A colleague emailed me recently about APA style and how to identify the author of a citation.
“I have a picky question,” she said. Good! I like that kind.
The first time the author’s name is given, she wondered, do you give the full name, as follows?
Claire Wilkshire (2014) says in her report…
Or is it always like this?
Wilkshire (2014) says in her report…
Good question, thanks for asking. It does seem a bit odd that they would have no interest in the first name. It can feel abrupt to go straight to the last name without any preliminaries. But that seems to be the way to go.
I have the 6th edition of APA and in 6.11 there’s no suggestion that first names should be used at all. In 6.14 they explain how to avoid confusion when two authors have the same last name, but even then it’s initials only.
“Perhaps it is because we Canadians are polite and think a full name should be referenced on first use,“ my colleague speculated. I think she’s right: it seems a little… clinical? However. “Wilkshire (2014)” it is.
Now if I could just get that report written, so someone could quote me.