Advertising in OFP

Solicitation of advertising for OFP will be carried out to fulfill the objective of supporting awareness among health professionals and consumers of useful products and services and to contribute to the financial support of the publications. Acceptance of advertising in OFP shall not be construed, however, as an endorsement, approval, recommendation, warranty, or certification of the products or services by ACOFP or any group affiliated with it. Acceptance also does not imply responsibility on the part of ACOFP to ensure that the advertiser has complied with laws and regulations applicable to the marketing of the products. Acceptance of advertising does not imply that ACOFP has conducted an independent scientific review to validate product safety and efficacy or advertising claims. A company involved in an investigation or enforcement proceeding by a government agency with respect to claims made in the marketing of a product to be advertised in OFP must inform ACOFP of such investigation, proceeding, or litigation.

Specific Provisions:

• Products or services must be safe and effective in the practice of medicine or to individuals and their families. A company whose product submitted for advertisement in the OFP journal is being evaluated for safety and effectiveness must so inform ACOFP.
• Companies submitting new products for the advertisement may be required to provide information about product safety and effectiveness. If there is any question of safety or effectiveness, the appropriate staff person on the Editorial Committee should see a product sample before acceptance/rejection.
• Advertisements for products that are subject to regulation by the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) will be accepted in OFP only if the products have met all FDA requirements to permit general marketing of the products.
• Advertisements for products subject to FDA approval of both the product and the advertising may be accepted in OFP without further review.
• Manufacturers whose products are subject to regulation by the FDA or Federal Trade Commission may be asked to submit a signed certification to ACOFP attesting that they have scientifically valid data on file to substantiate product claims or comparisons to other products.
• Companies submitting advertisements for The Osteopathic Family Physician are required to indemnify the Association against claims based on the advertisements.

Editorial Supplements, which are developed by non-profit groups, but sponsored by a pharmaceutical or other company, may be considered to be "under the cover of" OFP (either within an issue or bound separately) if approved in advance by the ACOFP Editorial Committee and the Editor-in-Chief of the journal. If approved, the journal Editor may appoint a special supplement editor to lead the journal’s peer-review process. The supplement editor should be affiliated with ACOFP and should be an expert on the supplement topic. Approved Editorial Supplements should be completed before the transition of a new Editor and editorial team for the journal.

Supplements proposals for OFP should include a planned table of contents or if based on a meeting or symposium, a planned agenda. The proposal should also address:

• The name of the organization(s) sponsoring and funding the supplement (not merely the name of the public relations agency handling its publication).
• If the supplement is based on a symposium, where and when the symposium was held and how the speakers and papers were selected.
• Whether authors were or will be paid and, if so, how much.

If the proposal is approved, it will be forwarded to the Editor of the journal. Initial approval by The ACOFP does not commit the Editor to accept a proposal in whole or part. All manuscripts are subject to the same peer review as other manuscripts in the journal. In addition, ACOFP has adopted the following principles from ICMJE, as outlined in section III-G of ICMJE’s Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing, and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals:

• The journal editor has complete control of the decision to publish all or any portions of the supplement. Editing by the funding organization is not permitted.
• The journal editor retains the authority to send supplement manuscripts for external peer review and to reject manuscripts submitted for the supplement.
• The journal editor must approve the appointment of any external editor of the supplement and take responsibility for the work of the external editor.
• The sources of funding for the research, publication, and the products the funding source make that are considered in the supplement must be clearly stated and prominently located in the supplement, preferably on each page.
• Advertising in supplements follows the same policies as those of the rest of the journal.
• Journal editors and supplement editors may not accept personal favors or personal remuneration from sponsors of supplements.
• Secondary publication in supplements (republication of papers previously published elsewhere) is not permitted.
• ACOFP’s principles of authorship, a potential conflict of interest disclosure, and other publication policies also apply to supplements.
  

Advertising Supplements may be accepted if they meet the following criteria:

• They do not carry ACOFP’s name or logo.
• They are not formatted to suggest that they are part of OFP.
• They are clearly labeled as advertising.
• They are reviewed and approved by the Editor-in-Chief of the periodical in question, as well as the appropriate ACOFP Editorial staff member.