1. Cell Press stated that an independent investigation found no evidence supporting allegations that Steve Mao, editor in chief of Cancer Cell, one of the world's leading cancer-research journals, solicited or accepted bribes. The investigation, conducted by independent outside legal counsel, interviewed journal staff and editors, collected and examined internal and external communications, and analyzed editorial records and historical decision-making data. Investigators invited those making the allegations to provide supporting evidence but received none that substantiated the claims. The publisher said the investigation was conducted according to internationally accepted best practices and found no evidence. Rao Yi, who made the allegations, has not publicly disclosed factual evidence sufficient to substantiate them. [para. 1][para. 4][para. 5][para. 6][para. 8]
2. The findings did not end the dispute. Rao Yi renewed his challenge on Oct. 30, stating there was only one truth about whether Mao had solicited or accepted bribes, but two choices: Mao could resign or sue Rao for defamation. In an email exchange published by Rao, Mao (identified by Rao) called the allegations entirely false and baseless, demanded their immediate withdrawal, and said he had preserved all evidence and reserved all rights. [para. 2][para. 3][para. 7]
3. Rao began publishing a series of posts on Oct. 12 on his WeChat social media account, saying Chinese scientists had reported that editors at some international academic journals were soliciting and accepting bribes. He wrote that quite a few people had come forward, and that in some cases, editors and reviewers designated by those editors accepted bribes together. Payments primarily involved money, though other forms existed; amounts were substantial, far exceeding journals' normal fees, and were paid to individual editors rather than publishers. Rao cited a clinician who said that during a face-to-face meeting, an editor at an international journal had asked for 2 million yuan ($280,000). [para. 9][para. 10][para. 11][para. 12]
4. Rao subsequently published English-language correspondence with the editor, stating that multiple sources had identified the recipient as an example of an editor who demanded personal payments in connection with reviewing or publishing papers. After several posts that did not name the editor, Rao publicly identified Mao on Oct. 13 and urged Chinese scientists to organize a boycott, writing: "The first journal that should be boycotted is Cancer Cell, until Steve Mao resigns or is dismissed." [para. 13][para. 14][para. 15]
5. Cancer Cell is published by Cell Press, part of Elsevier, and is among the leading journals in oncology and cancer research. Its impact factor is 56.1. Elsevier publishes about 3,000 scientific journals, including The Lancet; last year, these journals received 4.2 million research-paper submissions and published 795,000 articles, accounting for 18% of research articles worldwide and 29% of citations. [para. 16][para. 17]
6. Mao has led Cancer Cell for about six years. He earned his undergraduate degree at Peking University's School of Life Sciences and a doctorate in cell biology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, followed by postdoctoral research at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory and Harvard University. He entered scientific publishing in 2012 as an editor at Cell, joined Science in 2017 (overseeing molecular biology, biotechnology, and synthetic biology, while also overseeing editorial activities in Asia, primarily China), became Cancer Cell's editor in chief in 2020, later became Cell Press's publishing director for life sciences and medicine, and in 2025 became director of editorial and strategic initiatives for China and the Asia-Pacific region. Based in Hong Kong, he works to strengthen ties with the region's rapidly expanding research community. [para. 18][para. 19][para. 20][para. 21]
7. Before Mao's appointment, Cancer Cell focused on groundbreaking original research in oncology; he broadened its scope to include not only discoveries in cancer biology but also translational and reverse-translational research, clinical oncology, and studies examining cancer as a systemic disease. Over the past five years, papers by Chinese researchers published in Cancer Cell have largely come from leading cancer hospitals in Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangdong. [para. 22][para. 23]
8. The dispute comes amid broader scrutiny of misconduct in biomedical research, a field long troubled by academic fraud. Competition for top research resources has prompted some prominent researchers to manipulate data to secure publication in prestigious journals, and publication requirements for clinicians seeking promotion have fueled industrial-scale "paper mills" that produce manuscripts using standardized templates. Since the beginning of this year, investigations by the science blogger "Geng Tongxue Jiang Gushi" have drawn widespread attention in China. Prominent researchers at several leading universities, including teams led by recipients of National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars awards, have faced allegations of falsifying papers published in Nature; the National Natural Science Foundation of China subsequently issued a series of notices on research-misconduct cases. A Nature investigation last year identified intense pressure to secure promotions and meet assessment requirements as a major driver of paper mills, particularly in countries emphasizing publication counts and records. Some researchers said that without using paper mills, they couldn't obtain scholarships, win promotions, or even keep their jobs. The investigation warned that unless deeper structural reforms ease publication pressure, the illicit trade in authorship will continue to find customers. [para. 24][para. 25][para. 26][para. 27][para. 28][para. 29][para. 30]
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