How to change corresponding author of my published papers?

Question

I have few publications in which my previous supervisor (X) is the corresponding author and I am the first/lead author. However, he passed away few months before.

Recently I got to know that a reader of one my paper had emailed to X for some explanations, but the reader did not get any response because X is no more.

The reader and me accidentally met in an academic conference, where he came to know that I am the lead author of that paper and cleared his doubts from me.

So I am wondering is it possible to change the corresponding author of those published papers? May I request to the editor in chief to change it?

Answer 1

I do not know whether it is possible to change the corresponding author, but I suspect it is not something journals do as they are reluctant to change published articles.

To reduce the issue, however, you could improve the online profile of the article:

• Have a Google Scholar profile, so someone interested in the article has a link to your profile
• Similarly, you could have a Research Gate profile and an Orcid number
• Have a professional website

In this context, someone with a question about the article can easily find you, if they do not receive an answer from the corresponding author. Yes, it is less direct than corresponding author, but I think it is the best you can do.