The Working Group on Name Change Policy Working Group

Accessibility

Wed, 20 Jan 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Principle # 1 Name changes should be available to authors upon request without legal documentation, unnecessary barriers, burdens, or labor placed upon the author making the request. Many publishers struggle with the extent to which such a policy should require “proof” from the requesting author, and what the burden of proof should be. Publishers raise the concern that such a policy might be exploited and allow bad actors to engage in unethical or fraudulent behavior. Such fears are not based in evidence or precedent.

Comprehensiveness

Tue, 19 Jan 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Principle #2 Name changes should remove all instances of an author’s previous name from the records maintained and disseminated by the publisher. Due to the aforementioned risks of disclosure, publishers must take care to not retain public facing records of the author’s previous name in any venue. This includes, but is not limited to, metadata, archival digital documents authored by requesting author as well as works citing them, tables of content, acknowledgments, and other paratextual materials, website URLs, search engines, database entries, in text citations, and bibliographic entries.

Invisibility

Mon, 18 Jan 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Principle #3 Name changes should not draw attention to the gender identity of an author, nor create a clear juxtaposition between the current name and the previous name. Transgender people face significant discrimination, bias, and precarity as a consequence of their gender identity. Published works associated with a trans person’s previous name represent a direct threat to the safety and wellbeing of trans people, potentially exposing them to harm, including online harassment, employment discrimination, in-person assault, and even state sanctioned incarceration and violence in some regions.

Expediency & Simplicity

Sun, 17 Jan 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Principle #4 Name changes should be implemented in a timely manner, and with a minimum of bureaucratic overhead. The longer an incorrect name persists within the published record, the larger the potential burden to the publisher to correct that name. Erroneous citations will continue to accrue as new people are discovering and indexing the work under the incorrect name. Publishers should act swiftly to correct names as soon as they are made aware of the need for change.

Recurrence & Maintenance

Sat, 16 Jan 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Principle #5 Publishers should regularly audit and correct new instances of changed names in order to prevent ongoing dissemination of incorrect information. Due to the citation driven nature of academic publishing, a single, swift, silent, comprehensive effort to correct a trans author’s name is insufficient to prevent inadvertent disclosure and the associated risks and arms it carries. Once a name change has been implemented, publishers should be prepared for some degree of ongoing maintenance of their records to remove recurrences of the previous name.

Press

Wed, 13 Jan 2021 00:00:00 +0000

This section includes articles about the Working Group, press releases from publishers that cite us, and places where we’ve given interviews or quotes. Articles About the Working Group Sed efficitur nibh sed euismod dictum. Donec posuere, nisl a egestas dignissim, risus magna placerat tortor, quis tincidunt ipsum erat at nunc. Cras consectetur ex eget tortor fermentum mattis. Nullam sodales sed purus eget ornare. Vestibulum aliquam cursus odio vitae placerat. Etiam vel pharetra diam. Morbi molestie varius tincidunt.

Author Resources

Fri, 16 Oct 2020 00:00:00 +0000

This section includes links to the articles and editorials we’ve written, as well as email templates for reaching out to publishers Articles & Editorials Editorials Vestibulum aliquam cursus odio vitae placerat. Etiam vel pharetra diam. Morbi molestie varius tincidunt. Morbi molestie tortor vitae metus venenatis, ut fermentum nisl luctus. Aenean at condimentum lorem, rhoncus dapibus nibh. Donec et dui consequat ipsum ultrices tristique vitae vitae est. Articles Sed efficitur nibh sed euismod dictum.

Email Templates

Fri, 16 Oct 2020 00:00:00 +0000

This is a repository of email templates that can be used to contact publishers.

Publisher Resources

Fri, 16 Oct 2020 00:00:00 +0000

This section includes a Sample Policy, and any workflow template documents the Working Group develops. This section also includes a directory of publishers with name change policies, a link to those policies, and any relevant email addresses maintained by publishers for name change requests.

Sample Policy for Publishers

Fri, 16 Oct 2020 00:00:00 +0000

Sample Name Change Policy for Publishers