When you’ve got two authors, MLA is basically your polite friend who insists on using both names. In your in-text citation, you write: “(Goodman and Brown 42).” See? No comma between them. It’s a digital handshake, not a sentence.
But here’s the trick: in the works cited entry, you flip the first author’s name (Last, First) and then just write the second author normally (First Last). So it’s: “Goodman, Brown, and Alice Green.” Wait—no, that’s wrong! It’s actually: “Goodman, Brown, and Alice Sterling.” Why? Because the second author doesn’t get flipped. Rules are weird, but so is pizza with pineapple. You just accept it.
When Three Authors Show Up
Ah, the trio. MLA treats this like a mini-band lineup. In your text, you list all three: “(Lennon, McCartney, and Harrison 23).” That “and” before the last one is mandatory—like the final beatle. Yes, you use a comma before “and” because MLA loves the Oxford comma. Don’t you dare argue with the comma gods.
In the works cited, same deal: list all three, with only the first author’s name reversed. Example: “Lennon, John, Paul McCartney, and George Harrison.” I know, it feels like you’re writing a band’s reunion tour poster. But it works.
Surprising fact: MLA used to let you abbreviate to “et al.” after the first author for three authors. But in the 9th edition, they revoked that privilege. Now you must list them all. Why? Probably because some librarian got haunted by a ghost named Al. We don’t ask questions.
