The abbreviation “et al.” (meaning “and others”) is
used to shorten in-text citations with three or more authors
. Here's how it works: 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).
- 2 Authors: Always cite both authors' names in-text everytime you reference them. Example: Johnson and Smith (2009) found…
- 6 or More Authors: If a document has six or more authors, simply provide the last name of the first author with “et al.” from the first citation to the last. Example: Thomas et al.
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.
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. Only “al” should be followed by a period.
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.
How do you write et al example?
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. Only “al” should 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.
When Should et al be used in APA Style?
In APA Style in-text citations, when a source has two authors, list both.
When there are three or more authors
, cite the first author followed by “et al.” APA does not recommend using “et al.” in the reference list. Instead, list up to 20 authors in full.
If the work has four or more authors/editors the abbreviation ‘et al. ‘ should be used after the first author's name. It is also acceptable to use ‘et al. ‘
after the first author if the work has three authors
.
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.
Can et al be used in APA 7th edition?
APA 7th ed. in-text citations for works with three or more authors include only the first author name and “et al.” (which means “and others” in Latin)
is used in all citations
, including the first in-text citation: … Smith et al. (2019).
Can I use et al in an email?
When referring to a group of coworkers, it may be easier to use et al. than list everyone who made a contribution. Keep your audience in mind when using et al. in informal writing.
How do you cite et al?
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. Only “al” should be followed by a period.
Can I use et al in a sentence?
Just write the sentence as you normally would. Besides the period, et al. …
For references with three to five authors
, list all the authors in the first citation of the work, but abbreviate using the name of the first author and et al. for any additional citations of the same work.
What means et al?
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.
