Magazine R341

because people tend to associate designed to address the social problem My Word their co-authored papers to him only, of non- distinctive author in a problem exacerbated by the student science communication. Suppose I saw sharing the same last as another a poster at a conference, and a week For your name’s Chinese author, better known in the later I mention it to colleagues. It would same research community. be difficult to recall the multi- digit sake “Imagine how much harder it would ResearcherID number; I am surely be if your name was routinely confused more likely to say “I saw this interesting Li Zhaoping with several others. That often happens work by Andy Smith” than “here is an to researchers with Asian names…” interesting work by A-1234-5678”. One On Feb. 28, 2010, I searched for papers continues the Random Samples article. might also wonder if my colleagues authored by Smith J* on the ISI Web For example, the name “Lixin Wang” could in turn remember this eight of Knowledge and obtained 38,026 is a transliteration of at least 1600 digit ID number when chatting to their results; a search using Wang X* gave possible Chinese names [2]. I applaud colleagues even later. 57,792 results. the American Physical Society for Of course, in this internet publishing letting authors with Chinese, Japanese, age, I can simply publish the list of my Science is a community enterprise in or Korean names include the Asian publications on my webpage so that which individual scientists contribute characters on papers in the society’s others can trace all my publications, to, and draw from, the collective effort journals, but this does not help those even those by “Z. Li” or on seemingly and knowledge. A contribution can only unable to read Asian characters and unrelated subjects. This webpage have an impact if it can be accessed these characters cannot yet be used to solution does not help that shy Chinese by scientists, and in this age search most useful databases. Ph.D. student so much, who is still at of information explosion, the access The Annual Meeting of Society a stage in his career when people are had better be easy! A recent informal for Neuroscience regularly attracts unlikely to notice him enough to look survey of 123 researchers found that more than 25,000 attendees. My for his webpage. author name (often combined with a friends used to find it difficult to find A perfect solution is yet to be found, rough date of the research work) is my presentations, since the meeting though hopefully progress will be the most frequently used information program book usually includes many faster when we are more aware of the ‘handle’, with more than three quarters presentations sharing my author name problem. I hope this will also increase of the respondents employing this to “Z Li”, as “Li” is also a very common awareness of related problems, such as look up — for example, in databases Chinese . I therefore decided when a single author has his/her name or using search engines — or tell to use the pen name “Li Zhaoping” appearing in different ways in different colleagues about a piece of work they (leaving my unchanged), databases. For example, the name have heard or seen. Good luck finding with the apparent surname “Zhaoping”, Müller could appear as Miller, Muller, a particular paper by Dr X Wang — or which is actually the way the name is Miller or Mueller. Many databases do worse yet, Dr Wang without the first communicated in Chinese in any case. not allow searches of European names initial — if you have forgotten other I am recommending this solution to with umlauts or accents, and many useful handles, such as a distinctive my Chinese colleagues, noting that my researchers are from countries not subject keyword, that can be used newer publications can now be easily using such diacritical marks and find to retrieve it. If this paper has only a searched for in databases by author them difficult to remember. Variations single author, and this author has such name. Unfortunately, many journal and and uncertainties in the transliteration a non-distinct common name, 43% of database publishers tend to “help” me and pronunciation of non-English the surveyed researchers reported that by editing my pen name “Li Zhaoping” names also cause problems. If a they would be less likely even to look into “Z. Li” or “Z.P. Li”. Apparently some speaker mentions a nice work by “King up or communicate the paper. journals and databases have a policy, Sung”, most people may not know that “Earning a name for yourself in which some authors have strongly they may have to use the spelling “Qing science can be a struggle” began advocated [3], of editing Chinese Xiang” to look up the work. Worse yet, a recent Random Samples article names to keep the family name last. what can be a good solution for author in Science [1]. Scientists’ careers Fortunately, Thomson Reuters allow me John Smith, or Robert Zhang when depend not only on the impact of their to correct their mistakes in editing my some Asians anglicize their names after published works, but also on their pen name. moving to the West? name recognition. If an author whose ResearcherID (www.researcherid. name is not distinctive is a co-author com) is a system introduced by References on a paper with someone having a Thomson Reuters (who run the ISI 1. Burton, K.W., ed. (2008). One Wei or Another [in Random Samples]. Science 319, 881. more distinctive name, and if their family of databases) in January 2008 2. Wang, L. (2008). Lost in transliteration. Science paper is retrieved or communicated to assign a researcher a unique 320, 745. by author name, 46% of the survey number, like a telephone number, as 3. Cheng, T.O. (2009). Chinese variation in medical publications: Implications respondents reported that they an . This system should make for information retrieval. Int. J. Cardiol., epub would be more likely to use the more it easier to find whole series of papers ahead of print. 4. Enserink, M. (2009). Are you ready to become a distinctive author name, while only 8% by a single researcher, especially number? Science 323, 1662–1664. reported a preference to use the more papers by authors having non-distinct common author name. A colleague told names or those who have changed Computer Science, University College me that his shy Chinese PhD student names or affiliations during their London, Gower St, London WC1E 6BT, UK. is not as recognized as he should be, careers [4]. However, this idea is not E-mail: [email protected]