Box 4Given names containing punctuation, a prefix, a preposition, or particle

  • Disregard hyphens joining given (first or middle) names
    • Jean-Louis Lagrot   becomes   Lagrot JL
  • Use only the first letter of given names and middle names if they contain a prefix, a preposition, or another particle
    • D'Arcy Hart   becomes   Hart D
    • W. St. John Patterson   becomes   Patterson WS
    • De la Broquerie Fortier   becomes   Fortier D
    • Craig McC. Brooks   becomes   Brooks CM
  • Disregard traditional abbreviations of given names. Some non-US publications use abbreviations of conventional given names rather than single initials, such as St. for Stefan. Use only the first letter of the abbreviation.
    • Ch. Wunderly   becomes   Wunderly C
    • C. Fr. Erdman   becomes   Erdman CF
  • For non-English names that are been romanized (written in the roman alphabet), capitalize only the first letter if the original initial is represented by more than one letter
    • Iu. A. Iakontov   becomes   Iakontov IuA
    • G. Th. Tsakalos   becomes   Tsakalos GTh

From: Chapter 22, Books and Other Individual Titles on the Internet

Cover of Citing Medicine
Citing Medicine: The NLM Style Guide for Authors, Editors, and Publishers [Internet]. 2nd edition.
Patrias K, author; Wendling D, editor.
Bethesda (MD): National Library of Medicine (US); 2007-.

NCBI Bookshelf. A service of the National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health.