Author of comment:
Deborah K. Mayer, PhD, RN, AOCN, FAAN
Associate Professor
Editor, Clinical Journal of Nursing
Email: dmayer@unc.edu

I am the current Editor of the Oncology Nursing Society's Clinical Journal of Nursing, which was cited in your article. I did want to follow-up about our previous policy not to accept articles with medical writers. That policy has now been changed to accept sponsored articles, but to be transparent about any support offered. This change in policy was based on concerns that the original policy could cause the problem to go 'underground' and become invisible to the reader. In addition, I do believe that if medical writers follow well established guidelines, they have an appropriate place in contributing to the literature. It is when this contribution and the funding source are invisible that problems arise. A forthcoming editorial ('Writing for Hire') in the April issue of the Clinical Journal of Nursing will provide further clarification on our policy regarding medical writing assistance.