Q. Small question, but should you use a person’s middle initial in running text or is it acceptable to just use the first and last name? I see mixed usage at my job and would like to encourage consistency with solid grounding from the manual. Thanks!
A. Names are so variable (not to mention personal) that the best we can do is to offer some general guidelines. First, it’s usually fine to use only a first and last name when referring to someone by their full name (as on first mention), even if that person is known to have a middle initial. In fact, for most names it will be preferable to omit a middle initial.
But you’ll want to make an exception for any name that’s normally spelled with an initial or that might be ambiguous without one. This would include people like John D. Rockefeller, Samuel L. Jackson, and Michael J. Fox; it would also include lesser-known individuals whose names usually appear with an initial (whether in published works or elsewhere).
And when naming the author of a particular book or other work, it can be helpful on first mention to use the form as it appears in the work itself (as on a title page), especially if the name may not be familiar to your intended audience. Also (though it probably goes without saying), a name like I. M. Pei generally retains initials whenever mentioned in full (i.e., don’t write “I. Pei”). And don’t substitute an initial for a middle name that’s normally spelled out (e.g., James Earl [not E.] Jones).
In other words, consistency may not be a realistic goal, but with a little editorial discretion backed up by some basic research, you should be able to determine which names will need or benefit from an initial and which ones (usually most of them) can go without.