BMJ revenue sources
BMJ receives revenue from a range of sources to ensure wide and affordable access to its products and services while maintaining high standards of quality and full editorial independence.
These sources of revenue are:
Separation is maintained between the editorial teams and the advertising and sponsorship sales teams. Where sponsorship has been obtained for any content or event, for example as the result of an unrestricted educational grant or for a sponsored symposium, or where customised content has been commissioned by an external agency, this is clearly indicated.
BMJ believes that the sale of display advertising space is a legitimate source of revenue to support the publication of The BMJ, the specialist BMJ Journals, and other publications, both in print and online.
BMJ also believes that in well-defined circumstances, commercial sponsorship may support themed issues or supplements, subscriptions, seminars and conferences, as well as our international editions programme.
BMJ ’s policy on advertising and other commercial opportunities is detailed in this document and is based on the following principles and assumptions.
BMJ sets high ethical standards in all its activities and above all defends the right to editorial independence. It does not allow advertising or sponsorship to influence in any way the decisions made on editorial content.
Readers must immediately be able to tell what is advertising and what is editorial material.
Readers understand that advertising is different from editorial material. They know that the claims made in advertising are not endorsed by BMJ.
Advertising is the United Kingdom is now tightly regulated by British and European legislation and by the Advertising Standards Authority, the Prescriptions Medicines Code of Practice Authority, the Proprietary Authority of Great Britain, the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC), and the Commission for Racial Equality (CRE).
BMJ will carry advertisements that are “legal and decent and conform to current recommendations and guidelines
Decisions on the positioning of advertisements are made independently of decisions made in the editorial departments on the content of a specific issue. The unlikely event of an advertisement for a product appearing next to an article about the same product will be entirely coincidental and should not be construed as anything else.
As a medical publisher, BMJ occasionally needs to make special rules regarding the advertising of products considered harmful or potentially harmful to health. The rules relating to these products are detailed in this document.
Advertisements are open to criticism just like any other material published in BMJ’s publications. BMJ publishes corrections to editorial material it does the same for advertisements.
Editorial material will not be influenced by advertising. BMJ does not publish material to accompany advertising and does not sell advertising in relation to particular articles. BMJ’s advertising sales teams have no knowledge of particular articles that will appear in any BMJ publication. However, like the readers of BMJ’s publications, the advertising sales teams will sometimes know that The BMJ or other BMJ publications will be producing a theme issue on a particular subject or starting as a series of educational articles. The teams can then sell advertising on the general theme but cannot sell against a particular article.
All decisions are at the discretion of the editor. If commercial clients adhere to these guidelines then their advertisement or sponsorship is likely to be accepted. Occasionally decisions may take time.
BMJ’s specialty journals’ sources of revenue
BMJ Journals receive revenue from a range of sources to ensure wide and affordable access while maintaining high standards of quality and full editorial independence. These are:
Separation is maintained between the editorial team and the advertising and sponsorship sales team. Where sponsorship has been obtained for any content, for example as the result of an unrestricted educational grant, this is clearly indicated.
BMJ Masterclasses sources of revenue
BMJ Masterclasses receive revenue from a range of sources to ensure that masterclasses remain affordable to delegates while maintaining high standards of quality and full editorial independence. These are:
Separation is maintained between the editorial team and the advertising and sponsorship sales team. Sponsored symposia must meet the same editorial standards as the rest of the masterclass content and, although separate from the main programme, are always designed to be relevant and useful to the delegates.
BMJ Learning sources of revenue
BMJ Learning receives income from a range of sources to ensure wide and affordable access while maintaining high standards of quality and full editorial independence. These are:
Separation is maintained between the editorial team and the advertising and sponsorship sales team. Where sponsorship has been obtained for any content, for example as the result of an unrestricted educational grant, or where content has been created under contract, this is clearly indicated. Advertising and sponsorship policy.
OnExamination sources of revenue
BMJ OnExamination receives income from a range of sources, to ensure wide and affordable access while maintaining high standards of quality and full editorial independence. These are:
Separation is maintained between the editorial team and the advertising and sponsorship sales team. Where sponsorship has been obtained for any content, for example as the result of an unrestricted educational grant, or where content has been created under contract, this is clearly indicated.
BMJ Evidence Centre sources of revenue
The BMJ Evidence Centre receives revenue from a range of sources, to ensure wide and affordable access while maintaining high standards of quality and full editorial independence. These are:
Separation is maintained between the editorial team and the advertising and sponsorship sales team. Where sponsorship has been obtained for any content, for example as the result of an unrestricted educational grant, or where content has been created under contract, this is clearly indicated. Advertising and sponsorship policy.
The BMJ’s sources of revenue
The BMJ receives revenue from a range of sources, to ensure wide and affordable access while maintaining high standards of quality and full editorial independence. These are:
Separation is maintained between the editorial team and the advertising and sponsorship sales team. Where sponsorship has been obtained for any BMJ content, for example as a result of an unrestricted educational grant, this is clearly indicated.
The BMJ is an open access research journal but does not currently charge author fees. The BMJ’s publishing model link [About The BMJ]
BMJ Careers Fairs’ sources of revenue
BMJ Careers Fairs receive revenue from a range of sources to ensure that they remain affordable to visitors while maintaining high standards of quality and full editorial independence. These are:
Separation is maintained between the seminar team and the exhibition, advertisement and sponsorship sales team. Sponsored seminars are permitted on topics determined by the sponsor and clear branding identifies which elements of the seminar programme include commercial content or have been commercially sponsored.
