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Updated: Jun 24, 2026
05:02
Comparing Bibliometric Analysis Using PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science Databases
Published on: October 24, 2019
Does it mean anything if your own name is wrong in your published paper?
1Institute for Clinical Research and Health Policy Studies, Tufts Medical Center, 800 Washington St., Box 63, Boston, MA 02111, USA. ttrikalin@mac.com
Summary
Many scientific journals have errors in author names, with corrections often delayed. This study highlights potential issues with manuscript proofreading and errata submission in academic publishing.
Area of Science:
- Bibliometrics
- Scholarly Publishing
- Scientific Communication
Background:
- Journals require authors to proofread manuscripts and submit errata for corrections.
- This study investigates errors in author name lists within published scientific papers.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the frequency and correction rates of author name errors in scientific publications.
- To explore the relationship between journal impact factor and the occurrence/correction of author name errors.
- To examine the implications of author name errors for overall manuscript accuracy.
Main Methods:
- PubMed database query for swapped author forenames and surnames.
- Analysis of 113 papers with author name errors across 101 journals.
- Comparison of errata submission rates and correction times between high and low impact factor journals.
- Control analysis using errata from top general medical journals (1996-2008).
Main Results:
- 113 papers with author name errors were identified from 101 journals.
- Only 20 (approx. 17.7%) had author names corrected via errata, with a median delay of 6.5 months.
- Correction times were significantly shorter for journals with higher impact factors (P=0.015).
- Top general medical journals had 3.4% of errata for name corrections, compared to 18.1% in the studied journals.
Conclusions:
- Significant errors in author names occur in scientific literature, with infrequent and delayed corrections.
- Higher journal impact factor may correlate with more timely correction of author name errors.
- These egregious errors may indicate broader issues with manuscript proofreading and suggest potential for other undetected inaccuracies.
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