But what if you don’t want to name them in your sentence? Maybe you’re being mysterious, or you just want to get to the point. You use a parenthetical citation instead. That’s where you shove the names and page number inside parentheses at the end of the sentence.
Here’s the secret trick: flip the “and” to an ampersand (&). Why? Because MLA says so. Don’t argue with the style gods. It would look like this: “The study found a shocking truth (Smith & Jones 42).” See? That ampersand is only for inside the parentheses. Never in your sentence text. Got it?
Let’s say you forget the ampersand and write “and” inside the parentheses. The MLA police won’t come for you—I promise. But your professor might give you a side-eye. And nobody wants a side-eye.
What About Three or More Authors?
Hold on. This article is about two authors, but I can feel you itching to ask. For three or more, you ditch the list and use “et al.” That’s Latin for “and the rest of the gang.” But for two? You always, always, always name them both. Every. Single. Time. No shortcuts.
Imagine you’re introducing your two cats, Whiskers and Mittens. You wouldn’t say “Whiskers et al.” That would just be rude to Mittens. Same goes for authors. They worked on that book together—give them their due!
How To Use Mla Citation In Word - Design Talk
Now, what if you’re citing two authors with the same last name? Like, what if they’re a married couple writing a cookbook? Easy: you include their first initials in the citation. “(J. Smith & M. Smith 22).” Otherwise, readers will think you’re talking about the same person. And that’s just confusing.
Page Numbers: The Tiny Terror
You always need a page number for direct quotes. For paraphrases? You still should include one, if you can. It’s like giving a map to your treasure. Without a page number, it’s just vague pointing.
But what if the source doesn’t have page numbers? Like a website? Then you omit the number entirely. Just leave it bare: “(Smith & Jones).” The MLA gods understand that some texts are digital ghosts.
I once saw a student panic because they couldn’t find a page number on a YouTube video. Honey, it’s a video. Use a timestamp instead! But that’s a different article for a different coffee chat.
