How to List Author Names Using MLA Style

MLA formatting is a method of giving credit to authors, scholars and artists whose work you have used or referred to over the course of writing a research paper or other, longer-term investigative project. It is very important to cite this source material because this shows where you got the information upon which you based your conclusions and also prevents you from being accused of plagiarism, the act of directly or indirectly taking credit for another person's written or published work. MLA style has a very specific design for "Works Cited" pages, often called bibliographies in other citation styles, that includes special rules for listing authors and organizing them in the most user-friendly design possible. Read on to learn more about how to list author names using MLA style.

Things You'll Need

  • All the author's names
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Instructions

    • 1

      Include first and last name and middle initial whenever possible. On an MLA Works Cited page, all primary authors names should be listed last name, first name and middle initial. If you do not have all of this information, then include as much as possible. For example, Leslie Joanne Liptly should be written Liptly, Leslie J. because you have more than enough information to fill all requirements. A. Tyson, however, must be recorded as Tyson, A.

    • 2

      Leave out titles. Professional titles like Doctor, Professor or Saint should not be included. Nor should degrees.Therefore, Dr. Jonathan Pitten, PhD., will be listed simply as Pitten, Jonathan.

    • 3

      Include name suffixes. These include additions such as Jr., Sr. and III. For example, Professor Lincoln P.Strafford, Sr. will appear as "Strafford, Lincoln P., Sr."

    • 4

      Alphabetize the entire list. The list should be alphabetized by the last name of the primary author whenever possible. Sources with no known author should be included in the list in the order determined by the first letter of the first main word in the title. For example, if your authors are Logan Yipman, Pansy Letby and Marjorie Hannon and you have a source without an author called "When I Lived With Turtles," the your list would look like this: Hannon, Marjorie. Letby, Pansy. "When I Lived With Turtles." Yipman, Logan.

    • 5

      List solo author entries first. If you have multiple sources with the same author, list the sources that the author created alone first. For example, Lester Manley authored one article, "Pleasing the Peanut," alone and wrote one book, _Peanuts in America_, with Angie Mooring, then Manley's entries should look like this: Manley, Lester. "Pleasing the Peanut." (the rest of the citation should be inserted here) Manely, Lester, and Angie Mooring. _Peanuts in America_. (the rest of the citation should be inserted here)

    • 6

      List multiple works by the same author immediately under the author's first entry with three hyphens replacing the author's name. For example, if Kimberly Hummer wrote three articles, "Growing Cherries in a Dry Climate," "Adaptive Processes of the Japanese Cherry Tree," and "Cherry Pie for Everyone," then her entries should look like this: Hummer, Kimberly. "Adaptive Processes of the Japanese Cherry Tree." (the rest of the citation should be inserted here) ---. "Cherry Pie for Everyone." (the rest of the citation should be inserted here) ---. "Growing Cherries in a Dry Climate." (insert the rest of the citation here)

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