How do I avoid maiden name confusion on my CV?

May 2, 2012 5:37 PM

How do I list publications on my CV that were under my maiden name?

All of my previous research was done under my maiden name, and I won't be pursuing research as a career in the future. I have a few publications under that name (and none under my new name) that need to go on my CV. Do I just stylize my maiden name bold in the citation without further explanation, or is a clarification required?

posted by kalanchoe to Writing & Language (8 answers total)

I would add a note at the top of the relevant section saying you had a legal name change in year X - no further explanation needed. If I were to read your CV, I would expect to be able to get all the relevant information without having pause and ponder why Jane Doe's name appeared in kalanchoe's CV.
posted by aroberge at 5:45 PM on May 2, 2012

Best answer: Title that section "PUBLICATIONS (all as Jane Doe):"

And even if you don't use the name professionally or personally, it's a good idea to put your name on your CV as "Jane Doe Kalanchoe" or "Jane (Doe) Kalanchoe."
posted by Etrigan at 6:00 PM on May 2, 2012 [8 favorites]

Or, by Jane Kalanchoe (formerly Doe)
posted by thinkpiece at 6:21 PM on May 2, 2012

Or also née.
posted by Matt Oneiros at 6:34 PM on May 2, 2012 [1 favorite]

Having been on many hiring committees reviewing CVs of people who changed their names for lots of reasons (marriage, divorce, religious conversion, just wanting a different name), I vote for what Etrigan suggests.

When you have more publications under your new name, it might be easiest to do something like this:

"The dynamics of an asteroid," Journal of Supervillain Studies, Fall 2012

"How a raven is like a writing desk," Ovoid Metaphysics, Spring 2011 (as Jane Doe)
posted by Sidhedevil at 6:53 PM on May 2, 2012

If you Google "Anne Dhu McLucas" + "CV", you'll find a pdf (that I am too dim to figure out how to link directly) of the CV of someone I know who has used two different names in her long and distinguished academic career.

She chose to flag that at the top of her CV, but I have encountered Etrigan's suggestion more often. I also think that Etrigan's solution is better suited for your case; Anne had published a number of books under her previous married name, so making the connection between the two names was a little more critical in this case.
posted by Sidhedevil at 6:57 PM on May 2, 2012

Response by poster: Thank you all so much! Your tips are much appreciated. I can imagine using any of these solutions at various points in my career.
posted by kalanchoe at 8:19 PM on May 2, 2012

This isn't unusual. People change their name when they emigrate, when they marry or just because. It won't be surprising.

It's a good plan to highlight your name in your publication list anyway, particularly with more than a couple co-authors. The easiest technique for as a reader I've found is an underline. Bold and italic are used by some citation styles, e.g., volume number and journal titles respectively. These forms tend to get lost in the text. You want your name to stand out, however you do it.
posted by bonehead at 8:10 AM on May 3, 2012