Emerald Publishing supports researcher freedom to change their name on published articles

In a further move towards more equitable publishing practices, Emerald Publishing has launched an author name change policy that gives authors the freedom to change their name on a published article for any reason. This means that if an author wishes to change their name on a published article, the company will wholeheartedly support their request, without question and respecting every individual’s right to privacy.

As a publisher, Emerald is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion and championing the power of diverse voices, and as such they are constantly looking for ways to make positive changes that remove obstacles for authors. Historically, if an author wanted to change their name for any reason, such as gender identity, religious conversion, marriage or divorce, there was no clear way of requesting this update. This move will allow authors’ personal lives to be kept private, and not be subject to questioning as to the reason for their request. The new policy includes making adjustments to pronouns as well as name changes to support trans authors. To ensure changes to research accurately represent their authors, Emerald will only make changes requested directly from the author themselves.

Vicky Williams, Emerald Publishing CEO explained “We’re pleased to launch this new name change policy; it is something we have felt strongly about for a long time, as we understand what this means to people who have struggled to have their identity accurately represented across their research. So effective immediately, if an author comes to Emerald and requests their name to be changed, we will support them in making the change happen as simply and effectively as possible, with no questions asked. We have fully considered the potential implications to discoverability and impact as a result of retrospective name changes, and as a result, we will endeavour to ensure that the name change is carried across all Emerald material related to the author, and we will provide an updated version of the article to our third parties.”

Vicky also spoke of how important changes like this are in creating inclusion for all within the academic and wider community saying, “This change has been long overdue and something we wholeheartedly support in order to create more equitable and healthier publishing practices.  This is just one way we can help to ensure that outdated and unduly complicated practices no longer stand in the way.  The research landscape is changing, and Emerald as a progressive, innovative publisher wants to help lead the charge. When we talk about equity, this needs to be demonstrated through principles and practice, which we are very conscious of. We hope this policy will make a real difference to our authors.”

To read more about the policy please visit https://www.emeraldgrouppublishing.com/our-services/authors/author-policies/article-withdrawal-correction or get in touch with us as [email protected]

ENDS