Let’s break this down like a smoothie recipe. You have Authors: Brené Brown and Simon Sinek. In your Works Cited, it becomes: Brown, Brené, and Simon Sinek. See? Brown gets the last name first. Sinek gets the normal introduction. It’s the academic equivalent of letting the first person walk through the door, then politely holding it for the second one.
But what if you have a book called Start with Why by Simon Sinek and Dare to Lead by Brené Brown? You don’t mix them! You cite the actual book you used. Let’s say you used Dare to Lead. Your entry is: Brown, Brené, and Simon Sinek. Wait. That’s wrong. Sinek didn’t write that book with her! You see the panic? You need to use the actual authors of the book, not your favorite authors. Always double-check the cover.
MLA works cited list | PPT
When You Have Three… Stop
This article is about two authors. So if you suddenly find a third author? That’s a different ballgame. For two, it’s always: Last, First, and First Last. Period. No “et al.” That’s for three or more authors. Using “et al.” for two authors is like using a fire extinguisher for a candle. Overkill and confusing.
