarity to the news, feature articles, product reviews, entertainment, and other material that surrounds it online. ...
In digital media, native ads often resemble the design, style, and functionality of the media in which they are disseminated. ... The more a native ad is similar in format and topic to content on the publisher's site, the more likely that a disclosure will be necessary to prevent deception. —Federal Trade Commission, 2015
To judge whether an ad is deceptive under the Federal Trade Commission Act of 1914, the FTC considers "both what the ad says and the format it uses to convey that information ... Advertisements or promotional messages are deceptive if they convey to consumers expressly or by implication that they’re independent, impartial, or from a source other than the sponsoring advertiser ...".
State law may have similar prohibitions. While the FTC law may apply only to interstate and foreign commerce, state law applies to intrastate commerce and must be obeyed. At least one state court case found liability for an ad disguised as editorial content.
In 2012 the Munich Oberlandesgericht court ruled that if a company or its agents edit Misplaced Pages with the aim of influencing customers, the edits constitute covert advertising, and as such are a violation of European fair-trading law. The ruling stated that readers cannot be expected to seek out user and talk pages to find editors' disclosures about their corporate affiliation.
UK Advertising Standards Authority
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) in the UK found in 2012 that the content of tweets from two footballers had been "agreed with the help of a member of the Nike marketing team". The tweets were not clearly identified as Nike marketing communications and were therefore in breach of the ASA's code.
The biographies of living persons policy says: "n editor who is involved in a significant controversy or dispute with another individual – whether on- or off-wiki – or who is an avowed rival of that individual, should not edit that person's biography or other material about that person, given the potential conflict of interest."
Similarly, editors should not write about court cases in which they or those close to them have been involved, nor about parties or law firms associated with the cases.
Activities regarded by insiders as simply "getting the word out" may appear promotional or propagandistic to the outside world. If you edit articles while involved with campaigns in the same area, you may have a conflict of interest. Political candidates and their staff should not edit articles about themselves, their supporters, or their opponents. Government employees should not edit articles about their agencies, government, political party, political opponents, or controversial political topics.
You should generally refrain from creating articles about yourself, or anyone you know, living or dead, unless through the Articles for Creation process. If you have a personal connection to a topic or person with an existing article, you are advised to refrain from editing that article directly and to provide full disclosure of the connection if you comment about the article on talk pages or in other discussions. Requests for updates to an article about yourself or someone with whom you have a personal connection can be made on the article's talk page by following the instructions at WP:COIREQ.
An exception to not editing an article about yourself or someone you know is made if the article contains defamation or a serious error that needs to be corrected quickly. If you do make such an edit, please follow it up with an email to WP:VRT, Misplaced Pages's volunteer response team, or ask for help on WP:BLPN, our noticeboard for articles about living persons, or the talk page of the article in question.
"WP:SELFCITE" redirects here. For Misplaced Pages citing itself, see WP:CIRCULAR.
See also: WP:MEDCOI
Using material you have written or published is allowed within reason, but only if it is relevant, conforms to the content policies, including WP:SELFPUB, and is not excessive. Citations should be in the third person and should not place undue emphasis on your work. You will be permanently identified in the page history as the person who added the citation to your own work. When in doubt, defer to the community's opinion: propose the edit on the article's talk page and allow others to review it. However, adding numerous references to work published by yourself and none by other researchers is considered to be a form of spamming.
Museum curators, librarians, archivists, and similar are encouraged to help improve Misplaced Pages, or to share their information in the form of links to their resources. If a link cannot be used as a reliable source, it may be placed under further reading or external links if it complies with the external links guideline. Bear in mind that Misplaced Pages is not a mirror or a repository of links, images, or media files.
There are forms of paid editing that the Wikimedia community regards as acceptable. These include Wikipedians in residence (WiRs)—Wikipedians who may be paid to collaborate with mission-aligned organizations, such as galleries, libraries, archives, and museums. WiRs must not engage in public relations or marketing for their organization in Misplaced Pages, and they should operate within the bounds defined by Core characteristics of a Wikipedian in Residence at Wikimedia Outreach. They must work closely with a Misplaced Pages project or the general Misplaced Pages community, and are expected to identify their WiR status on their user page and on talk pages related to their organization when they post there.
Reward board
Another example of acceptable paid editing is the reward board, where editors can post incentives, usually to raise articles to featured-article or good-article status. If you participate in this, transparency and neutrality are key.
Miscellaneous
Solicitations by paid editors
In any solicitation sent to a prospective client, paid editors should disclose the following information:
Paid editors do not represent the Wikimedia Foundation nor the Misplaced Pages editing community, and they have no authority beyond that of any volunteer editor.
Paid editors must disclose their employer, client, and affiliations on Misplaced Pages. There is no confidentiality for the client.
Paid edits may be reviewed and revised in the normal course of work on Misplaced Pages. Neither the client nor the paid editor own the article.
Paid editors cannot guarantee any outcome for an article on Misplaced Pages. It can be revised or deleted by other editors at any time.
Providing a client with a link to this section is appropriate disclosure if it is done in a neutral and non-deceptive manner.
Paid editors must also provide a link to their user page which includes a declaration of their paid editing status. If an external website claims that a particular Misplaced Pages editor works for them, but that editor's user page has no such declaration, this is likely to indicate that the website is impersonating that editor.
If you received a solicitation from a paid editor that does not include this information, we recommend that you not do business with them. They are not following our policies and guidelines.
