Critics of Google Scholar say it subjects trans academics and researchers to deadnaming, the unwelcome and even traumatic mention of a transgender person’s name from before they transitioned.
Google declined to comment on that bug report or the course of action a researcher should take to change a name if a publisher no longer exists. Google spokesperson Joshua Cruz describes Scholar as a search engine that indexes and reflects papers as they are published on the web. “Google Scholar’s goal continues to be to make it possible for all researchers worldwide to highlight their research contributions for their colleagues to discover and learn from,” Cruz says.
However, Cruz says an author’s deadname will continue to appear in search results until the publisher updates the original document and Google algorithms later crawl that document. Cruz says that can prevent hostile actors from imitating a researcher. To speed up name changes in Google Scholar search results, publishers like the Association for Computing Machinery and ScienceDirect can notify Google that it should crawl a work again to pick up the changes.
Trans researchers told WIRED that Google Scholar policy, which relies on publishers to make name changes, can go wrong, and requires them to repeatedly out themselves to colleagues. Name changes haveto issue correction notices in the past, an outcome that can lead peers to question whether the author engaged in bad science. Should a journal require approval by coauthors to change a name, the disapproval or death of a coauthor can block the change, preventing any update on Google Scholar.
People change their names for many reasons, including divorce, religion, or to avoid mispronunciation of an unfamiliar name. A name change can be particularly precarious for academics because citations to work published under a name can be like currency, used by peers and managers to follow and judge the worth of a person’s work.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Immortal jellyfish genes identified that may explain their long livesThe immortal jellyfish employs a genetic sidestep to best the march of time. Its secrets may help scientists gain insights into human ageing and age-related conditions.
Read more »
Apple thinks it's so far ahead of Samsung and Google, it... stopped innovating with iPhone 14?!In a historic break from tradition, the iPhone 14 will look, feel and be practically identical to the iPhone 13. Is this just Apple being arrogant or should we read between the lines?...
Read more »
Prostate cancer: Pioneering research at Queen's University BelfastQueens University Belfast researchers are the first to examine patients' genes to determine treatment.
Read more »
The Public Wants Scientists to Be More Involved in Policy DebatesResearchers worry about being branded as partisan, but people want to hear from experts
Read more »
New aluminum-sulphur battery developed to lower cost of energy storageResearchers have developed a new kind of battery, made entirely from abundant and inexpensive materials.
Read more »