The author is the person or group of persons that created a source.
You may notice that instead of a person as an author, the author may be a corporation, organization, or government agency. Also, editors are sometimes listed in the author element because they are the person responsible for compiling the works of others into a single publication.
One author
Last name, first name.
Example: Angelou, Maya.
Two authors
Last name, first name, and First name Last name. (Order as listed on the source.)
Example: Kilmeade, Brian, and Don Yaeger.
Three or more authors
Last name, first name, et al. (Include the name of the first author listed. Et al means "and others.")
Gouveia, Sidney, et al.
No author/creator listed
Skip this part of the citation and start with the title of the source. Do not list the author as "Anonymous."
An editor (as the creator of a work)
For one editor, list their name, last name first, followed by editor. (For works with more than one editor use the same guidelines as those for multiple authors.)
Example: Pinsky, Robert, editor.
Performer, director, etc. in a film or television show
List the name (last name first) and provide a descriptive label of the person's role.
Example: Scorsese, Martin, director.
Corporation, organization, or agency
List the name of the corporation, organization, or agency.
Example: Texas Education Agency.
Corporation, organization, or agency that is ALSO the publisher
If a nongovernment organization is also the publisher, skip the author element and list the organization in the publisher element only.
Online user names
If there is only a user name available, it can be listed in the author element.
One author
Ford, Richard. Dress Codes: How the Laws of Fashion Made History. Simon & Schuster, 2021.
Two authors
Vedantam, Shankar, and Bill Mesler. Useful Delusions: The Power and Paradox of the Self-Deceiving Brain. W. W. Norton & Company, 2021.
Three or more authors
Repova, Kristina, et al. “Melatonin as a Potential Approach to Anxiety Treatment.” International Journal of Molecular Sciences, vol. 23, no. 24, Dec. 2022, pp. 161-187. EBSCOhost, https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms232416187.
Online user name
RegisteredNurseRN. “Heart Layers Anatomy Nursing: Pericardium, Epicardium, Endocardium.” YouTube, 27 May 2024, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APJzmA4kDxE.
One editor
Pinsky, Robert, editor. The Best of the Best American Poetry. Scribner, 2013.
Government agency
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. “Psychologists.” Occupational Outlook Handbook, U.S. Department of Labor, 16 Feb. 2024, https://www.bls.gov/ooh/life-physical-and-social-science/psychologists.htm
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