Clarification on Name Format for Research Publication

[Akhilesh]

Dear Group Members,

I would like your guidance on the use of names in research publications. In some cases, an individual may have all official documents reflecting only a First name (i.e., no surname or last name). 

Could you kindly advise on the available options for mentioning such names in a research paper or article?

[Sukhmani Singh]

Dear Akhilesh,

If you are asking about citing and referencing authors having only one name—that is, only first name and no surname—write that name only in all the citations and references, as per the APA 7th edition.

For example: Author’s name is Rishi.

Narrative citation: Rishi (2026)

Parenthetical citation: (Rishi, 2026)

Reference entry: Rishi. (2026).

Hope it helps. Best wishes.

Dr. Sukhmani

Proofreader, Founder, and Mentor

www.scholars-help.com

Email: ad...@scholars-help.com

YouTube Channel (APA Style for PhD Beginners):

https://www.youtube.com/@Scholars-Help_dr.sukhmani

[Akhilesh]

Dear Dr. Sukhmani,

Thank you very much for your clear explanation regarding citation and referencing of authors with a single name. I truly appreciate your guidance.
I was asking about how to write name during the submission of a research paper to a journal, as all official documents reflect only a First name (i.e., no surname or last name).
I would be grateful if you could kindly guide me on how to fill in the “first name” and “last name” fields in journal submission systems in such cases.

Thank you once again for your support.

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[Ashutosh Chanchal]

This is a common issue in India where many people (especially from South India, some tribal communities, etc.) have only one name in official documents.

Available Options:

1. Use a Filler/Placeholder for Last Name

The most widely accepted approach:

First Name: Akhilesh

Last Name: - (hyphen) or . (period)

Some journals accept: Akhilesh, - or - Akhilesh

2. Use "s/o", "d/o" style (Patronymic)

Write the father's name as a surname:

Akhilesh Kumar (if father's name is Kumar)

3. Mononym Convention

Some journals allow repeating the single name in both fields:

First Name: Akhilesh

Last Name: Akhilesh

4. Use Institutional Affiliation as Identifier

Some publishers accept:

Akhilesh (SGPGIMS, Lucknow)

5. Journal-Specific Guidance

| Journal Type | Common Practice |

|---|---|

| PubMed/MEDLINE | Accepts single name with a period |

| Elsevier | Allows mononym entry |

| APA Style | Use the single name as surname |

| Vancouver Style | Write name as-is, contact editor |

✅ Best Practical Advice:

Contact the journal editor directly — most accommodate this

Use [Akhilesh] with brackets in some systems

In APA: cite as — Akhilesh. (2024). Title...

ORCID profile can clarify the mononym officially

Regards!

Ashutosh

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The members of this group are expected to follow the following Protocols:
1. Please search previous posts in the group before posting the question.
2. Don't write the query in someone's post. Always use the option of New topic for the new question. You can do this by writing to dataanaly...@googlegroups.com
3. It’s better to give a proper subject to your post/query. It'll help others while searching.
4. Never write Open-ended queries. This group intends to help research scholars, NOT TO WORK FOR THEM.
5. Never write words like URGENT in your posts. People will help when they are free.
6. Never upload any information about National Seminars/Conferences. Send such information
in personal emails and feel free to share any RESEARCH-related information.
7. No Happy New Year, Happy Diwali, Happy Holi, Happy Birthday, Happy Anniversary, etc. allowed in this group.
8. Asking or sharing Research Papers is NOT ALLOWED.
9. You can share your questionnaire only once.
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[aashima singhal]

Suggesting you three ways which i adapted for my publication since I also use only first name officially 

1. Use dot i.e "." In filing second name 

2. Use NA in second name 

3. If it is not accepting any of the above than you may put your second name initially and may strike off at later stage (at proof reading even ) 

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[Ashutosh Chanchal]

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[Akhilesh]

I would like to clarify one specific situation from my experience. In most cases, I have used a dot (.) as a placeholder in the last name field while submitting my research papers, as my official documents contain only a single name.
However, in one of my published papers (with two authors), I observed that when other researchers cited our work, they mentioned only the second author’s name and did not include my name in the citation. This may be due to the way my name was entered or indexed.
Additionally, I would like to seek your advice on alternative approaches. 

For example:
In the mononym convention, where the same name is used in both fields (First Name: Akhilesh; Last Name: Akhilesh), or
When using institutional identification (e.g., Akhilesh (SGPGIMS, Lucknow))

In such cases, if other researchers cite the work, there is a possibility that citations may appear in different forms, such as:
A. Akhilesh (2026), or NA. Akhilesh (2026)

I would be grateful if you could kindly advise:
Whether using a dot (.) or similar placeholders may affect citation indexing or author visibility, and
What would be the most appropriate and consistent approach to ensure correct attribution and avoid ambiguity in citations.

Thank you once again for your guidance and support.

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