Published papers are an important part of a researcher’s résumé. But for those who change their names partway through their careers, the disconnect between the old name and the new can lead to serious problems.
It is a hurdle for transgender scientists in particular, many of whom say that it is not only inaccurate when publishers fail to update their names on past work, but also hurtful and discriminatory.
On Wednesday, a group of laboratories and major scientific publishers announced an agreement that aims to simplify the process of applying new names to old papers, essentially by shifting much of the administrative labor from the researcher to the laboratory.