The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) has updated its author name change policy to support the privacy of authors who decide to change their name on research previously published across the Science Journals. The new policy, which went into effect February 18, 2021, is designed to support the privacy of authors.
Authors may have occasion to change their names for multiple reasons. Recently, outreach by and on behalf of transgender scientists has impressed upon AAAS the importance of respecting authors' privacy and autonomy in correcting the scientific record. With this move, AAAS seeks to provide an inclusive research environment, which must be fostered in order for the publication and dissemination of excellent scientific research to continue.
At the Science Journals, authors are invited to email their name change requests to submit_help@sciencemag.org, providing citations to the papers where modifications are desired. Changes will be made to the stated papers - including in the acknowledgments section and in email addresses, in addition to in the primary author list. No notifications, either to co-authors or to the public, will be issued. The Science Journals will also work with Crossref to help ensure that future citations to related papers use the new name.
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