Q. How do I find biographical information about an author?

Sometimes professors ask you to provide biographical information about the authors of scholarly books or journal articles. The following strategies can help you locate reliable information about an author's education, expertise, and professional background.

1. Check the Article or Book Itself

Many scholarly journal articles include an author note or author affiliation that lists the author's degrees, institutional affiliation, department, or areas of expertise. Likewise, many scholarly books include a brief author biography on the dust jacket, back cover, or inside pages.

2. Visit the Author's Institutional Website

If the publication identifies the author's college, university, seminary, or employer, visit that institution's website and look for a faculty or staff profile page. Faculty pages often include educational background, research interests, publications, and professional experience.

Keep in mind that if you are using an older publication, the author may have changed institutions since the work was published.

3. Search Educational Websites

If the author's current institution is unknown, try a Google search using the following format:

site:.edu Author's Name

This limits the search to educational institutions.

For example:

site:.edu Gary Habermas

This search will locate his Liberty University faculty page as well as institutional repositories containing his scholarly works.

4. Look for Publisher or Author Information

Some authors maintain personal or professional websites that include biographies, curriculum vitae (CVs), publications, and contact information. A simple Google search of the author's name may locate these resources.

For example, Gary Habermas maintains a personal website with biographical information and research resources at:

https://www.garyhabermas.com

5. Check Amazon for Book Authors

If you are researching a book author, search for the title on Amazon. Many listings include an "About the Author" section containing useful biographical information.

Website:

https://www.amazon.com

6. Use ORCID

Many scholarly journals now encourage or require authors to provide an ORCID iD, a unique researcher identifier. If an author's ORCID iD is available, you can search the ORCID registry to view their institutional affiliations, publications, and other professional information.

Website:

https://orcid.org

7. Watch for Authors with Common Names

Some authors share the same name. Be sure the biographical information matches the subject area of the work you are using.

For example, there is both a librarian and a chemistry professor named Randy Miller. Examining the topic of the publication and the author's institutional affiliation will help you identify the correct individual.