Readers often write to a bulletin, either to express their opinion or discuss technical issues. A bulletin may include a regular section with letters to the editor. Readers often welcome this approach. Even if you do not publish readers’ letters, for example, if your bulletin is too short to have the available space, you will need to reply to readers’ letters.

You may also receive letters of protest, for example from the drug industry and from opinion leaders close to the industry. Some bulletins make these letters public, together with the answers of the editorial team (e.g. la revue Prescrire on its web site: http://www.prescrire.org/) in order to stress the importance of transparency in scientific matters. Sometimes regulatory authorities also write when their decisions have been discussed in articles. In rare cases, bulletins have had legal action started against them (see Chapter 11). The editorial team should be prepared for these sorts of situations.