Vet Times Editorial Complaints Procedure

Veterinary Business Development Ltd (VBD) is committed to providing accurate and fair journalism in its publications and digital content. We take all complaints about editorial content seriously and adhere to the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO) Editors' Code of Practice.

This procedure applies to complaints about:

• Printed editorial content in VBD publications
• Digital content controlled by VBD in the UK, Channel Islands, and Isle of Man

Exclusions

This procedure does not cover complaints about:

• Taste/decency or due impartiality
• Advertising (regulated by the Advertising Standards Authority)
• User-generated content (material you or others post, not VBD)
• Books

• Clearly state you're making a formal complaint under our Editorial Complaints Procedure.
• Submit your complaint within 4 months of publication. For digital content, complaints are accepted up to 12 months from first posting.
• We consider complaints from:
  • Individuals directly affected by the issue
  • Representative groups impacted by a significant breach of the Editors' Code
  • Third parties seeking to correct a significant inaccuracy

Preferred Method:

• Email: Contact the relevant editor based on the publication (details below).
• Write: Send a letter to the editor at VBD, Olympus House, Werrington Centre, Peterborough PE4 6NA.

Editor's Contact Information:

• Veterinary Times:
  • Feature Content (print & online): paulimrie@vbd.co.uk
  • News Content (print & online): jameswestgate@vbd.co.uk
• VN Times: jameswestgate@vbd.co.uk or paulimrie@vbd.co.uk
• Veterinary Business Journal (VBJ): jameswestgate@vbd.co.uk

Phone: You can also call 01733 325522 and ask for the relevant editor.

Formal Complaints Require Written Documentation:

• State you're making a formal complaint under the Editorial Complaints Procedure.
• Clearly reference the publication, volume, issue, page number, article title, or web address of the content in question.
• Outline the nature of your complaint and how it breaches the IPSO Editors' Code.
• Provide any documents supporting your complaint.

Note: We reserve the right to reject complaints that:

• Show no breach of the Editors' Code.
• Are trivial, hypothetical, abusive, offensive, or insignificant.
• Are part of legal action.

• The relevant editor will investigate your complaint, aiming to acknowledge it within 5 working days.
• You agree to respond promptly to requests for additional information.
• We may provide one response for multiple complaints about the same issue.
• We strive to resolve your complaint within 28 days of receiving all necessary information.
• We treat all complainants with courtesy and respect, expecting the same in return.

If you're unhappy with our response or we miss the deadline, you can complain to IPSO. They offer a free complaints service for disagreements about potential breaches of the Editors' Code.

VBD reserves the right to update this policy to comply with IPSO regulations. Any complaints will be considered against the policy at the time of receiving your complaint