Image: Screenshots of a retraction notice by Elsevier on the ScienceDirect platform for several articles published in the journal Clinics and Research in Hepatology and Gastroenterology.
Elsevier Retracts Eight Chinese Transplant Papers
Click HERE to view the retraction notice
10 October, 2025: Publisher Elseiver has retracted eight publications on Chinese transplant research from the journal Clinics and Research in Hepatology and Gastroenterology upon identification of potential ethical breaches identified by a 2019 scoping review by Rogers et al. in BMJ Open “Compliance with ethical standards in the reporting of donor sources and ethics review in peer-reviewed publications involving organ transplantation in China: a scoping review“.
The scoping review had concluded that 445 Chinese papers reporting research on Chinese transplant recipients failed to comply with international professional and ethical standards in banning publication of research using material from executed prisoners. The review called for retraction of these literature pending investigation of individual papers.
A letter sent to the journal editors (including at Elseiver) by ETAC prompted for the retraction of the identified papers published, stating: “… The transplantation of organs procured from executed prisoners is widely condemned by bodies including WHO, the World Medical Association, The Transplantation Society, Amnesty International and the Declaration of Istanbul. Papers identified in Rogers et al.’s scoping review, including the one/s published in your journal, breached this international ethics guidance by publishing research that appears to have used material and data derived from executed prisoners.”
Retraction Watch notes:
A representative from Elsevier confirmed the retractions in CRHG were the result of the organization contacting the journal in August 2023, which was when Elsevier first learned of the issue, the representative said. The “impacted journals promptly initiated an ethics investigation into the relevant publications,” the representative said, but noted “editorial decisions, including whether to retract, are made independently by each journal’s Editor-in-Chief.”
“The broader investigation remains ongoing,” the spokesperson wrote.
To date, there has been 44 papers retracted by various publishers in response to the scoping review. ETAC commends the journals for these retractions and their commitment to uphold the ethical standards of transplant research, and urges the remaining papers also be retracted.
The Global Rights Compliance Legal Advisory Report and Policy Guidance include information relevant to a range of stakeholders, where highlighted principles for medical journals include ensuring informed consent by donors and the appropriate acceptance of research with transparent and traceable source of organs or tissues (or retraction of research papers failing to demonstrate this).
