There are growing worries that academic publishers might not do enough to check that published research adheres to ethical standards. This is in response to the retractions of a 2019 study that used Xinjiang blood and saliva samples to analyze genetic data from Uyghur and Kazakh populations. Elsevier withdrew the study because the sample collection process lacked the required ethical approval.
There are now more papers on genetic data from Uyghurs and Kazakhs under ethical review, which raises more general concerns about research ethics in Xinjiang. Experts contend that these cases represent a larger problem of inadequate scrutiny in scientific research, which could have an impact on the advancement of surveillance technologies and human rights. Thermo Fisher, the manufacturer of the aforementioned DNA sequencing kit, stopped selling its products in Xinjiang in 2019.
The close examination of studies with Chinese minority populations, in particular Uyghurs has increased, exposing a notable discrepancy in study emphasis relative to population sizes. Publishers, according to critics, should be more watchful in responding quickly to ethical issues.
