How to Cite Multiple Authors in MLA

Last Updated: December 5, 2022 References

If you're writing a research paper in the humanities or liberal arts, you may be formatting your citations using the Modern Language Association (MLA) style. This style requires a full citation to sources used in a "Works Cited" page at the end of your paper, as well as parenthetical in-text citations whenever a source is paraphrased or quoted directly. Your format will vary depending on whether you're citing a work with 2 authors or a work with 3 or more authors.^{[1]
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Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Works Cited Entry

1
Start your entry with the first author's last name. When a source has 2 authors, list the last name of the first author's name in your Works Cited entry, followed by a comma. Then add the author's first name.^{[2]
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- For example, if you used a book as a source that was written by Harry Potter and Luna Lovegood, your Works Cited entry would start "Potter, Harry."
Tip: Use the author's names in the order they appear on the title page. This is the order that the authors have agreed to, and whose name is listed first is important.
2
Provide the second author's name in first name-last name format. After the first author's name, type the word "and" followed by the second author's name. Reverse the order from the first author, typing their first name followed by their last name. Place a period at the end of the second author's name. Then continue the rest of your entry.^{[3]
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- To continue the previous example, you would write the names of the two authors as "Potter, Harry and Luna Lovegood."
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3
Use the abbreviation "et al." for works with 3 or more authors. "Et al." is an abbreviation for the Latin phrase "et alia," which means "and others." For 3 or more authors, type the first author's last name, followed by a comma. Then type their first name. Add the abbreviation "et al." with no intervening punctuation.^{[4]
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- For example, suppose you were using a book as a source that was written by Severus Snape, Minerva McGonagall, and Horace Slughorn. Your Works Cited entry would start "Snape, Severus et al."^{[5]
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Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

In-Text Citation

1
List both authors' names for works with 2 authors. When you paraphrase or quote from a source, MLA style requires a citation in-text that will lead your readers to your full Works Cited entry. Often this takes the form of a parenthetical citation at the end of the sentence that includes the authors' last names and the page number where the material you paraphrased or quoted appears. Place the sentence's closing punctuation outside the closing parenthesis.^{[6]
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- For example, you might write "The class intended to teach students how to defend themselves against the dark arts, however, was ineffective (Potter and Lovegood 47)."^{[7]
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2
Use "et al." for in-text citations to works with 3 or more authors. If your source has 3 or more authors, it is only necessary to include the last name of the first author, who is also listed in your Works Cited entry. Follow the name with the abbreviation "et al." and the page number where the material you paraphrased or cited appears.^{[8]
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- For example, you might write "Hogwarts professors were deeply disturbed that Voldemort appeared to have infiltrated the school (Snape et al. 92)."^{[9]
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3
Omit authors' names from your parenthetical citation when they appear in your text. If you want to include the author's names in the text of your paper, there's no need to repeat them in the parenthetical citation. Simply place a parenthetical at the end of the sentence with the page number where the material quoted or paraphrased appears.^{[10]
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- For example, you might write "Potter and Lovegood described the Defense Against the Dark Arts class as worthless when it came to teaching them anything they could use to protect themselves from a wizard as powerful as Voldemort (47).
Tip: If the work has 3 or more authors, don't forget to add the abbreviation "et al." after the first author's name, even in the text of your paper.