diff --git a/app/models/author.rb b/app/models/author.rb
index 1d0bd52af..ab2220379 100644
--- a/app/models/author.rb
+++ b/app/models/author.rb
@@ -38,11 +38,15 @@ def institution
     Settings.HARVESTER.INSTITUTION.name
   end
 
-  # indicates if the LastName, FirstInitial form for this user is ambiguous within our author database and there are no alternate identities
+  # indicates if the LastName, FirstInitial form for this user is ambiguous within our author database (including any alternate identities that include Stanford as an insitution)
+  #  also checks to see if there are alternate identities with institutions other than Stanford, which is problematic, and should be considered ambiguous
   def ambiguous_first_initial?
     return true unless first_name && last_name
     first_initial_not_unique = self.class.where('preferred_first_name like ? and preferred_last_name = ?', "#{first_name[0]}%", last_name).where(active_in_cap: true, cap_import_enabled: true).size > 1
-    (first_initial_not_unique || !author_identities.empty?)
+    author_identities_not_unique = author_identities.map do |author_identity|
+      (!author_identity.institution.blank? && !author_identity.institution.include?('Stanford')) || self.class.where('preferred_first_name like ? and preferred_last_name = ? and id != ?', "#{author_identity.first_name[0]}%", author_identity.last_name, author_identity.author_id).where(active_in_cap: true, cap_import_enabled: true).size > 1
+    end
+    (first_initial_not_unique || author_identities_not_unique.include?(true))
   end
 
   # @return [Array<Integer>] ScienceWireIds for approved publications
diff --git a/spec/factories/author.rb b/spec/factories/author.rb
index 0cb204578..69643f997 100644
--- a/spec/factories/author.rb
+++ b/spec/factories/author.rb
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@
     university_id { FactoryBot.generate(:random_id) }
     california_physician_license { FactoryBot.generate(:random_string) }
     active_in_cap { true }
+    cap_import_enabled { true }
     email { 'alice.edler@stanford.edu' }
     official_first_name { 'Alice' }
     official_last_name { 'Edler' }
@@ -39,6 +40,23 @@
     emails_for_harvest { 'alice.edler@stanford.edu' }
   end
 
+  factory :author_duped_last_name, parent: :author do
+    sunetid { FactoryBot.generate(:random_id) }
+    cap_profile_id { FactoryBot.generate(:random_id) }
+    university_id { FactoryBot.generate(:random_id) }
+    california_physician_license { FactoryBot.generate(:random_string) }
+    active_in_cap { true }
+    cap_import_enabled { true }
+    email { 'alice.edler@stanford.edu' }
+    official_first_name { 'Albert' }
+    official_last_name { 'Edler' }
+    official_middle_name { '' }
+    preferred_first_name { 'Albert' }
+    preferred_last_name { 'Edler' }
+    preferred_middle_name { '' }
+    emails_for_harvest { 'albert.edler@stanford.edu' }
+  end
+
   factory :inactive_author, parent: :author do
     active_in_cap { false }
   end
diff --git a/spec/models/author_spec.rb b/spec/models/author_spec.rb
index 1bb8277da..cfb8a818b 100644
--- a/spec/models/author_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/models/author_spec.rb
@@ -30,16 +30,28 @@
   end
 
   describe '#ambiguous_first_initial?' do
-    it 'confirms ambiguous first initial' do
-      subject.update_from_cap_authorship_profile_hash(auth_hash)
-      expect(subject.author_identities.size).to eq(2) # has alternate identities
-      expect(subject.ambiguous_first_initial?).to eq(true) # thus cannot search with first initial
-    end
-    it 'confirms non-ambiguous first initial' do
+    it 'confirms non-ambiguous first initial within stanford with no alternate identities' do
       odd_name = create :odd_name
       expect(odd_name.author_identities.size).to eq(0) # has no alternate identities
       expect(odd_name.ambiguous_first_initial?).to eq(false) # and no other odd names likes this at stanford, so ok to search with first initial
     end
+    it 'confirms non-ambiguous first initial within stanford with stanford only alternate identities' do
+      subject.update_from_cap_authorship_profile_hash(auth_hash)
+      expect(subject.author_identities.size).to eq(2) # has alternate identities
+      expect(subject.ambiguous_first_initial?).to eq(false) # ok, because all of the alternate identities are stanford or no institution, and no other first name ambiguity
+    end
+    it 'confirms ambiguous first initial within stanford with no alternate identities' do
+      create :author_duped_last_name
+      expect(subject.author_identities.size).to eq(0) # no alternate identities
+      expect(subject.ambiguous_first_initial?).to eq(true) # yes, because we now have another stanford author with the same last name and same first initial
+    end
+    it 'confirms ambiguous first initial even when non ambiguous within Stanford due to a non-Stanford alternate identity existing' do
+      author_with_alternate_identities = create :author_with_alternate_identities
+      expect(author_with_alternate_identities.author_identities.size).to eq(1) # alternate identities for primary author
+      expect(author_with_alternate_identities.author_identities.first.institution).not_to be blank? # alternate institution is not empty
+      expect(author_with_alternate_identities.author_identities.first.institution.include?('Stanford')).to be false # alternate institution is not Stanford
+      expect(author_with_alternate_identities.ambiguous_first_initial?).to eq(true) # yes, because even though there are no other stanford authors with similar names, they have a non-Stanford alternate identity
+    end
   end
 
   describe '#first_name' do