Academic Publications: How to Update Name Attribution After a Change

For most people, a name change involves updating a passport and a bank card. For academics and researchers, the stakes are significantly higher. Your name is your brand, your history, and your currency. Your h-index, your citation count, and your funding eligibility are all tied to the name at the top of the paper.

If you change your name—whether for gender transition, marriage, or personal preference—you face a difficult question: "Do I abandon my past work, or do I live with a fragmented record?"

At UK Name Change, we understand that for researchers, a name change is a professional risk. However, the academic landscape is shifting. Here is how to manage your identity in the world of publishing.

1. The "Invisible" Link: ORCID

If you take nothing else from this guide, take this: Update your ORCID iD immediately.

ORCID (Open Researcher and Contributor ID) is the industry standard for disambiguating authors. It is a persistent digital identifier that follows you regardless of your name.

• The Fix: Log in to your ORCID record and update your "Display Name."
• The Bridge: You can list your previous name under "Also known as" (if you are comfortable doing so). This ensures that search algorithms (like Scopus or Web of Science) can mathematically link your old papers to your new profile, preserving your h-index without you having to cite your deadname manually.

2. Retroactive Name Changes on Papers

Historically, journals refused to change names on published papers, treating them as immutable historical records. This caused immense distress, particularly for trans scholars who were effectively "outed" by their bibliography.

The Good News: This has changed dramatically in recent years. Many major publishers have adopted inclusive name change policies.

The New Standard (COPE Guidelines)

The Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) now supports invisible name changes. Major publishers like Nature, Elsevier, Taylor & Francis, and Sage now allow authors to:

• Update their name on digital versions of past papers.
• Do so without a formal correction notice or erratum (avoiding public attention).
• Do so silently, meaning the old version is simply overwritten.

Action Step: Contact the editorial office of the journals where you have published. Ask for their "Author Name Change Policy." You will likely need to provide your Deed Poll as proof of the change.

3. Google Scholar and Indexing Services

Updating the journal website is step one. Step two is waiting for the crawlers.

Services like Google Scholar, Web of Science, and PubMed scrape data from publishers. Once the publisher updates the metadata on their site, these indices should eventually update. However, this can take months.

Tip for Google Scholar: You can manually edit your Google Scholar profile.

1. Log in to your profile.
2. Change your profile name.
3. Add your old papers to your new profile manually if the automatic link breaks.
4. Select "Merge" if the system creates a duplicate profile for your new name.

4. The "Hard" Copy Problem

You cannot change the physical journals sitting in university libraries. This is an unavoidable limitation. If you changed your name in 2024, a printed journal from 2018 will always carry your old name.

For this reason, many academics choose to use initials (e.g., J. Smith instead of John Smith) if they anticipate a change, or they rely heavily on their digital presence (ResearchGate, LinkedIn, University bio) to clarify the link: "Publications prior to 2024 were published under a previous name."

5. Managing Your Diploma and Thesis

Your PhD thesis is often your first major publication.

• The Thesis: Most UK universities now allow you to update the digital record of your thesis in the university repository (E-Theses Online Service - EThOS). Contact your university library's repository team.
• The Degree Certificate: As a graduate, you have the legal right to have your degree certificate re-issued in your new name (especially in cases of gender transition). You will need to send your Deed Poll to the university's Student Records department.

We Handle the Legal Foundation

Before you can approach Nature or your university, you need the legal proof. A Deed Poll is the key that unlocks these updates.

Our Complete Package (£29.99) provides the professional, legally recognised Deed Poll you need to prove your identity to editorial boards and university registrars. We also provide a digital dashboard to help you track which institutions you have notified.

Secure your professional legacy. Start your legal name change today.