Bibliography Styles Handbook     

MLA Format: Single author in a bibliography entry

When only a single author is listed for a text, typical bibliography entries will appear as follows:

Kasson, John F. Civilizing the Machine: Technology and Republican Values in America 1776-1900. New York: Penguin, 1976.

Martin, Emily. The Woman in the Body: A Cultural Analysis of Reproduction. Boston: Beacon Press, 1992.


The author's name should be given as it is listed on the title page of the text. For example, if the author's name contains a middle initial on the title page, the middle initial should appear in the bibliography entry. If the author's name is abbreviated on the title page (A. L. Rowse), the initials (and NOT the author's full first and middle name) should appear in the bibliography. In the entry, the author's last name should appear first, followed by a comma and then the author's first name. A period should be placed immediately after the name and two spaces should be left before the next part of the entry. If the author's name contains a middle initial, only one period should appear after the author's middle initial, followed by two spaces prior to the next part of the entry.