AAS Name-Change Policy

In April 2021, the AAS adopted a new name-change policy for its research journals. The policy covers changes to names, pronouns, author photographs, and contact details. People change their name for a variety of reasons, including gender identity, marriage, divorce, or a change in religion. In many cases, particularly for trans and non-binary authors, changing names needs to be approached with discretion and sensitivity. Respecting authors’ right to privacy is a key tenet, with assurance of full confidentiality and the option to change a name with or without a public notice. The new policy offers a simple and seamless approach, with no requirement to disclose the reason for the request nor the need to provide proof of a legal name change.

To request a name change in the Astronomical Journal, Astrophysical Journal, Astrophysical Journal Letters, Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series, Planetary Science Journal, or Research Notes of the AAS, please contact namechange@aasjournals.org.

What does this mean in practical terms?

AAS will honor requests by updating the following:

a. Metadata for all content, current and legacy (print edition scans prior to 1995 hosted at ADS)

b. HTML only for 1995-2007

c. HTML and PDF for 2007 going forward

We offer the following advice for authors who change their names in AAS journals: Make sure that you are registered with ORCID, as your unique ORCID number will identify you independent of your name.

  • Note that changing your name with the AAS journals does not guarantee that the change will propagate to the broader universe of article and author databases.
  • Accordingly, we recommend that if you change your name with us, you also contact the SAO/NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS) and any other journals in which you’ve published articles to ensure that your name change is known more widely.