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In MLA style the number of authors decides the shape of the citation. Two authors are both named and joined by and; three or more are shortened to the first author plus et al. The same rule shows up in the Works Cited entry and in the parenthetical citation, and that is where most mistakes happen. This guide shows all three contexts side by side for the same source, using MLA 9th edition (2021) patterns.
The format: how MLA names multiple authors
How to cite 2 authors in MLA (Works Cited)
Name both authors. Invert only the first author’s name (last name, first name), put a comma and and, then give the second author’s name in normal order (first name, last name):
Last, First, and First Last. Title of Book. Publisher, Year.
A published example of this pattern in a university library guide reads: Dobson, Kit, and Smaro Kamboureli. Producing Canadian Literature: Authors Speak on the Literary Marketplace. Wilfrid Laurier UP, 2012.
How to cite three or more authors in MLA (Works Cited)
Give only the first author, inverted, followed by a comma and et al.:
Last, First, et al. Title of Book. Publisher, Year.
Published pattern: Bennett, Tony, et al. New Keywords: A Revised Vocabulary of Culture and Society. Blackwell, 2005.
Examples: the same source in three contexts
The two sources below are fictitious examples invented to show the pattern; they are not real books or people.
| Source | Works Cited entry | Parenthetical citation | Mentioned in your sentence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Two authors (fictitious) | Alder, Mara, and Tomas Reyes. Lab Notebooks in Practice. Harbor UP, 2019. | (Alder and Reyes 42) | Alder and Reyes argue that notebooks should be signed daily. |
| Three authors (fictitious) | Okafor, Ines, et al. Reading the Methods Section. Harbor UP, 2021. | (Okafor et al. 108) | Ines Okafor and others argue that methods sections should be replicable. |
The Works Cited entries follow the Lethbridge and Concordia patterns quoted above; the sentences show how each form reads in your text.
In-text citation version: how to cite more than one author in MLA
Two authors
Both surnames appear, joined by and, followed by the page number with no comma and no p.: (Dobson and Kamboureli 89). MLA’s own quiz page uses the same joining style: (Buurma and Heffernan).
Three or more authors
Use the first author’s surname and et al., with no comma before it: (Bennett et al. 303), (Lin et al. 665). In a sentence of your own, you can name the author directly, as in Okafor et al. argue.
Where “et al.” is allowed
| Context | Two authors | Three or more |
|---|---|---|
| Works Cited entry | Both names, never shortened | First author, et al. |
| Parenthetical citation | Both surnames with and | First surname et al. |
| Running prose | Both surnames with and | First surname with et al. (for example, Okafor et al. argue) |
For how other styles set their author thresholds, see the cross-style table in et al. citation usage rules. For the underlying idea of a bracketed source pointer, see parenthetical citation.
Common errors
- Shortening a two-author source. Two authors are always both named, in the entry and in the text. et al. starts at three.
- Using & for and. The published MLA and library examples all join names with the word and.
- A comma before et al. in the parenthetical. The Works Cited entry has the comma (Bennett, Tony, et al.); the in-text form does not (Bennett et al. 303).
- Inverting the second author. Only the first name in the entry is inverted: Dobson, Kit, and Smaro Kamboureli, not Dobson, Kit, and Kamboureli, Smaro.
- Adding p. before the page number. MLA in-text citations give the number alone: (Alder and Reyes 42).
For layout of the whole page, including how entries are ordered, see MLA Works Cited format. For a single book from start to finish, see how to cite from a book.
For manuscripts and theses
Journals and graduate schools often issue their own instructions on top of MLA. If a venue or thesis office tells you to list every author name, or to shorten at a different point, its instruction overrides the general pattern for that document. Whichever you follow, apply it the same way to every entry in the reference list. If you are moving a manuscript between styles, the overview in citation styles and referencing formats shows what changes.
Style-guide edition
This page follows the MLA Handbook, 9th edition (2021), the current edition as of October 2026. The in-text principle (begin with whatever comes first in the Works Cited entry) is stated on the MLA Style Center; the two-author and three-or-more patterns match two university library guides last updated in September and October 2026.
FAQ
How do I cite 2 authors in MLA?
Name both. In the Works Cited list write Last, First, and First Last.; in the text write (Alder and Reyes 42). Do not use et al. for two authors.
How do I cite three authors in MLA?
Use the first author and et al. in both places: Okafor, Ines, et al. in the entry, (Okafor et al. 108) in the text.
How do I cite more than one author in the text of a sentence?
For two authors, name both with and. For three or more, name the first author and add et al., as in Okafor et al. argue.
Can I list all the authors’ names when there are many?
The MLA pattern is first author plus et al. for three or more. Some library guides say listing every name is acceptable for longer author lists; if you do, be consistent across the whole document, and follow your journal or institution if it specifies otherwise.
Sources
- MLA Style Center, In-Text Citations: An Overview, read 2026-10-29.
- MLA Style Center, Quiz: Complex In-Text Citations (two-author example) and What’s New (et al. and page numbers), checked 2026-10-28.
- Concordia University, St. Paul, MLA 9th Edition Citation Guide: Multiple Authors, last updated 24 September 2026, accessed 2026-10-29.
- University of Lethbridge Library, MLA Citation Style, 9th Edition, last updated 16 October 2026, accessed 2026-10-29.
