Here’s a little secret: punctuation is your best friend. After the first author’s name, you add a period, then “et al.” (with a period after “al.” because it’s an abbreviation). No commas before “et al.”—just a clean, confident period. Like this: Garcia, Maria, et al. Done. Easy.
But wait—what about when you have two authors with the same last name? No panic! Just add their first initials. Or if you have a book with over 100 authors (looking at you, scientific papers), the same rule applies: first author, then “et al.” It’s like a citation buffet—you pick the first one, and the rest are implied.
Mla Reference List | Reference List In Mla – MGNAR
The “In-Text” Connection: You’re Already a Pro
Now, the magic doesn’t stop at the Works Cited page. When you quote or paraphrase in your essay, you’ll use a parenthetical citation. For two authors, write (Smith and Doe 45). For three or more, write (Lee et al. 22). Notice the “and” in the first, and no “and” in the second? You’ve got this.
If you ever forget, just think: “Who’s the star?” The star gets named. Everyone else gets “et al.” It’s the democratic way to cite.
