BMJ 2013;347:f7153 doi: 10.1136/bmj.f7153 (Published 4 December 2013)
Page 1 of 1
Letters
LETTERS EDITORIAL POLICY ON ADVERTISING
Editor’s reply to Harlow and colleagues Fiona Godlee editor in chief BMJ, BMA House, London WC1H 9JR, UK
I am sorry if the loose insert from Dignity in Dying upset some readers.1 As editor in chief I am responsible for everything in the journal, including the advertisements. We do indeed turn some advertisements down, but this is almost always because they make claims of therapeutic benefit that are not adequately supported by research evidence. Under our longstanding advertising policy, we would accept advertisements of the sort mentioned by Tim Harlow and colleagues. Competing interests: I am editor in chief and a director of the BMJ, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of the BMA. The BMJ receives revenues
from drug and device manufacturers in the form of advertising, reprint sales, and sponsorship. I receive a bonus based in part on the financial performance of the BMJ. The BMJ is an open access journal that charges author fees for publication of research articles. I have campaigned on issues of research transparency and integrity for quite a few years. The BMJ is a founding member of Alltrials. 1
Harlow T, Baker I, Bullock R, Gannon C, George R, Shuler A, et al. BMJ is not always impartial about the advertisements it includes. BMJ 2013;347:f7149.
Cite this as: BMJ 2013;347:f7153 © BMJ Publishing Group Ltd 2013
[email protected] For personal use only: See rights and reprints http://www.bmj.com/permissions
Subscribe: http://www.bmj.com/subscribe
Page 1 of 1
Letters
LETTERS EDITORIAL POLICY ON ADVERTISING
Editor’s reply to Harlow and colleagues Fiona Godlee editor in chief BMJ, BMA House, London WC1H 9JR, UK
I am sorry if the loose insert from Dignity in Dying upset some readers.1 As editor in chief I am responsible for everything in the journal, including the advertisements. We do indeed turn some advertisements down, but this is almost always because they make claims of therapeutic benefit that are not adequately supported by research evidence. Under our longstanding advertising policy, we would accept advertisements of the sort mentioned by Tim Harlow and colleagues. Competing interests: I am editor in chief and a director of the BMJ, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of the BMA. The BMJ receives revenues
from drug and device manufacturers in the form of advertising, reprint sales, and sponsorship. I receive a bonus based in part on the financial performance of the BMJ. The BMJ is an open access journal that charges author fees for publication of research articles. I have campaigned on issues of research transparency and integrity for quite a few years. The BMJ is a founding member of Alltrials. 1
Harlow T, Baker I, Bullock R, Gannon C, George R, Shuler A, et al. BMJ is not always impartial about the advertisements it includes. BMJ 2013;347:f7149.
Cite this as: BMJ 2013;347:f7153 © BMJ Publishing Group Ltd 2013
[email protected] For personal use only: See rights and reprints http://www.bmj.com/permissions
Subscribe: http://www.bmj.com/subscribe
