Oxford University Press To Discontinue Publication Of China-Sponsored Journal
The research conducted through FSR has been regularly featured by OUP since 2023.
Oxford University Press (OUP) has decided to discontinue the publication of an academic journal sponsored by China's Ministry of Justice after 2025. Forensic Sciences Research (FSR), in an official statement, revealed that the move came considering concerns regarding unethical DNA collection practices cited in some of its published papers.
OUP has confirmed that it will no longer publish the quarterly journal on its platform. The research conducted through FSR has been regularly featured by OUP since 2023. The FSR works under China's Academy of Forensic Science, which describes it as 'the only English quarterly journal in the field of forensic science in China that focuses on forensic medicine."
According to reports, serious questions have been raised about how several papers published in FSR collected data from Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities in China. Critics suggest that it is highly likely the genetic data was obtained without proper consent from the individuals involved. Moreover, it is suspected that this data may have been gathered to enhance state surveillance of minority populations in the country.
An official statement by FSR confirmed the development, stating, 'Forensic Sciences Research will no longer be published by Oxford University Press (OUP) after the 2025 volume. The last issue published by OUP will be Volume 10, Issue 4." Going forward, the journal will be published by KeAi, Elsevier's co-publishing partner in China. Meanwhile, OUP has declined to provide a specific explanation for the termination of its contract with FSR.
So far, OUP has already withdrawn at least two papers involving the study of DNA samples from Chinese minority groups. According to The Guardian, one of the studies, published in 2020, collected DNA samples from 264 Uyghur individuals. Although the paper claims the data was collected with participants' consent, critics have challenged this assertion. Notably, the lead author of the study is affiliated with China's state security apparatus. While OUP issued an 'expression of concern" regarding the article in 2024, it did not retract it.
The Chinese government is already under global scrutiny for its treatment of Uyghurs and other ethnic minority communities. Concerns include allegations of human rights abuses, mass incarceration, forced labour, sexual assault, and intense state surveillance.
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