The ISPOR Board of
Directors endorses the following Statement of the
World Association of Medical Editors (WAME), May 2001
The Relationship Between Journal Editors-in-Chief and Owners Statement of the
World Association of Medical Editors (WAME), March 2000
Editors-in-chief and the owners of their journals both want the journals to
succeed but they have different roles. The primary responsibilities of
editors-in-chief are to inform and educate readers, with attention to the
accuracy and importance of journal articles, and to protect and strengthen
the integrity and quality of the journal, including its staff, budget, and
business policies. The relationship between owners and editors-in-chief
should be based on mutual respect and trust, and recognition of each other’s
authority and responsibilities, because conflicts can damage the intellectual
integrity and reputation of the journal and its financial success. The
following are guidelines for protecting the responsibility and authority of
editors-in-chief and owners:
The conditions of employment for editors-in-chief, including authority,
responsibilities, term of appointment, and mechanisms for resolving conflict,
should be explicitly stated and approved by both editor and owners before the
editor is appointed.
Editors-in-chief should have full authority over the editorial content of the
journal, generally referred to as “editorial independence.” Owners should not
interfere in the evaluation, selection and editing of individual articles,
either directly or by creating an environment in which editorial decisions is
strongly influenced.
Editorial decisions should be based mainly on the validity of the work and
its importance to readers, not the commercial success of the journal. Editors
should be free to express critical but responsible views of all aspects of
medicine without fear of retribution, even if these views might conflict with
the commercial goals of the publisher. To maintain this position, editors
should seek input from a broad array of advisors such as reviewers, editorial
staff, an editorial board, and readers.
Editors-in-chief should establish procedures that guard against the influence
of commercial and personal self-interest on editorial decisions.
Owners have the right to hire and fire editors-in-chief but they should
dismiss them only for substantial reasons such as a pattern of bad editorial
decisions, disagreement with the long-term editorial direction of the
journal, or personal behavior (such as criminal acts) that are incompatible
with a position of trust.
Editors-in-chief should report to the highest governing body of the owning
organization, not its administrative officers. Major decisions regarding the
editor’s employment should be made by this body with open discussion and time
to hear from all interested parties. Some owners have found it useful to
appoint an independent board to advise them on major decisions regarding
their editor
and journal.
Editors should resist any actions that might compromise these principles in
their journals, even if it places their own position at stake. If major
transgressions do occur, editors should participate in drawing them to the
attention of the international medical
community.
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