So, what's the big deal about MLA in-text citations, anyway? Well, it's all about giving credit where credit is due - and avoiding plagiarism like the plague. When you're citing two authors, you'll want to make sure you're including both of their names in your citation, unless... unless they're like the dynamic duo of research, and you're citing them multiple times.
In that case, you can use a shortened citation, like this: (Smith and Johnson 24) becomes (Smith et al. 24) - but only if you've already cited the full reference earlier in your paper. Don't worry, it's not as complicated as it sounds - just remember to always check your sources! And, fun fact: did you know that the MLA style guide is updated regularly to keep up with the changing times?
