Changing my information in a published paper

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  p1How can I change my position/title that was mistakenly written in a published paper?p2
  p1If the paper has already been published, you can't. It's too late. Even if the print versions have not been printed, the electronic version will have been distributed, and it's not possible to issue a recall.p2p1If the issue is severe enough you could publish a corrigendum/erratum, for which you'd have to ask the journal.p2
  p1Allure is correct that a published paper is generally considered a permanent artifact that can't be retracted. This dates back to when it was printed and copied and sent out everywhere, so essentially updating it would be impossible.p2p1I think it is worth reflecting, though, on the future of scientific publication: today, the permanent artifact view is just not true, as any internet paper archive can easily publish updated versions while retaining the original history, and simply redirect everyone looking for the paper to the latest version of it. Some people may retain the original copy (saved as a PDF or printed somewhere), but the vast majority clicking on a link somewhere to your paper will get the updates.p2p1With that viewpoint in mind, depending on your field, I think it is worth at least trying to issue updates when there are errors in your paper. This is especially important for technical mistakes (e.g., a fix to a computation or calculation will make life easier for some poor grad student trying to find the error), but I think it may still be worthwhile for your case of wrong author information. What is certainly in your power:p2p1If your paper is published on arXiv or another preprint service, simply make the correction and publish a new version there.p2p1If you have posted the latest version of the paper on your website, again, simply make the correction and publish a new version there.p2p1If you have posted a the publication in a publications list on your website or CV, include a brief parenthetical: Mahmoud et. al, Paper Title, 2020, Important Journal. (Erratum: institution of last author is incorrect in official published version.)p2p1What may not be in your power is updating the official journal version, but you can always contact the editors to ask. I think that it is becoming more common to allow official updates and corrections (for example, there is growing social pressure to accommodate transgender author name changes). I do hope this trend continues.p2
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