How to Cite a Book in MLA: Two Authors With Different Last Names

​Ever found yourself in the maze of citation styles, wondering how to properly acknowledge that insightful book you just referenced in your paper? Fear not! In the realm of Modern Language Association (MLA) citations, the rules can sometimes seem like a puzzle. 

Today, we’re here to shed light on a specific scenario: citing a book with two authors who happen to have different last names. MLA citation may seem a bit daunting at first, but with a few simple guidelines, you’ll be confidently citing your sources in no time. 

In this blog post, we’ll break down the steps for citing a book authored by two individuals with distinct last names. So, whether you’re a student gearing up for an essay or a writer polishing your manuscript, let’s unravel the mystery of citing two authors with different last names in MLA style!

Understanding MLA Formatting

​If you’re anything like me, MLA formatting was a total pain to learn in high school. I remember struggling for hours trying to figure out how to properly format my essays. 

Thankfully, there’s now a pretty simple way to do it! In this blog post, I’m going to walk you through everything you need to know about MLA formatting, including how to reference a book in an essay MLA for two authors with different last names.

The first thing you need to know is that MLA stands for the Modern Language Association. This organization sets the standard for how papers should be formatted in the humanities. MLA formatting is pretty simple once you understand the basics.

Here are the basics:

• Your paper should be double-spaced
• You should use 12 point, Times New Roman font
• You should include a header at the top of your paper with your name, the name of your professor, the class, and the date
• Your paper should have 1 inch margins on all sides
• Each paragraph should be indented 5 spaces
• You should include a Works Cited page at the end of your paper

Now that you know the basics, let’s talk about how to reference a book in an essay MLA for two authors with different last names. When you’re referencing a book, you need to include the author’s last name, the page number, and the publication date. For two authors with different last names, you would do it like this:

(Smith 123).

If you’re referencing a direct quote, you would also include the author’s last name and the page number like this:

(Smith 123).

And that’s it! MLA formatting is actually pretty simple once you get the hang of it. I hope this blog post has been helpful.

Citing A Book in MLA With Two Authors

When you are writing an academic paper, it is important to properly cite the sources you have used in your research. This includes books, articles, websites, and any other sources you have consulted. Citing your sources correctly will not only give credit to the original authors, but will also help your readers find the sources you have used.

If you are citing a book in MLA format that has two authors with different last names, you will need to use the following format:

Author’s Last Name, Author’s First Name. Title of Book. City of Publication: Publisher, Year of Publication. Medium of Publication.

For example:

Smith, John and Jane Doe. The History of the World. New York: Oxford University Press, 2007. Print.

If you are using a MLA Works Cited list, the entry will look like this:

Smith, John, and Jane Doe. The History of the World. New York: Oxford University Press, 2007.

It is important to note that in MLA format, you should always list the author’s last name first, followed by the author’s first name. If there are two authors with the same last name, you will need to include their first initials in the citation (e.g., John Smith and Jane Smith would be listed as J. Smith and J. Smith).

When you are citing a book in MLA format, you will also need to include information about the edition of the book if it is not the first edition. For example:

Smith, John and Jane Doe. The History of the World. 2nd ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 2007. Print.

If you are citing a specific chapter or section of a book, you will need to include the chapter or section number after the book title (e.g., Smith and Doe, The History of the World, chap. 5).

When citing a book in MLA format, you can either include the author’s name in your text or in a parenthetical citation. If you include the author’s name in your text, you will need to format the name according to MLA rules:

John Smith and Jane Doe argue that the history of the world is largely shaped by economic factors (Smith and Doe 72).

If you choose to include a parenthetical citation, you will need to include the author’s last name and the page number (or chapter number) you are referencing:

The history of the world is largely shaped by economic factors (Smith and Doe 72).

In MLA format, when there are two authors with different last names, you will always need to include both authors’ last names in your citations, whether they are in your text or in a parenthetical citation.

