Academic sources often have more than one author — especially journal articles, textbooks, and edited collections. MLA 9th edition has straightforward rules for handling multi-author citations, but those rules differ depending on whether a source has two authors or three or more. Getting this wrong is one of the most common citation errors, so let's walk through every scenario.
One Author — The Baseline
Before we tackle multiple authors, here's the standard single-author format for comparison:
Works Cited:
Morrison, Toni. Beloved. Vintage Books, 2004.
In-text citations:
Parenthetical:(Morrison 47)
Signal phrase:Morrison writes that "124 was spiteful" (3).
The author's name is inverted in the Works Cited entry (last name, first name). In-text, you use just the last name. Everything else builds on this baseline.
Two Authors
When a source has exactly two authors, include both names — in the Works Cited entry, in parenthetical citations, and in signal phrases. Always use "and" to join them, never an ampersand (&).
Works Cited Format
Invert only the first author's name. The second author appears in normal order (first name last name):
Gilbert, Sandra M., and Susan Gubar. The Madwoman in the Attic: The Woman Writer and the Nineteenth-Century Literary Imagination. Yale UP, 2000.
What to notice:
- First author: Last, First (Gilbert, Sandra M.)
- "and" — not "&"
- Second author: First Last (Susan Gubar) — normal order
- Only the first author's name is inverted because it determines the alphabetical position in the Works Cited list
In-Text Citations
Include both last names joined by "and":
Parenthetical:(Gilbert and Gubar 73)
Signal phrase:Gilbert and Gubar argue that nineteenth-century women writers faced a unique "anxiety of authorship" (73).
Both names appear in every citation — you never use "et al." for two-author works. This is true even if you cite the source many times throughout your paper.
Three or More Authors
This is where MLA 9th edition simplifies things significantly. When a source has three or more authors, you list only the first author's name followed by "et al." — in both the Works Cited entry and in-text citations.
Works Cited Format
Rabinowitz, Peter J., et al. Authorizing Readers: Resistance and Respect in the Teaching of Literature. Teachers College P, 1998.
What to notice:
- Only the first author is named (Rabinowitz, Peter J.)
- "et al." follows immediately — not italicized, with a period after "al." (it's an abbreviation of the Latin "alii," meaning "and others")
- The other authors are not listed
In-Text Citations
Parenthetical:(Rabinowitz et al. 112)
Signal phrase:Rabinowitz et al. challenge the traditional model of reader response (112).
"et al." is never italicized — it's treated as a standard abbreviation. The period after "al." is always included.
Does It Matter How Many Authors?
No. Whether a source has 3 authors, 5, or 20, the format is the same: first author + et al. MLA doesn't distinguish between three and four or more authors the way some other citation styles do.
Important:This is a change that confuses students who have learned APA or older versions of MLA. In APA 7th edition, you list up to 20 authors before using an ellipsis. In MLA 9th edition, three or more always means "first author, et al." — no exceptions.
Corporate and Organizational Authors
When a source is authored by an organization rather than an individual — a government agency, a nonprofit, a company — the organization's name takes the author position.
Works Cited Format
United Nations. The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2024. United Nations, 2024.
World Health Organization. "Mental Health." WHO, 2024, https://www.who.int/health-topics/mental-health.
In-Text Citations
Parenthetical:(United Nations 12)
Signal phrase:The United Nations reports that global progress has stalled on several key indicators (12).
When the corporate author and the publisher are the same (as with the UN example above), include the name in both positions. MLA's advice is to keep both to avoid ambiguity.
When the corporate author and the website name are the same, you may begin the Works Cited entry with the article title instead — to avoid awkward repetition. This is a judgment call. For more guidance, see How to Cite a Website in MLA Format.
Editors and Translators as Authors
Sometimes the "author" of your source isn't the writer of the text — it's the person who compiled, edited, or translated it. MLA handles these with role labels.
Editor as Author
When you're citing an edited collection as a whole (not a specific chapter), the editor takes the author position:
Works Cited:
Gates, Henry Louis, Jr., editor. The Classic Slave Narratives. Signet Classics, 2012.
In-text:
(Gates 15)
For two editors, use "editors":
Gilbert, Sandra M., and Susan Gubar, editors. The Norton Anthology of Literature by Women. 3rd ed., W. W. Norton, 2007.
Translator as Other Contributor
When you're citing a translated book, the original author stays in the author position and the translator is listed as an "other contributor":
Works Cited:
García Márquez, Gabriel. One Hundred Years of Solitude. Translated by Gregory Rabassa, Harper Perennial, 2006.
In-text:
(García Márquez 104)
If you want to emphasize the translator's contribution, you can place the translator in the author position instead:
Rabassa, Gregory, translator. One Hundred Years of Solitude. By Gabriel García Márquez, Harper Perennial, 2006.
Quick-Reference Table
| Scenario | Works Cited Format | In-Text (Parenthetical) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 author | Last, First. Title. Publisher, Year. | (Last Page) |
| 2 authors | Last, First, and First Last. Title. Publisher, Year. | (Last and Last Page) |
| 3+ authors | Last, First, et al. Title. Publisher, Year. | (Last et al. Page) |
| Corporate author | Organization Name. Title. Publisher, Year. | (Organization Page) |
| Editor | Last, First, editor. Title. Publisher, Year. | (Last Page) |
| 2 editors | Last, First, and First Last, editors. Title. Publisher, Year. | (Last and Last Page) |
| Translator (as contributor) | Author Last, First. Title. Translated by First Last, Publisher, Year. | (Author Last Page) |
Multiple Works by the Same Author
When your Works Cited page includes two or more sources by the same author, you don't repeat the author's name for subsequent entries. Instead, replace the name with three em dashes (———) followed by a period:
Morrison, Toni. Beloved. Vintage Books, 2004.
———. Song of Solomon. Vintage Books, 2004.
———. Sula. Vintage Books, 2004.
Alphabetize these entries by the title (ignoring "A," "An," "The"). The three-em-dash entries come after the first full-name entry.
In-text, include a shortened title to distinguish between works:
(Beloved 47)
(Song of Solomon 112)
For more on Works Cited formatting, see MLA Works Cited Page.
Common Mistakes
- Using "&" instead of "and." MLA always uses "and" — in the Works Cited entry, in parenthetical citations, and in signal phrases. The ampersand is an APA convention.
- Using et al. for two-author works. Two authors always means both names appear in full. "et al." is only for three or more.
- Italicizing et al. It's not italicized. It's a standard abbreviation.
- Forgetting the period after "al." It's "et al." — with a period — because "al." is an abbreviation of "alii."
- Inverting both authors' names. Only the first author's name is inverted (Last, First). The second author appears in normal order (First Last).
- Listing all authors for a 3+ author source. In MLA 9th edition, three or more authors always becomes "first author, et al." — you don't list them all.
- Confusing MLA and APA multi-author rules. APA lists up to 20 authors; MLA caps at the first author after two. If you're switching between styles, double-check which rules apply.
What's Next
Now that you know how to handle multiple authors, explore related topics:
- MLA In-Text Citations — the complete guide to parenthetical and signal-phrase formats
- MLA Works Cited Page — how to build and format every entry
- How to Cite a Book in MLA Format — where multi-author rules come up most often
- MLA 8th vs. 9th Edition — see what changed between editions, including author formatting
If you're working with sources that have long author lists, Archivero handles the et al. formatting automatically — just add your source and the citation is ready to use.
