Author

An author is a person or group who have contributed creatively to a work, edition or edition group.

Naming

The name of an author should be their canonical name in its original language and script. A canonical name is the name that is most commonly used, i.e. their best-known name. Additional names, including legal name, pseudonyms, alternate spellings, transliterations, etc. should be included as aliases.

Languages

Author names can be expressed in multiple languages; a name can be adapted to different names in other languages without retaining the same pronunciation. Examples:

• Αἴσωπος ← name in original Greek
• Aesop ← name in English
• Ésope ← name in French
• 伊索 ← name in Chinese

When entering a name in a different language as an alias, specify the corresponding language of its usage.

Transliteration

Transliteration is the representation of a name in a different script, intending to maintain its pronounciation. Example:

• Αἴσωπος ← name in original Greek
• Aísōpos ← transliterated into Latin script

When entering a transliterated name as an alias, specify the original language of the name.

Groups

A group author represents a named group of individuals (e.g. an organization, partnership, collaboration, etc.) that creates a work, edition or edition group. Examples:

• Brüder Grimm, aka the Brothers Grimm
• Lewis Padgett, pen name of collaborators Henry Huttner and C. L. Moore
• Franklin W. Dixon, pen name used by a variety of authors

Where practical, a group should have relationships to individual authors who participated as members in the group.

Publishers are not classified as group authors, as the act of publishing is not considered the act of creative contribution to a work, edition or edition group.

Special-purpose authors

Special-purpose authors handle situations where the actual author(s) of works, editions or edition groups cannot be represented. Examples:

• [anonymous] is used when an author has published a work anonymously, or author attribution has been irrecoverably lost.
• [unknown] is used when the author is currently unknown, but could potentially be determined at a later time.
• [traditional] is used for works that have been preserved in the oral tradition (e.g. received, preserved, and transmitted orally from one generation to another).