Some solicitations from paid editors have been linked to fraud; see for example Operation Orangemoody. A large number of businesses claim to offer editing services, but some of these are scams. If someone claims that experienced editors work for them, ask them for the user names of those editors and check the corresponding editor user pages for a paid-contribution disclosure; its absence likely indicates that the claim is false. Offers to guarantee that a page will be saved from deletion, in return for significant sums of money, are always fraudulent, as are offers to use special privileges on Misplaced Pages.
If you think you've received a fraudulent solicitation, please forward it to paid-en-wpwikipedia.org for investigation.
Once an article is created about yourself, your group, or your company, you have no right to control its content, or to delete it outside the normal channels. If there is anything publicly available on a topic that you would not want to have included in an article, it will probably find its way there eventually.
add independent reliable sources when another editor has requested them, although it is better to supply them on the talk page for others to add.
If another editor objects for any reason, it is not an uncontroversial edit. Edits not covered by the above should be discussed on the article's talk page. If an article has few uninvolved editors, ask at the talk page of a related WikiProject or at the COI noticeboard. See also WP:COITALK.
Supplying photographs and media files
Editors with a COI are encouraged to upload high-quality media files that are appropriately licensed for Misplaced Pages and that improve our coverage of a subject. For more information, follow the instructions at Commons. In some cases, the addition of media files to an article may be an uncontroversial edit that editors with a COI can make directly, but editors should exercise discretion and rely on talk pages when images may be controversial or promotional. If the addition of an image is challenged by another editor, it is controversial.
The use of non-free contents are restricted. Generally, using press photos or images provided by client who wish to feature them in the article but unwilling to irrevocably release the copyright under Creative Commons is unacceptable. Editors may not upload images provided by client for "Misplaced Pages article purpose only" and falsely claim they're licensed under CC BY-SA, as such photos are fundamentally incompatible with free content principles. Only the copyright owner or their authorized representatives may grant permission to use a work under a Creative Commons license, not the photographed subject or their public relations agent. If the same image is found copyrighted elsewhere prior to the upload date, it may be removed as a copyright violation. If you are the copyright owner and want to release content to Creative Commons for use on Misplaced Pages, see Commons:Volunteer Response Team § Licensing images: when do I contact VRT?.
If a user's edits lead you to believe that they might have a COI (that is, if they have an "apparent COI"), and there has been no COI disclosure, consider first whether the issue may be simple advocacy. Most advocacy does not involve COI. Whether an editor is engaged in advocacy should first be addressed at the user's talk page, then at WP:NPOVN, the neutral-point-of-view noticeboard. The appropriate forum for concerns about sources is WP:RSN, the reliable-sources noticeboard. If there are concerns about sockpuppets or meatpuppets, please bring that concern to WP:SPI.
If you believe an editor has an undisclosed COI and is editing in violation of this guideline, raise the issue in a civil manner on the editor's talk page, which is the first step in resolving user-conduct issues, per the dispute resolution policy, citing this guideline. If that fails to resolve the issue, such as when an editor has repeatedly added problematic material over an extended period, then open a discussion at the conflict of interest noticeboard (COIN). This also applies to a disclosed COI that is causing a problem: for example, an acknowledged BLP subject who is editing their own BLP.
During the COIN discussion, avoid making disparaging remarks about the user in question, their motives or the subject of the article(s).
Post whatever public evidence you have to support that there is a COI, or that it is causing a problem, in the form of edits by that user or information the user has posted about themselves. Do not post private information; see WP:OUTING, which is policy, and the section below, "Avoid outing".
If private information must be shared to resolve a COI issue, it may be emailed to paid-en-wpwikipedia.org. Follow the advice in WP:OUTING: "Only the minimum information necessary should be conveyed and the minimum number of people contacted." The priority should be to avoid unnecessary privacy violations.
When investigating COI editing, the policy against harassment takes precedence. It requires that Wikipedians not reveal the identity of editors against their wishes. Examine editors' behavior instead and seek advice by email if necessary. Do not ask a user if they are somebody; instead one can ask if they have an undisclosed connection to that person. If revealing private information is needed to resolve COI editing, and if the issue is serious enough to warrant it, editors can emailpaid-en-wpwikipedia.org. Also see the section "Reporting to the conflict of interest noticeboard" above.
Accounts that appear to be single-purpose, existing for the sole or primary purpose of promotion or denigration of a person, company, product, service, website, organization, etc., and whose postings are in apparent violation of this guideline, should be made aware of this guideline and warned not to continue their problematic editing. If the same pattern of editing continues after the warning, the account may be blocked.
{{uw-coi}} (to be placed on user Talk pages to warn editors that they may have a conflict of interest)
{{uw-coi-username}} (another Talk page warning, this one for editors whose username appears to violate the WP:Usernames policy)
{{COI editnotice}} (this template goes on article talk pages and gives instructions to COI editors on how to submit edit requests to the article)
{{User COI}} (userbox for users to self-declare on their own Userpages those articles with which they have a conflict of interest; userbox can list up to nine articles)
Carson, Thomas L. (January 2004). "Conflicts of Interest and Self-Dealing in the Professions: A Review Essay," Business Ethics Quarterly, 14(1), pp. 161–182. JSTOR3857777
wikimedia.org). See WP:PERMISSION for how to do this and Misplaced Pages:Declaration of consent for all enquiries for a sample letter.
