How to Cite Two Authors in Mla Format

How to Cite Two Authors in Mla Formatの実践ガイドについて分かりやすく解説します。初心者でも安心のガイドをご覧ください。

Now, the Works Cited page is where things get delightfully weird. Imagine you’re a detective flipping over a mugshot. The first author’s name gets inverted: Last name, First name. But the second author? They get to stay normal: First name Last name. It’s a bizarre power dynamic.

So, if your authors are Jane Austen and Stephen King, your entry starts like this: Austen, Jane, and Stephen King. Notice that comma after Austen’s first name? That’s there because MLA loves a good sandwich board. And the word “and” is always in plain English, never an ampersand (&). Ampersands are for text messages to your mom, not for academia.

After the names, you follow the standard book recipe: Title of Book. Italicized. Publisher, year. No “p.” for page, no frills. Just cold, hard facts. Imagine the second author is the backup dancer who gets to keep their first name—they didn’t have to flip, so they’re smiling.

But Wait, I’m Citing a Journal Article? Get Ready for More Flipping

Journal articles follow the exact same name-flipping ritual. First author inverted, second author normal, then the article title in quotes, the journal name in italics, the volume, issue, year, and pages. It’s the same dance, different song. Surprising fact: The first documented use of this inverted name system was by a 17th-century French monk who was really tired of alphabetizing saint names.

Here’s a real-world example that’ll make your brain tingle: Park, Michael, and Kevin Bacon. (Yes, the actor has published research papers. It’s true. Look it up after you finish this article). In your Works Cited, it looks like: Park, Michael, and Kevin Bacon. “Six Degrees of Citation.” Journal of Academic Snark, vol. 3, no. 2, 2026, pp. 88-102. See how Bacon gets to keep his first name? He earned it.

PPT - MLA Style PowerPoint Presentation, free download - ID:5747366

What if your source has three authors? MLA has a different rule for that—you list all three, first inverted, rest normal. But we’re talking two authors here. Don’t get greedy. Two is the magic number where your life is simple but your professor knows you’re trying.