If you and a buddy are writing a report on why pizza is the perfect food, the heading is a breeze. You just write both names, connected by the word and. It’s like saying, “This was a joint effort, and we both ate too much pizza while writing it.”
So, your first line would look like this: Jane Doe and John Smith. No commas, no confusion. Just you and your partner in crime, standing side-by-side on the page.
Remember that time you and your friend built a really unstable Lego tower? You both put the blocks on. This heading is your name Lego bricks, snapped together neatly.
What About Three or More?
Now, let’s say your group is larger. You have you, your friend, your roommate, and your classmate. The MLA rule is actually a lifesaver here. You only write the first author’s name, followed by a comma, and then the phrase et al.
That “et al.” is just fancy Latin for “and the others.” Imagine you’re ordering a round of coffees for your study group. You just say, “One latte for me, and one for the group.” That’s what et al. does. It covers everyone without listing a million names.
Your heading would look like: Jane Doe, et al. It’s efficient, it’s polite, and it keeps your paper from looking like a phone book.
