To quote a source with more than one author, name the authors in your in-text citation the same way you would a single author, but follow each style’s rule for how many names to list. For two authors, both styles name both every time: MLA writes (Smith and Jones 14), APA writes (Smith & Jones, 2020, p. 14). For three or more authors, both styles name only the first author followed by “et al.”: (Smith et al. 14) in MLA, (Smith et al., 2020, p. 14) in APA. The quotation itself is handled normally, in quotation marks with a signal phrase; only the citation changes.
Two authors
List both names, in the order they appear on the source, every time you cite it.
MLA in-text: (Smith and Jones 14). Note “and” spelled out, and no comma before the page number.
APA in-text: (Smith & Jones, 2020, p. 14). Note the ampersand inside the parentheses and commas separating the parts.
If you name the authors in the sentence itself, use “and” in both styles for the running text: As Smith and Jones argue, “the effect disappears at scale” (14). The ampersand is only used inside APA parentheses, never in your prose.
Three or more authors
Both MLA and APA shorten to the first author plus “et al.” (Latin for “and others”).
MLA in-text: (Nguyen et al. 47), for a source by Nguyen, Patel, and Okafor.
APA in-text: (Nguyen et al., 2021, p. 47), for the same source, from the very first citation.
“Et al.” is not italicized, and the period belongs after “al” because it is an abbreviation. In your Works Cited or References entry, the styles differ on how many names to spell out, so check the full-entry rules for each. For the direct-quote mechanics that apply here, see how to cite a quote.
Quoting more than one source at once
Sometimes “multiple authors” means several separate sources supporting one point, not one co-authored work. To cite them together, separate the sources inside one set of parentheses. MLA uses a semicolon: (Smith 14; Jones 22). APA does too, and orders the sources alphabetically: (Jones, 2019; Smith, 2020). This is how you show that a claim is backed by more than one source without writing a citation after every clause.
Signal phrases with multiple authors
When you introduce the quote in your sentence, decide whether to name all the authors or use “et al.” in the prose too. For two authors, name both: Rivera and Osei found that “attendance predicted the gap better than income” (112). For three or more, you can write “Nguyen and colleagues” or “Nguyen et al.” in the sentence to avoid a string of names. Introducing the quote this way keeps it from sitting unannounced in your paragraph; for the technique, see how to introduce a quote and the style specifics in MLA quote citation and APA quote citation.
Common mistakes
The usual errors are using “et al.” for a two-author source (both styles want both names), putting a comma before the page number in MLA (there is none: Smith and Jones 14, not Smith and Jones, 14), and using the ampersand in running prose instead of only inside APA parentheses. Another is switching author order; always list authors in the order the source prints them, not alphabetically, within a single citation. Get the in-text form right and the matching full entry becomes straightforward.
FAQ
How do you cite a quote with two authors?
Name both every time. MLA: (Smith and Jones 14). APA: (Smith & Jones, 2020, p. 14). Use “and” in your sentences and the ampersand only inside APA parentheses.
When do you use “et al.” in a citation?
For sources with three or more authors, in both MLA and APA, from the first citation onward. Write the first author’s name followed by “et al.”
How do you quote multiple separate sources at once?
Put them in one set of parentheses separated by semicolons: (Smith 14; Jones 22) in MLA, or alphabetically in APA, (Jones, 2019; Smith, 2020).
Do you use “and” or “&” between author names?
Use “and” in your running text in both styles. The ampersand (&) appears only inside APA parenthetical citations, never in your prose or in MLA.
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