Editor—The BMJ asked my co-authors and me to complete a competing interests form only after our letter was published.1,2
Competing interest declaration: Many of the letter's authors practise, teach, lecture, consult, and do research on matters involving child abuse, including shaken baby syndrome. Some lecturers receive honorariums for their lectures, many of which are given to the lecturer's institution.
Some receive research funding for a variety of projects. Many have testified in civil and criminal courts, having been called in the main, though not exclusively, by departments of social services, families, prosecution, and defence. They are generally paid for their time.
Some serve on non-profit boards of organisations with concerns about child maltreatment, including shaken baby syndrome, and are not compensated for this service.
*** It is our policy to obtain a competing interest declaration before publication. In this case our oversight occurred because Professor Reece's letter did not come in the usual way via bmj.com and our checking mechanisms failed—editor
References
- 1.Reece RM. The evidence base for shaken baby syndrome. BMJ 2004;328: 1316-7. (29 May.) [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- 2.BMJ declaration of competing interests. Available at: http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/317/7154/291/DC1 (accessed 17 Sep 2004).