Here’s your mini-mantra: first citation, full list. Subsequent citations, “et al.” Works Cited, full list again. Easy enough to tattoo on your arm, right?
If you’re writing in a panic at 2 AM (no judgment, I’ve been there), just remember this: MLA is a handshake. For three authors, you shake all three hands once, then you can wave at the group with “et al.”
One final ironic twist: the procrastination paper I was writing? It cited three authors on the same page. I spent 20 minutes formatting that one line. Twenty minutes. And now, I can look back and laugh—because now you won’t have to.
So, go ahead. Cite those three brilliant scholars with confidence. And maybe, just maybe, finish that paper before the coffee gets cold. You’ve got this.
