Elsevier, a global leader in research publishing and information analytics, has launched a trans-inclusive policy for author name changes. This allows authors to retrospectively return to previously peer-reviewed articles of record and update them with their current names. Elsevier is committed to working with its partners to build a more inclusive research and health ecosystems.
A trans-inclusive policy for author name changes serves to redress the personal and professional risks that many trans researchers have faced when correcting their publication record. The global publisher is committed to making name changes: accessible, without placing unnecessary burdens on authors; comprehensive in their implementation across platforms; and invisible, to help protect authors from harassment, in accordance with the Committee on Publication Ethics Working Group's principles.
Upon request, Elsevier applies name updates directly to all versions of the published article on primary platforms such as ScienceDirect. These changes are also propagated to versions held across secondary platforms including Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed, and archives such as Portico. This policy represents a crucial step towards ensuring researchers are credited properly for their full body of published work, which is essential to their professional development.
Elsevier is assessing what further actions are needed to make the changes comprehensive, for example correcting citations in previously published Elsevier content which is more technically complex. The company is also extending a similar policy to authors who have changed their name for other personal reasons (e.g., marriage, divorce, or religious conversion).
Click here to read the original press release.
