How to Cite Multiple Authors at the End of a Sentence

While it is important to properly attribute sources in your term papers, citing multiple authors can be a bit confusing. Modern Language Association style and American Psychological Association style have similar but different rules for the citation of multiple authors. The proper way to cite multiple authors will depend not only on what citation style you are using, but also on whether you are citing multiple sources or citing a single source that has multiple authors.

Instructions

  1. APA Style

    • 1

      Include the author's last name, year of publication and page number for each source if you are citing multiple sources by different authors. Separate each citation with a semicolon. For example:

      "Several researchers concluded that the disease was more serious than it first appeared (Frye, 1998, p. 215; Smith, 1999, p. 11; Jones, 2001, p. 47)."

    • 2

      Separate the last names of the authors with an ampersand if you are citing one source that has two authors. Provide the year of publication and the page number as well. For example:

      "A contemporary study argued that the disease was more serious than it first appeared (Frye & Jones, 1998, p. 25)."

    • 3

      Separate the last names of the authors with commas if you are citing a single source with between three and five authors, and you are citing it for the first time. Place an ampersand before the last name of the last author listed. Provide the year of publication and the page number as well. For example:

      "A contemporary study argued that the disease was more serious than it first appeared (Frye, Smith, Greene & Jones, 1998, p. 25)."

      If you need to cite the same source again, you need only include the last name of the first author listed, followed by the Latin phrase "et al." For example:

      "Previous findings had indicated that transmission was not airborne but was in fact airborne (Frye et al., 1998, p. 99)."

    • 4

      Cite only the last name of the first author listed, followed by the Latin phrase "et al," if you are citing a single source that has more than six authors. Provide the year of publication and the page number as well. For example:

      "A contemporary study argued that the disease was more serious than it first appeared (Frye et al., 1998, p. 25)."

    MLA Style

    • 5

      Include the author's last name and the page number for each source if you are citing multiple sources by different authors. Separate each citation with a semicolon. For example:

      "Several researchers concluded that the disease was more serious than it first appeared (Frye 215; Smith 11; Jones 47)."

    • 6

      List the last names of the authors if you are citing a single source with two or three authors. Also include the page number you are citing. If you are citing a source with two authors, place the word "and" between their last names. For example:

      "A contemporary study argued that the disease was more serious than it first appeared (Frye and Smith 25)."

      To cite a work with three authors, separate the first and second last names with a comma, and the second and third last names with the word "and." For example:

      "A contemporary study argued that the disease was more serious than it first appeared (Frye, Jones and Smith 25)."

    • 7

      Cite only the last name of the first author listed, followed by the Latin phrase "et al," if you are citing a single source that has more than three authors. Provide the page number as well. For example:

      "A contemporary study argued that the disease was more serious than it first appeared (Frye et al. 25)."

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