H.W. Wilson controls names used as subjects. No user should have to search under multiple forms of a name. Personal names are cited consistently across all the Wilson indexes and databases.

Names are established according to the latest revision of AACR2, so H.W. Wilson names are consistent with conventional library cataloging. (The Names Department staff—who are responsible for maintaining the Wilson Names Authority File—are all professional librarians.

New names are routinely checked against the Library of Congress's LCWeb names authority file, to ensure consistency with national cataloging standards. Chances are, names will be cited in H.W. Wilson files the same way as they appear in a library's own online catalog, if they are indeed the same person.

All personal name subjects are carefully checked against the individual periodical databases, including retrospective files, to avoid duplication and to distinguish between similar but different instances of names.

Similar but distinct names are distinguished from one another by expansion (e.g. inclusion of a full name instead of initials) or the addition of dates.

In cases where the form of a name is uncertain, H.W. Wilson names authority staff will search for an authoritative form in appropriate dictionaries, encyclopedias, and directories. The specific sources depend on the discipline, and on the dates and nationalities of the person in question.

H.W. Wilson names authority staff routinely establish cross-references from variant forms of a name to the form we cite. WilsonWeb users will be automatically switched from variants to preferred forms of names.