Advertising can be a thorny issue for a professional journal. On the plus side, ads help defray the costs of publication, and provide product information that most readers find useful. On the negative, there’s the nagging worry that powerful advertisers might apply pressure to influence editorial content.

Journals take varying approaches to advertising. Some eschew it altogether, or limit it to classifieds and announcements of academic job openings. Some routinely allow advertisers to sponsor entire issues and dictate their content. Others—JADA included—welcome advertising but maintain a rigorous separation between the commercial and editorial aspects of publishing.

Now, if we have learned nothing else from the accounting scandals of the past year, it’s that "firewalls" are only as good as an organization’s commitment to ethical behavior. Thus, we work hard not only to do the right thing, but to keep the process transparent. In that spirit, I’d like to address some of your more frequent questions on the topic.

1. Who prepares the advertisements?

The company or its agency prepares a draft ad, including art, photographs and text.

2. How much control does JADA exert over individual ads?

We review every ad to ensure that copy and visuals are acceptable. In general, we check three things. First, there must be no obvious violations of law or policy (racial or religious exclusions, for example). Second, we do our best to screen out material that is offensive or in poor taste. And finally, for dental products, there’s a more intensive evaluation to ensure that the claims are legitimate.

3. Claims? Does JADA test the products it advertises?

No, certainly not. However, we may require the advertiser to furnish evidence that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has authorized the claims made in the advertisement. In my experience, companies always have been cooperative when asked for this documentation.

4. What products require FDA approval?

In the United States, drugs and devices (though not procedures) must be cleared or approved by the FDA for safety and efficacy. A drug receives approval only for certain indications, which must be clearly delineated in any advertisement; no reference may be made to "off-label" uses. Devices, which range from radiographic machines to restorative materials, are "cleared" rather than approved, but the restrictions on their advertising are comparable.

5. Does an advertisement in JADA mean that the product is endorsed by the ADA?

Again, absolutely not. Unscrupulous or overly enthusiastic companies have, on occasion, implied otherwise—not, of course, in JADA—but they are wrong to do so anywhere.

6. What about the ADA Seal of Acceptance?

Only products that have received the ADA Seal of Acceptance from the Council on Scientific Affairs may display the Seal in an advertisement.

7. What do terms such as "clinically proven" mean?

Apparently minor distinctions in wording can convey significant differences in meaning. For example, we allow the term "clinically proven" only if substantiated by two or more controlled studies. If there was only one study, we will allow "clinically shown." Similar fine distinctions apply to FDA rules. Some devices (such as toothbrushes) are classified as "exempt," meaning that the FDA does not normally review claims (though it does verify that the product is properly manufactured).

8. Can an advertiser dictate the clinical and scientific content of The Journal?

No! The submission and review process is, in principle and in practice, totally divorced from the advertising operations. We don’t consciously place ads in proximity to articles about the product advertised. Even members of JADA’s Industry Advisory Board cannot influence, much less dictate, which papers are published. And I should add that as editor, I have never—not once—been pressured to violate these principles.

It’s a rare month when I don’t receive at least one letter objecting to an article in which a reader thinks there is commercial bias, or to an ad a reader perceives to be in some way unsuited to the Journal. I don’t mind getting these complaints; indeed, they help keep us honest, and we look into each of them.

But I have to say that I am proud of the way that the ADA defends the integrity of its Journal. If that policy ever changes, you’ll need to find a new editor.