MLA works cited page

by Valerie
(Albuquerque, NM )

I need essay help with how to cite an article by the Dalai Lama in an MLA works cited page. Do I have to know his real name? Is it Lama, Dalai? Do I have to include His Holiness (H. H.)?

Linda responds: What an interesting question, Valerie. I had to do some research for this one.

Like you, I knew that Dalai Lama is a title, like President or the Pope. A search using "Dalai Lama" and "author" as my terms gave me his real name: Tenzin Gyatso.

Nothing I can find in my 7th edition MLA Handbook mentions this kind of situation specifically. I couldn't find anything at the mlahandbook.org site either.

The MLA does say you are to retain the author's name exactly as it appears in your source, so that means you would not use the man's real name if the article listed the author as Dalai Lama.

MLA also says to reverse the name for alphabetizing in the MLA works cited page. Since Dalai Lama is a position title, rather than a name, I would not reverse the order. I would alphabetize it in the works cited list as Dalai Lama without the H.H. (I'd consider that like adding PhD. after a name.)

This is such an odd situation, you might want to discuss it with your teacher before you prepare your paper just in case. S/he may know something I don't.

Good luck, Valerie.