Cell Press, one of the world’s leading scientific publishers, has launched an investigation after prominent Chinese biologist Rao Yi accused the editor-in-chief of a top medical journal of soliciting bribes from mainland authors.
“Several important international academic journals have seen editors, and even editors-in-chief, soliciting and accepting bribes,” said Rao, a tenured chair professor at Peking University who stepped down as president of Capital Medical University last year, in a social media post last Tuesday.
“Chinese scientists should collectively boycott such editors,” he added.
Rao’s post singled out Steve Mao, the Chinese-born editor-in-chief of Cancer Cell – a peer-reviewed medical journal published by Cell Press – in the bribery allegation.