The scholarly record is designed to be permanent, which is normally its greatest virtue. For an author whose name has changed, permanence becomes a problem: every paper they have published continues to carry a name they no longer use. Marriage and divorce, religious or cultural change, a corrected transliteration, and gender transition all produce the same practical need — and for a long time the only available fix was a public correction notice announcing the change to the world.
Why the old approach failed
A correction notice is designed for errors: it is public, permanent and indexed. Applying that mechanism to a name change meant an author had to choose between an out-of-date record and a permanent public announcement of a private matter. For transgender authors in particular, that could mean being outed in a search result, indefinitely.
What better practice looks like
Publishers have increasingly adopted a different approach, sometimes called a silent or discreet name change:
- Update the article metadata and the PDF to the new name.
- Do not issue a public correction notice or otherwise flag the change.
- Push the updated metadata to Crossref so indexing services and reference managers follow.
- Do not require documentary proof such as a deed poll or court order — the request itself is sufficient.
- Do not require co-author consent, which would compel disclosure to colleagues.
Note the asymmetry with an ordinary correction: here the goal is that nobody notices, and the ethical case for that is straightforward.
Where your old name appears, and who can change it
A name change has to be requested in several places, because each record is maintained by someone different. The table shows who controls each one.
| Record | Who controls it | What to ask for or do |
|---|---|---|
| Article web page and PDF | The publisher | An updated byline in the HTML, the PDF and any XML version |
| Crossref metadata | The publisher, by redepositing the record | An updated contributor name on the same DOI |
| Your ORCID record | You | Update your name; list earlier names under "Other names" only if you want them visible |
| Your Google Scholar profile | You | Edit the profile name |
| Institutional repository copy | The repository team | A replacement file and an updated record |
| Preprint server copy | The server | Ask what its policy allows, since earlier versions may stay visible |
A repository often holds the accepted manuscript rather than the published PDF, so it is a separate file that the publisher cannot replace. Our guide to article versions explains the difference.
What a name change does not change
- The DOI stays the same. A DOI identifies the article, not its authors. The publisher updates the metadata attached to it, and links that use the DOI keep working.
- Other papers' reference lists stay as printed. Articles that cited you under your earlier name belong to other publishers, and their records will continue to show that name.
- The scientific content is untouched. Only the name is updated, which is why a correction notice is not needed.
The limits of what any publisher can do
A publisher controls its own version. Copies of the old PDF will persist in third-party databases, aggregator platforms, institutional repositories and personal folders, and cannot all be recalled. Updating Crossref metadata is what gives the change the widest reach, because many downstream services take their record from there. Ask explicitly for that step.
Protecting your record with ORCID
The most effective thing you can do in advance is to attach an ORCID iD to every submission. Because an iD is a persistent identifier for you rather than a string of characters that happens to be your name, your publication and citation record stays connected across any change of name, institution or field. Authors with common names benefit for the same reason.
ORCID allows one record per person. Keep your existing record and change the name on it. A second record would split your publication list in two, which is the problem the identifier exists to prevent.
How to request a change
Contact the editorial office of each journal, state the papers involved and the name you want displayed, and ask specifically: can this be done without a public correction notice, and will the Crossref metadata be updated? A publisher that handles this quietly, quickly and without demanding paperwork is telling you something reassuring about how it treats authors generally.
The steps in order
- List every article you want updated, with its DOI, grouped by journal.
- Update your ORCID record, so your identifier already shows the name you use.
- Send one request to each journal's editorial office, covering all your articles in that journal.
- Once the publisher confirms, check the record in the public metadata search offered by Crossref.
- Contact repositories and preprint servers separately.
A request you can adapt
Subject: Author name update — [article title]
Dear editorial office, I am an author of the following article in [journal]: [article title], DOI [10.xxxx/…]. My name has changed, and I would like the article to show [new name] in place of [earlier name]. Please update the article page, the PDF and the Crossref metadata. I ask that this is done without a public correction notice. My ORCID iD is [orcid id].
[new name]
Common errors and their fixes
- Asking only for a new PDF. If the metadata is not redeposited, indexes keep the earlier name. Ask for both in the same message.
- Checking once, too early. Downstream services refresh their copies on their own schedules. Check the Crossref record first, then the indexes you rely on.
- Submitting new work without an iD. Add your ORCID iD to every new submission, so papers under both names join up.
If you keep a Google Scholar profile, our guide to keeping a Google Scholar profile up to date shows how to change the name and affiliation on the profile you already have rather than starting a new one.
Updated 17 September 2026: We expanded this guide with a table of who controls each record, step-by-step instructions, a request template and common errors.