Advertising policy

The integrity and credibility of DNS and its members shall be the overriding consideration in all advertising. It is in the best interest of both DNS and the advertiser to ensure that doctorsNS remains a trusted and credible source of information for physicians.

Advertising will be accepted only as it doesn’t impede the following core principles:

• Editorial independence
• Institutional integrity
• Consistency with the association’s mission, vision and values and the DNS Endorsement Policy

This advertising policy is applied by the association to ensure adherence to these core principles. Doctors Nova Scotia may change this policy at any time at its sole discretion by posting and dating a revised policy on doctorsNS.com.

10a. Advertising eligibility

Doctors Nova Scotia uses the following guidelines to determine if a company or organization is eligible to advertise in doctorsNS.

• Organizations or companies may advertise in doctorsNS.
• Preference is given to advertising that’s relevant to medical practice, medical education, professional development, healthy living or health-care delivery. The advertisers in question must not compete directly with DNS or its affiliates or their subsidiary companies.

 Doctors Nova Scotia – revised November 2017

• Advertising must be factually accurate, must not be misleading and must be in good taste.
• Advertising from organizations that manufacture or promote products or services such as tobacco, alcoholic beverages, weapons, gambling or pornography, or products that violate association policy, are not eligible.
• Advertising from organizations that manufacture or promote alternative health treatments, for
• example medical marijuana, may not list treatable conditions in their advertising.
• Advertisers will not determine specific editorial content or in any way influence editorial or the content decisions of doctorsNS.
• Doctors Nova Scotia reserves the right of final approval of all advertising in doctorsNS and the right to refuse or terminate any advertisement in its sole and entire discretion.

10b. Review process

• All new advertisements will be reviewed by the editorial board prior to publication.
• We reserve the right of final approval and the right to refuse any advertisement based on the editorial policy and eligibility requirements outlined above.
• All advertising should meet the appropriate standards for advertising of that product or service under all applicable Canadian laws and the Canadian Code of Advertising Standards.

10c. Placement

Advertisements for products and services may be placed adjacent to editorial content on the same topic in doctorsNS, provided there is no reasonable inference of a commercial connection or relationship between the product or service being advertised, the manufacturer or provider of those products or services, and the editorial content.

10d. Sponsored content

Sponsored content represents a partnership between doctorsNS and select third-party organizations to present themed content, or “advertorial.” In determining the type and format of advertorials that run in doctorsNS, the editorial board refers to the Advertising-Editorial Guidelines established by Magazines Canada and by the policies set forth by the DNS Advertising Policy (above) and Endorsement Guidelines.