Objectives. Systematic reviews of comparative effectiveness topics are increasing in number, and groups including the Institute of Medicine emphasize the importance of attention to financial conflicts of interest. Little guidance exists, however, on how to manage the risk of bias for systematic reviews (SRs) from nonfinancial conflicts of interest (NFCOI) such as strongly held beliefs, personal relationships, and desire for career advancement. Our objective was to provide practical guidance on ensuring adequate clinical or content expertise while maintaining independence of judgment on SR teams by (1) defining NFCOI as it applies to SR teams, (2)
developing guidance and an instrument, supported by examples, on to identify, characterize, and manage NFCOI, and (3) improve transparency of judgment regarding NFCOI for users of
reviews.