Sir

I read with great interest and approval your policy (Nature 412, 751; 2001) requiring authors to disclose financial interests. This policy has been sorely needed for a long time, and I hope that other journals follow suit. My only caveat is with respect to your anticipation that “employers” will “police” the policy.

I recently attended a symposium chaired by two key university counsel from two leading US universities (one private, one state), and asked them what they and their institutions do to ensure that scientists disclose financial interests in publishing articles. The answer was a blank stare — they assumed that such interests are disclosed as appropriate and have no procedures or policies for ensuring that such disclosures occur.