Is it acceptable to list two authors in MLA without sources?

The short answer is that you still have to format a two‑author citation the same way you would if you already had a bibliography, even if the rest of your draft currently contains no other sources. In MLA 9th edition you list both authors’ last names in the parenthetical reference (or in the signal phrase) separated by the word “and,” and you give the full entry in the Works Cited page with the first author’s name inverted and the second author’s name in normal order. If you truly have no external sources yet, you can still include a placeholder Works Cited entry that follows the exact format; just make sure it’s clearly marked as a provisional citation rather than a finished reference. When you’re drafting a literature review, it’s common to write sections before you’ve collected every source. The temptation is to leave a blank or write something like “[citation needed]”, but MLA expects you to treat the citation as if the source were already known. For a two‑author book, the in‑text citation would look like (Smith and Jones 45) if you’re quoting or paraphrasing a specific page, or simply (Smith and Jones) if you’re referring to the work as a whole. On the Works Cited page the entry would start with Smith, John, and Mary Jones. Title of Book. Publisher, Year. Notice the comma after the first author’s surname, the “and” before the second author, and the period after the second author’s name. If the source is an article, you’d add the journal title, volume, issue, and page range after the article title, but the author line stays the same. A frequent misconception is that you can omit the Works Cited page until the final draft. Some instructors are okay with that, but many will flag it as incomplete because the citation style is part of the scholarly conversation—you’re showing that you know how to give credit even before you have the full list. Another pitfall is swapping the order of the authors; MLA requires you to keep the order presented on the source’s title page. If you accidentally reverse them, you could mislead readers about who contributed what. Also, remember that “and” is used for two authors, while “et al.” is reserved for three or more; using “et al.” for a two‑author work would be a clear error. Imagine you’re writing about a recent case commentary co‑authored by Laura Patel and Daniel Kim. In the body you write, “Patel and Kim argue that the statutory interpretation hinges on legislative history (Patel and Kim 112).” Then, on a provisional Works Cited page you include: Patel, Laura, and Daniel Kim. “Title of Article.” Journal Name, vol. 12, no. 3, 2023, pp. 108‑124. Even if you haven’t yet accessed the article, you can note “access pending” or a similar comment, but keep the citation format intact. This shows you understand the mechanics and signals to your TA that you’ll replace the placeholder with a full reference once you retrieve the source. In practice, the safest route is to draft every citation as if the source is already in hand, using the correct MLA punctuation and order, and then fill in any missing publication details later. If you’re unsure about a particular source type—say, a legal brief that doesn’t follow typical book or journal conventions—consult the MLA handbook or ask your TA for clarification. When you finally gather the sources, double‑check each entry for accuracy. Until then, keep the placeholder entries consistent with MLA style, and you’ll avoid the “incomplete” flag while you finish your research.