By definition, “Barriers are those things that prevent movement, or make access to a service more difficult for certain groups and individuals. Barriers exist at different levels, and may be personal, cultural, institutional and structural.” In the case of systemic barriers, these are not one-time challenges, but rather are built-into and supported by broader systems. Barriers may be visible and tangible, for example in the case of a physically inaccessible building, or they may be invisible and intangible, for example in the case of stigma preventing someone from accessing mental health services.
A conscious (explicit) or unconscious (implicit) opinion, preference, prejudice,inclination, formed without reasonable justification, that prevents a balanced or even-handed judgement. Biases (particularly implicit biases) are built into and perpetuated by societal structures. These biases might be based on someone’s or a group’s race, gender, weight, disability, sexuality, skin-tone, age, culture or religion.
Source: Government of Canada's 'Guide to courageous conversations on racism and discrimination'
From: Dimensions Action Plan
A conflict of interest may arise when activities or situations place an individual in a real, potential or perceived conflict between the duties or responsibilities related to research, and personal, institutional or other interests. These interests include, but are not limited to, business, commercial or financial interests pertaining to the individual, their family members, friends, or their former, current or prospective professional associates.
From: SSHRC-CRSH. "Appendix A—Definitions, Best practices in equity, diversity and inclusion in research practice and design