Advertising guidelines for CMA publications

These guidelines govern editorial display advertising in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ) and other journals owned and published by the Canadian Medical Association.

The Editor-in-Chief, CMA Publishing Services, reserves the right of final approval of all display and classified advertising to be included in CMA journals, monographs or texts.

Print advertising

1. Products or services eligible for editorial display advertising should be germane to medical practice, medical education, professional development or health care delivery. Consumer products and nonfinancial services that are offered by responsible advertisers and that are of interest to physicians may be eligible.
2. Pharmaceutical advertising must comply with the Pharmaceutical Advertising Advisory Board (PAAB) Code of Advertising Acceptance. All material for advertising and promotion of prescription pharmaceutical products should have the PAAB imprimatur, as per the guidelines of the Canadian Association of Medical Publishers (CAMP). For all other products, the drug advertising provisions of Health Canada's Food and Drugs Act and Regulations must be observed.
3. Public service messages of interest to physicians and institutional advertising relevant to medical practice may be considered.
4. The appearance of advertising in CMA publications is neither a guarantee nor an endorsement of claims made for a product by the manufacturer.
5. Advertising for apparatus, instruments and devices that are intended for preventive, diagnostic or therapeutic purposes must comply with the provisions of the Medical Devices Regulations, Food and Drugs Act, and must be approved by the Editor-in-Chief. Primary evidence supporting any claim of effectiveness, including complete scientific and technical data, may be required.
6. CMA publications do not accept advertising for tobacco products or alcoholic beverages.
7. Advertising of infant formula must comply with the World Health Organization's International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes. Such ads must reflect the use of infant formula as a supplement and not a replacement for mother's milk.
8. Advertisers of dietary programs, nutritional supplements, nonconventional therapies or any other product or procedure that purports to promote health or cure disease must provide primary evidence supporting the claims of efficacy. The Editor-in-Chief must approve all such advertisements prior to publication.
9. Advertising must be clearly distinguishable from editorial material. Advertising that is primarily text — the "advertorial" — should not appear as if it is a scientific report and should not imitate the editorial style of any CMA journal. The advertisement must be clearly identified as such at the top of the page. The Editor-in-Chief reserves the right to refuse any advertisement that could be construed as editorial material.
10. With the exception of PAAB-approved material, all new advertisements will be reviewed by the Editor-in-Chief prior to publication. Advertisements that have not been submitted at least in draft form for review by the published ad film deadline date will be declined for that issue and the advertiser will be deemed liable for the cost of the booked space.
11. Editorial decisions are not influenced by advertising, and are made without consideration of the advertising scheduled to appear in any issue.
12. Product advertisements are not solicited for specific articles. Although the CMA may provide readers and advertisers with general information about special theme issues, continuing series, supplements and subjects being considered for upcoming issues, details about the content are confidential until publication.
13. Juxtaposition of editorial and advertising material on the same products or topics is avoided whenever possible. Exceptions may be necessary when a journal dedicates significant editorial space to a particular theme or clinical issue. When a journal customarily dedicates a page(s) to highlight articles of interest in the journal, any juxtaposition of an advertisement and related editorial content in this feature should be seen as coincidental.
14. Articles should not be broken by full-page advertisements (whether one or more pages). Fractional advertisements (2/3 page or smaller) are limited to one per editorial page.

Sponsorships

15. Educational grants may be solicited to support the publication of a supplement or a continuing series of articles. A minimum of two sponsors is required. Sponsors will be acknowledged as providing an unrestricted educational grant.
16. With the approval of the Editor of the journal in question, a regular feature page or section may have long-term sponsorship by a single advertiser provided that the specific content of the feature is variable and confidential.

Polywrap

17. All items to be considered for mailing in the polywrap with CMA publications must be submitted in advance for approval by the Editor of that journal. As a general criterion the supplement should be of educational or informational value to physicians.
18. Because there are limitations on the number of items that can be sent in the polywrap, priority is given to material and other publications from the CMA, or, in the case of client journals, from the sponsoring society. The mechanical specifications for polywrap inserts are available on request.

Criticisms and complaints

19. The Editor of the journal in question reviews all criticisms of advertisements or of a journal's advertising policy. All criticisms and complaints are considered for publication.