The APA Style format for author names in reference list entries is: author’s surname(s) followed by the initials of their given name(s).

For names with multiple parts, write the author’s name exactly as it appears on the published work, including hyphenated surnames, and two-part surnames and first names.

Surnames

  • If a surname includes a hyphen between both names, include the hyphen in the reference list entry and the in-text citation.
  • Retain the author's preferred capitalisation for surnames. (See the Van Der Hulst examples below, which after consulting related publications and/or researcher profiles, are all correctly capitalised.

Surname examples:

Full name Name in reference list Name in in-text citation
Diego J. Rivera-Gutierrez Rivera-Gutierrez, D. J. (2016). (Rivera-Gutierrez, 2016)
Francisco J. Morón Rodríguez Morón Rodriquez, F. J. (2022). (Morón Rodriquez, 2022)
     
Marije Vos-van der Hulst Vos-van der Hulst, M. (2024). (Vos-van der Hulst, 2024)
Thijs van der Hulst van der Hulst, T. (2003). (van der Hulst, 2003)
René W.M. van Der Hulst van Der Hulst, R. W. M. (1996). (van Der Hulst, 1996)
Renée C. Van Der Hulst Van Der Hulst, R. C. (2008). (Van Der Hulst, 2008)

 

First names

  • If an author's first name is hyphenated, include the hyphen + periods after each initial for the reference list entry only.
  • Chinese names generally have a one-character family name (surname) that comes first, followed by a given name which is most often two characters in length, for example Huang Yuan Hui, where Huang is the family name.
    • In scholarly journals with English-speaking readership, however, Chinese names may follow Western naming conventions, with the family name placed last and the given name, which may either be hyphenated (eg Zi-Ang Yao) or joined (eg Shiping Wen) placed first.
    • If the individual elements of the name are each separated by a space (eg Huang Yuan Hui), you may not be able to distinguish which is the surname and which is the first name. Wikipedia has a helpful List of common Chinese surnames page which you could use to try and determine the surname (use Ctrl+F to search for the name - there are a lot of names listed!).

First name example:

Full name Name in reference list Name in in-text citation
Hans-Jörg Schmid Schmid, H.-J (Schmid, 2017)
Guo-Zhen Yuan Yuan, G.-Z. (2021). (Yuan, 2021)
Shiping Wen Wen, S. (2019). (Wen, 2019)
Zhu Xue Ping Zhu, X. P. (2023). (Zhu, 2023).

 

For more examples see the APA style website and blog post (including Comments) linked below. Note that the blog post refers to APA 6th, but the explanations and guidance in the Comments section regarding non-English names still applies.

Links & Files

FAQ Actions

Comments (3)

  1. Q: What about names like Archie del Pozo?A: The reference for your in-text citation would be written as (del Pozo, 2024). The reference list entry would be del Pozo, A. (2024).
    by Tyrus on Jan 09, 2024
  2. My last name is in 2 different parts without hyphen (like Steve Ford Trujillo), would the citiation be Ford Trujillo, S. (2024)? A: Yes that's correct in text citation.
    by JDG on Mar 10, 2025
  3. What about middle names with a particle such as Henrique de Godoy Alvim? Would the Reference list entry be Alvim, H. G., Alvim, H. G. D., or Alvim, H. de G.? || ----REPLY : after some research, I see that de Godoy is a common Brazilian surname (can also be French, but this author is from Brazil). In APA, his name would probably therefore be listed as de Godoy Alvim, H., but please see the Note, as there are other considerations. ---- NOTE: "APA guidelines are written in such a way that the writer does not have to conduct extensive research on cultural naming practices; rather, it assumes that most of the time in the United States (where APA is based), the prefix is considered part of the name. However, when a writer knows that the other approach is used, they should follow it. Authors should be referred to in a consistent manner" so de Godoy Alvim would have the “de” in his name in all in-text mentions. When “de Godoy Alvim” starts a sentence, the “d” should be capitalised. Advice adapted from https://blog.apastyle.org/apastyle/2017/05/whats-in-a-name-two-part-surnames-in-apa-style.html#:~:text=If%20the%20surname%20is%20hyphenated,entry%20and%20in%2Dtext%20citation.
    by MDJ on Sep 15, 2025