Policy on sponsored subscriptions

Sponsored subscriptions

The BMJG actively encourages sponsorship of subscriptions to its publications, including the BMJ, BMJ Journals, Clinical Evidence, Point of Care and Health Intelligence by any ethical organisation wishing to support healthcare professionals.

Sponsorship of subscriptions can be for print and/or online versions of our publications.

Online subscription can be in two forms: 

• Set number of user names and passwords.
• Referral based access where subscribers would access the online journal site via a password protected area on the sponsor’s website or from a controlled access section of the society’s website.

Print subscription copies may be delivered by hand through pharmaceutical sales forces or the postal system but distribution must be agreed with the editor of the publication beforehand.

Advertising is permitted for sponsored subscription copies in two of these positions: inside front cover, inside back cover, or outside back cover.

Acknowledgement of sponsorship will be confined to the following statement on the outside front or outside back cover of the print version, or on the homepage of the online version: “Sponsorship of the subscription of this publication is made possible by an education grant from ------”

The sponsor’s corporate logo may also appear on the back cover of the print version if there is not an advertisement in that position. However, a particular product brand or product brand logo will not be permitted to appear anywhere on the publication, unless in the form of an advertisement.

Exceptions to these rules may be considered by the editor of the publication in question before the start of a subscription period. Readers must be able to distinguish readily between advertising and editorial pages.

Only reputable pharmaceutical companies licensed to operate in the territory in question or other ethical sponsors can be considered for sponsorship of subscriptions.

Tobacco and alcohol producers will not be considered as suitable sponsors.

The sponsorship of subscriptions should not include any element of the current existing circulation of the publication in question.

The sponsors will have no influence whatsoever over the content of the sponsored subscription copies of the publication.

Acknowledgement of sponsorship will be permitted in the form of a line on the title page or inside front cover.

The acknowledgement will say “The subscription to this publication has been made possible by an educational grant from XXXXX.” The sponsor’s logo may also appear next to the acknowledgement.