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We are just beginning our big research paper. WE were just tought how to make "source cards" for all our information. We will later use these to make the works cited page. Anyway, I was wondering what you do when there is more than one author. Right now, I'm using my textbook which has 7 authors!!! Do I have to write them ALL???!!!

thanks in advance!
~Ashley

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Scroll down and read about four or more authors.

thanks so much! :)

You're very welcome. That's an excellent site for MLA writing and citation. Here are the general directions I give students:

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Here's a good place for information on citing in MLA format:
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Hold your cursor over the words CITING SOURCES in the left column and then click on whatever type of source you need help with. Many examples will show up. You will get two examples for each type of reference – one for the Works Cited page and one for the parenthetical (in-text) citation.

You can also see what a Works Cited page looks like – click on Sample Works Cited in the left column.

When citing a source with multiple authors, you usually have two options:

1. Include all the authors' names: In this case, you would list all seven authors on your source card and later on the works cited page. This is the most comprehensive and accurate way to credit all the authors who contributed to the work.

2. Use "et al." after the first author's name: "Et al." is an abbreviation of the Latin phrase "et alia," which means "and others." Using "et al." is typically used when there are more than three authors. In this case, you would list the first author's name, followed by "et al." For example, if the first author is Smith, you would write "Smith et al." on your source card and later on the works cited page. However, please note that you should use "et al." only after you have already listed all the authors' names in full on the first mention of the source.

It's important to check the specific guidelines provided by your teacher or institution to ensure you are correctly formatting your source card and works cited page. Different citation styles (e.g., MLA, APA) may have different requirements.