Definition · Plain-language
Et al.
"Et al." is an abbreviation of the Latin phrase et alia, meaning "and others", used in citations to stand in for additional author names.
The step most authors miss
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What "et al." stands for
Et al. is a Latin abbreviation. The "al." is the shortened part — it can stand for et alia ("and other things"), et alii ("and other men") or et aliae ("and other women") — so only "al." takes a full stop, while "et" is a complete word and takes none. The phrase lets a writer cite a multi-author work without listing every name in the text, keeping in-text citations short while the full author list appears in the reference entry. Because it abbreviates a foreign phrase, "et al." is written in roman (not italic) type in all three major styles.
When to use it in APA 7th edition
APA 7th edition simplified the rule. For a work with three or more authors, cite only the first author followed by "et al." in every in-text citation, including the first — for example, (Smith et al., 2021). For one or two authors, name them all every time: (Smith & Jones, 2021). The full reference list still lists up to 20 authors in full before using an ellipsis. If shortening to "et al." would make two different sources look identical, APA tells you to add as many names as needed to tell them apart.
When to use it in MLA 9th edition
MLA 9th edition uses "et al." for a source with three or more authors. The in-text citation and the Works Cited entry both name the first author followed by "et al." — for example, the parenthetical (Smith et al. 24) and the list entry beginning "Smith, Jane, et al." For a source with two authors, MLA names both. The threshold is the main difference between the two styles: APA and MLA both switch to "et al." at three or more authors, but they format the surrounding citation differently.
Punctuation and common errors
Three points trip people up. First, the full stop sits only after "al." — "et al." is correct; "et. al." and "et al" are not. Second, because the abbreviation ends a sentence with its own full stop, you do not add a second one. Third, "et al." is not italicised in APA, MLA or Chicago. A comma before "et al." is generally not used in the author position itself (e.g. "Smith et al."), though MLA places a comma after the first author’s inverted name in the list: "Smith, Jane, et al."
Key facts
At a glance
- Meaning: Latin "et alia" — "and others"
- Punctuation: full stop after "al." only — "et al." (never "et. al.")
- Type style: roman, not italic, in APA, MLA and Chicago
- APA 7th: use for 3+ authors, in every in-text citation
- MLA 9th: use for 3+ authors, in text and in Works Cited
- Reference list: APA lists up to 20 authors in full before abbreviating
Common misconceptions
What people often get wrong
Often heard: It should be written "et. al." with a full stop after "et".
Actually: "Et" is a whole Latin word, not an abbreviation, so it takes no full stop. Only "al." is shortened. The correct form is "et al." in every major style.
Often heard: "Et al." is used the same way for any number of authors above two.
Actually: The trigger threshold differs by style. APA 7th and MLA 9th both switch to "et al." at three or more authors, but APA names only one author and MLA likewise — yet each formats the wider citation to its own rules.
Often heard: "Et al." should be italicised because it is Latin.
Actually: Although it is Latin, "et al." is so common in academic writing that APA, MLA and Chicago all set it in roman type. Reserve italics for the title elements the style actually italicises.
Going deeper
