In the citation, if a source has three or more authors, the name of the first author should be given,
followed by the phrase “et al.”
If a work has two authors, separate their names with
an ampersand (&)
in a parenthetical citation or “and” in a narrative citation. If there are three or more authors, only include the first author's last name followed by “et al.”, meaning “and others”.
If a work has 4 or more authors, cite only
the surname of the first-listed author followed by ‘et al. ‘ wherever the reference occurs in the text
(‘et al. ‘ is the Latin term for ‘and others').
List only the first author's name followed by “et al.”
in every citation, even the first, unless doing so would create ambiguity between different sources. In et al., et should not be followed by a period. … Since et al. is plural, it should always be a substitute for more than one name.
A Work by Two Authors: Name both authors in the signal phrase or in parentheses each time you cite the work. … In subsequent citations,
only use the first author's last name followed by “et al.” in the
signal phrase or in parentheses. (Kernis et al., 1993) In et al., et should not be followed by a period.
Only when a work has
six or more authors
should the first in-text citation consist of the first author followed by et al. With five or fewer authors, all the author surnames should be spelled out at first mention.
How Should et al be written?
In et al.,
et should not be followed by a period
. Only “al” should be followed by a period. Since et al. is plural, it should always be a substitute for more than one name. In the case that et al. would stand in for just one author, write the author's name instead.
Can you text et al?
The abbreviation “et al.” (meaning “and others”) is used to
shorten in-text citations with three or more authors
. … Only include the first author's last name, followed by “et al.”, a comma and the year of publication, for example (Taylor et al., 2018).
What is full form of et al?
One of these is the Latin phrase et al., an abbreviation
meaning “and others
.” It is used to shorten lists of author names in text citations to make repeated referencing shorter and simpler.
Can et al be used for things?
Et al. is most commonly found
in scholarly writing
, especially when used to avoid having to list a number of different authors in a bibliography or footnote. You can use it when describing the people who came to a dinner party, but it may sound rather odd.
Is it rude to use et al?
Et al., the abbreviation of et alii, is about as friendly as a flu shot. They don't fit well together. The use of et al.
is not standard in greetings
, so people will stumble over it, wondering whether they missed an important new rule somewhere.
Is there a comma before et al in APA?
A full and official description of APA style formatting can be found here. When an author's name is cited in-text, put the date of the citation in parentheses. …
When there are six or more authors, use only the first author's name and et al, placing a comma before the date
.
What does et al stand for in citation?
by Chelsea Lee. Academic writing is full of little conventions that may seem opaque to the uninitiated. One of these is the Latin phrase et al., an abbreviation meaning “
and others
.” It is used to shorten lists of author names in text citations to make repeated referencing shorter and simpler.
NOTE: The in-text citation for works with three or more authors is
shortened to the first author's name followed by et al. and the year.
How do you read et al?
“et al.” is an abbreviation. When read aloud, you pronounce the full
term “et alii” (or “et alia”)
– same as you would say “et cetera” when reading aloud the “etc.” abbreviation. Alternatively, you could say “and others” – same as you would say “for example” when reading aloud the “e.g.” abbreviation.
How do you write et al in APA 7?
In APA 7, for a work with three or more authors,
list the first author and “et al.” for all citations
, including the first citation, unless doing so would create ambiguity.
