BEIJING, April 16 (WNM/Nature) - China’s government has started asserting tight control over COVID-19 research findings. A news article published by Nature (https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-01108-y) discusses emerging reports that the Chinese government is providing direct oversight of scientific publications related to COVID-19 research.

Over the past two months, it appears to have quietly introduced policies that require scientists to get approval to publish — or publicize — their results, according to documents seen by Nature and some researchers.

The article indicates that several documents issued by China’s Ministry of Education describe requirements for review and approval of prospective publications by university and government bodies—including the Joint Prevention and Control Mechanism, under China’s State Council—before they can be submitted for publication. According to the article, official documentation does not appear to be posted on relevant ministry websites.