The International Society for Medical Publication Professionals (ISMPP), a not-for-profit organisation, has been supporting its members (anyone involved in the publication of medical research) since 2005. Its mission is to advance the medical publication profession globally through:

• enhanced integrity and transparency in medical publications
• improved standards and best practices
• education, advocacy, and professional collaborations.

These objectives are achieved through a variety of initiatives, including annual meetings, educational resources and publication of the Good Publication Practice (GPP) guidelines, which advocate ethical and transparent publication practices.

In 2011, the ISMPP also launched the ISMPP Code of Ethics, which sets out a series of ethical principles for good publication practice, serving as guidance for medical writers and communicators, publication planners, editors, and publishers. A revised version of the code has now been released. The 2016 ISMPP Code of Ethics aims to advance ethical best practices and engage a broader community, while incorporating pivotal professional guidelines that have been published since 2011 as well as changes in legal and regulatory requirements.

The ISMPP Code of Ethics will continue to be periodically updated to maintain its relevance and accurate representation of the ethical values of ISMPP and the medical publication profession.

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Summary by Louise Niven, DPhil from Aspire Scientific.