Look, academic writing is already a headache. You’ve spent hours researching, your coffee is cold, and now you’re staring at a source with two names on the cover, wondering if the ampersand is legal or if "and" is the only way to go. It’s one of those tiny details that feels massive when you’re worried about a professor docking points for "improper formatting." Honestly, learning how to cite two authors in MLA is one of the easier hurdles once you see it laid out, but there are a few quirks that trip people up every single time.
If you're using the MLA 9th edition—which is the current standard—the goal is basically just clarity and consistency. The Modern Language Association wants a reader to be able to find that book or article as fast as humanly possible.
The In-Text Citation: Keeping it Short
When you're actually writing your essay and you need to drop a parenthetical citation, the rule is simple. You list both last names. That’s it. No commas between the names, just the word "and."
For example, if you’re citing a book by Smith and Jones, your citation looks like this: (Smith and Jones 42). You don’t use an ampersand (&). Why? Because MLA is a bit old-school about prose. They want things to look like real English sentences even inside parentheses. If you use an ampersand, you're technically drifting into APA territory, and that’s a quick way to look like you didn’t read the syllabus.
What if you mention them in the sentence itself?
"Smith and Jones argue that the sky is actually a deep shade of indigo."
In that case, you just put the page number at the end: (42). It flows better. It feels more human. You've already introduced the experts, so the parentheses just act as a map coordinate for the reader.
The Works Cited Page: The Great Flip
The Works Cited page is where things get slightly more complicated because of the "alphabetizing" rule. You want the first author's name to be "Last Name, First Name" so the list is easy to scan. But—and this is the part that feels weird—you don't flip the second author's name.
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The second author stays in the normal order: First Name Last Name.
Think about it this way: the first name is the "anchor" for your list. Once the reader finds "Smith," they don't need the second name flipped to find the source. It would just look cluttered. So, a typical entry for a book would look like this:
Smith, John, and Jane Jones. The Great Indigo Sky. Penguin, 2022.
Notice the comma after the first author’s first name. It separates the two people. If you forget that comma, it looks like Jane is John's middle name, and suddenly your citation is a mess.
What If the Authors Have the Same Last Name?
This happens way more often than you'd think. Family collaborators are a staple in academic publishing. If you're citing Sarah Miller and Robert Miller, you can't just put (Miller and Miller 12). Well, actually, you can, but it’s better to be specific if you have other Millers in your bibliography.
In your text, you’d use their first initials to distinguish them if they were separate sources, but since they are co-authors of the same work, (S. Miller and R. Miller 12) works. However, the standard MLA rule for a single work with two authors of the same name is simply to list both last names as usual. The Works Cited entry handles the heavy lifting:
Miller, Sarah, and Robert Miller. Shared Legacies. Oxford UP, 2019.
Dealing With Different Types of Media
The "two-author rule" doesn't change just because you're citing a YouTube video or a scholarly journal article. The format for how to cite two authors in MLA remains the "Anchor and Follower" style.
Let's say you're looking at a journal article from a database like JSTOR. You still flip the first name and keep the second one normal. The only thing that changes is the container information—the journal title, the volume, the issue, and that pesky DOI or URL at the end.
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Example:
Doe, Alex, and Sam Taylor. "The Impact of Caffeine on Syntax." Journal of Modern Linguistics, vol. 14, no. 2, 2023, pp. 45-60.
If you're citing a podcast episode with two hosts acting as the "authors" or creators, you treat them the same way. The consistency is what makes MLA actually usable once you get the hang of it.
Common Mistakes to Avoid Like the Plague
I see students do this all the time: they see three authors and try to use this two-author rule. Don't. If you have three or more authors, MLA tells you to give up on the list and use "et al."
But for exactly two? You must list both.
Another big one is the "And" versus "&" debate. I'll say it again: avoid the ampersand in MLA. It’s the hallmark of someone who accidentally used a citation generator set to APA. If you’re writing for a humanities class—English, Philosophy, History—the word "and" is your best friend.
Also, watch your punctuation. There is always a period after the second author’s name before the title of the work begins.
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Why Does This Even Matter?
You might think, "Who cares if Jane Jones is flipped or not?"
The truth is, it's about intellectual honesty and the "chain of custody" for an idea. When you cite two authors correctly, you’re acknowledging a specific collaboration. Sometimes, the order of the names matters to the authors themselves—the first name listed is often the lead researcher or the person who did the bulk of the writing. By following the order on the title page, you're respecting their professional hierarchy.
Moreover, the "two-author" setup is the most common collaborative structure you'll encounter. It’s the bridge between the lone scholar and the massive research team. Mastering it means about 80% of your citations will be perfect.
Actionable Steps for Your Paper
To make sure your citations are bulletproof, follow these steps before you hit "submit."
- Check the Title Page: Don't rely on the cover or the spine of the book. Go to the actual title page inside. Sometimes a "with" or "as told to" changes how you cite. If it says "By John Smith with Jane Jones," Jane might actually be a contributor, not a co-author. But if it says "John Smith and Jane Jones," they are equals.
- The "Flip-Flop" Test: Look at your Works Cited page. Is the first author "Last, First"? Is the second author "First Last"? If both are flipped, fix it.
- Parenthetical Audit: Scan your paper for (Author & Author). If you find an ampersand, delete it and type "and." It takes five seconds but saves you from looking like you don't know the style guide.
- Page Number Check: Ensure there is no "p." or "pg." inside the parentheses. MLA just wants the number. (Smith and Jones 42), not (Smith and Jones p. 42).
- Alphabetical Alignment: Make sure your Works Cited list is organized by that first author's last name. If Smith and Jones wrote the book, it goes under S, not J.
By sticking to these specific patterns, you ensure your paper meets the rigorous standards of the MLA 9th edition while keeping your writing clean and professional.