Different Last Names for Authors

As anyone who has ever written a research paper knows, one of the most important things to include in your essay is a list of references. These references help to add credibility to your argument by showing that you have read and understand the sources you are using. 

While most references are relatively straightforward to format, there can be some confusion when it comes to referencing authors with different last names. In this article, we will take a look at how to reference a book in an essay MLA when the authors have different last names.

When citing a book in MLA format, you will typically need to include the author’s last name, the page number, and the publication year. For example: (Smith 12). If you are citing multiple authors with different last names, you can list them all in the citation, separated by commas: (Smith, Jones, and Doe 12). However, if there are more than three authors, you can choose to abbreviate the citation to just the first author’s last name followed by “et al.”: (Smith et al. 12).

When it comes to actually writing out the reference in your essay, you will want to use the full name of the author(s) the first time you cite them. After that, you can use either the last name or the abbreviation “et al.” For example:

According to Smith, Jones, and Doe (12),…

or

According to Smith et al. (12),…

Once you have formatted your citation correctly, be sure to check with your professor or editor to ensure that they prefer this format over any others.

How to Enter Book Information

​Books are a very important part of our lives, providing us with knowledge and understanding of the world around us. When you are asked to write an essay, it is important to include the information of the book you are referencing in your essay. 

MLA format is a common format for essays, and this guide will show you how to reference a book in MLA format for two authors with different last names.

When you are referencing a book in MLA format, you will need to include the author’s last name, the title of the book, the publisher, the year the book was published, and the page number (if applicable). For two authors with different last names, you will need to include both last names in your reference. For example:

Smith, John and Doe, Jane. The Great Gatsby. Scribner, 1925.

If you are quoting from a specific page in the book, you will also need to include the page number in your reference. For example:

Smith, John and Doe, Jane. The Great Gatsby. Scribner, 1925, p. 45.

When you are including the book information in your essay, you will need to use parenthetical citations. This means that you will include the author’s last name and the page number in parentheses after the quote or paraphrase. For example:

“She was incurably dishonest” (Smith and Doe 45).

Remember to include a Works Cited page at the end of your essay. This is where you will list all of the books you referenced in your essay. For our example, it would look like this:

Works Cited

Smith, John and Doe, Jane. The Great Gatsby. Scribner, 1925.

Example Citation for Two Authors With Different Last Names

​Two scholars with different last names may seem like an unlikely pairing, but it happens more often than you might think. In fact, when it comes to writing an essay and referencing a book, MLA style actually has a specific way to handle this type of situation.

If you’re wondering how to reference a book in an essay MLA for two authors with different last names, the answer is pretty simple. You just need to format your citation using the last names of both authors, followed by the page range of the relevant section.

For example, if you’re quoting from page 23 of a book by John Smith and Jane Doe, your citation would look like this:

(Smith 23; Doe 23)

Notice that both authors’ last names are listed, separated by a semi-colon. This is how you indicate that there are two authors with different last names.

If you’re citing a specific passage on a different page for each author, then you would format your citation like this:

(Smith 23-24; Doe 25-26)

In this case, you would list the relevant pages for each author after their last name. Remember, always use a semi-colon to separate the two authors.

It’s important to note that this is just the basic format for how to reference a book in an essay MLA for two authors with different last names. There are other variations that may be required depending on the specific essay requirements. However, this is the most commonly used format and it should cover most situations.

If you’re still unsure about how to reference a book in an essay MLA for two authors with different last names, there are plenty of resources available to help you. MLA style guides can be found online and in many library reference sections. These guides can help you understand the proper format for citations, as well as other aspects of MLA style.

Conclusion:

​In conclusion, you can cite a book in MLA format by including the author’s last name, a comma, the first author’s first name, and the title of the book. If you are citing a book with two authors with different last names, you will need to include both last names in your citation.

I hope this article was helpful in understanding how to reference a book in an essay MLA for two authors with different last names. If you have any further questions, please feel free to leave a comment below.

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