Community guidelines

Please follow these guidelines to ensure that the comments on the site are appropriate and respectful to all. We may update these guidelines from time to time, so please read them before posting.

  1. Your views are welcome – please support them with evidence where possible.
  2. Once your comment is added, you are responsible for it. Please bear in mind how your comment could be perceived by others.
  3. Cite your sources and attribute quotes and paraphrased comments to their sources where appropriate.
  4. Stay focused on professional and scientific matters – this is a website about science, healthcare and pharmacy practice.
  5. If you have a personal connection to a story or topic, you should disclose your connection or perhaps not comment at all.
  6. Contribute new information to the discussion and avoid repeating what has already been said. If you find a factual error, politely point this out and we will endeavour to correct it at the earliest opportunity.
  7. You must not make or encourage comments that are defamatory, false or misleading; insulting, threatening or abusive; obscene or of a sexual nature; offensive, racist, sexist, homophobic or discriminatory against any religions or other groups.
  8. Comments are not a place to sell or promote products. Please contact the advertising team if appropriate.
  9. Please do not post essays or technical reports. The comments function is a tool for discussion.
  10. Do not infringe copyright. Posting copyright material without permission may be unlawful. If you want to discuss a particular paper, summarise it in your own words.
  11. Do not post inappropriate links. Please only post a link to another website if that page aligns with these guidelines and our terms.
  12. You must not recommend anything that undermines safe clinical practice.
  13. Do not violate someone else’s privacy – please remember this is a public forum.
  14. Comments that violate these community guidelines may be removed. If a comment is removed, whole posts or, when appropriate, whole threads may be taken down. Comments may also be removed for legal reasons when necessary. If your content has been removed, we will email you to notify you. You will also be informed if you have been suspended or banned from submitting further comments to the site.
  15. By commenting on our website you are authorising us to use your comments in other content.