The following guidelines have been developed to govern funding for the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) Web sites. It is expected that these guidelines will change over time as the online environment continues to evolve. The AAFP plans to review these guidelines periodically to ensure that they are relevant and embody the goals and values of the AAFP as a membership organization.
Online Funding Guidelines
Introduction
Principles Governing Online Funding
General
- The AAFP upholds the principle that advertising and commercial support will not influence the content or design of its Web sites.
- The AAFP supports the American Medical Association Guidelines for Medical and Health Information on the Internet .
- For online activities that carry continuing medical education (CME) credit, the AAFP supports the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education Policies Governing Internet CME .
Advertising
The AAFP may accept advertising on certain sections of its Web sites. This includes banner advertisements and other forms of advertising. On www.aafp.org, ads may refer to the corporate entity or the disease state without mention of specific product names. On familydoctor.org, product names may be mentioned. Ads that include a specific product name must not be placed immediately adjacent to content on the same topic. Ad size and placement need to meet AAFP design standards. Pop-up ads will not be accepted.
Advertisements, whether banners or some other form, may link offsite to a commercial Web site, provided that the viewer is clearly informed with a buffer page containing the following message:
You are leaving the AAFP Web site. If you wish to leave the AAFP site, please click below. If you do not wish to leave, please click on the "back" button of your browser. This link is neither a guarantee nor an endorsement by the AAFP of the products or services offered or described on other Web sites.
Advertisements, whether banners or some other form, may link offsite to a commercial Web site, provided that the viewer is clearly informed with a buffer page containing the following message:
You are leaving the AAFP Web site. If you wish to leave the AAFP site, please click below. If you do not wish to leave, please click on the "back" button of your browser. This link is neither a guarantee nor an endorsement by the AAFP of the products or services offered or described on other Web sites.
Grants and Sponsorships
The AAFP will accept educational or general-support grants for specific sections of its Web sites, including educational programming and other Web activities that the AAFP deems are in congruence with its mission and objectives. All financial or material support for AAFP Web sites will be acknowledged and clearly indicated in the following ways:
Tagline Indicating Support
A standard tagline will be used on the first page of all supported sections of the AAFP Web sites, as follows:
- For CME activities, "This (section name) of (AAFP Web site) is supported in part by an educational grant from (company name)."
- For all other activities, "This section of (AAFP Web site) is supported in part by a grant from (company name)."
- On familydoctor.org, the tagline may read, "This section of (AAFP Web site) is supported in part by a grant from (company name), makers of (product name)."
The tagline will not make any claims for the product or service of the supporting company. Acknowledgment will also appear in the running foot of all pages in the sponsored section, except for CME programs as described below. This tagline will also appear on any materials the AAFP uses to publicize or support that specific online content.
For CME-accredited programs, no tagline will appear in the running foot of the content. Acknowledgment of the funding source will appear on the opening and closing screens of the program, and users will be required to enter the program through an opening page that has this information.
For CME-accredited programs, no tagline will appear in the running foot of the content. Acknowledgment of the funding source will appear on the opening and closing screens of the program, and users will be required to enter the program through an opening page that has this information.
Link to Supporting Company's Web Site
In addition to the aforementioned recognition, the supporting company may opt to have a link from the company's name in the tagline to an on-site "About Company" page or may link to the home page of the company's Web site through the intervening buffer page referred to in the "Advertising" section. For the aafp.org member site, the link from the buffer page must take the user directly to the home page of the supporting company's Web site or to an unbranded site. For familydoctor.org, the link may be to the home page of the supporting company's site, to an unbranded site, or to a product-specific site.
The supporting company may not prevent the viewer from returning to the AAFP Web site or other previously viewed screens, for instance by disabling the viewer's "back" button or by redirecting the viewer to a Web site the viewer did not choose to visit.
Other acknowledgments and disclosures may be required, as deemed necessary by the AAFP.
The supporting company may not prevent the viewer from returning to the AAFP Web site or other previously viewed screens, for instance by disabling the viewer's "back" button or by redirecting the viewer to a Web site the viewer did not choose to visit.
Other acknowledgments and disclosures may be required, as deemed necessary by the AAFP.
Other Policies of Note
- The supporting company may not use or refer to the AAFP name, seal, logos, or other AAFP proprietary materials on its Web site or in other materials without prior written approval from the AAFP.
- The AAFP retains the right, at its sole discretion, to decline any grant or to discontinue a link previously provided or accepted.
- The AAFP reserves the right to change its policy on funding for its Web sites at any time, with appropriate notice to current funders.
- The AAFP has established standards for the development of multimedia activities. to ensure that we produce top-quality, unbiased activities that meet the educational and informational needs of family physicians and their patients.
Approved 04/09/02; Updated 03/10/05
