Think of an in-text citation as a quick nod to your sources. For two authors, you just shout out both of their last names, with the word “and” between them. It’s like introducing your favorite duo: Smith and Jones.
Here’s the magic formula for the parentheses at the end of your sentence: (Smith and Jones 42). See that? No comma between the names, just the word “and,” and then the page number. Easy peasy.
What if you mention their names in the actual sentence? Then you only need the page number in parentheses. Like this: Smith and Jones argue that "pizza is a breakfast food" (42). You’ve done half the work already!
A Quick Rule to Never Forget
Always use the word “and”, not an ampersand (&). Ampersands are for your shopping list or for making your band’s logo look cool. In MLA, we are civilized scholars, and we use the full word.
Also, if you cite the same source twice in a row, you can just write (42) for the second one. It’s like saying, “Yeah, those guys again. Moving on.” Your professor will appreciate the brevity.
