Et al. is an abbreviation of the Latin phrase et alii, meaning ‘and others’ (pronounced et AL /ɛt ˈæl/). It is used chiefly in academic and scholarly citations to stand in for additional authors, so a source by many writers can be cited briefly, as in ‘(Smith et al., 2020),’ rather than listing every name.
What does et al. mean?
The phrase comes from Latin, where et means ‘and’ and alii means ‘others.’ The full forms are et alii (masculine), et aliae (feminine), and et alia (neuter), and all three translate as ‘and others.’ In practice, ‘et al.’ covers them all. It always refers to people, most often the co-authors of a cited work, though it can also point to other named individuals such as members of a research team.
Because it stands for ‘and others,’ et al. lets writers acknowledge every contributor to a source without cluttering the text with a long string of names. It is a cornerstone of concise academic referencing.
Where does et al. come from?
Et al. is pure Latin, drawn from the same language that gives us many scholarly abbreviations. It belongs to a family of Latin citation shorthands including ibid. (‘in the same place’), op. cit. (‘in the work cited’), and et cetera (‘and the rest’). A related but rarer phrase, et alibi, means ‘and elsewhere’ and refers to other places rather than other people.
The abbreviation entered English scholarly writing as academic citation conventions developed, and it remains standard across the sciences and humanities. Although Latin, it is now so thoroughly naturalized in English academic prose that most style guides treat it as an ordinary English abbreviation.
How is et al. used?
The single most important mechanical rule concerns the period: write et al. with a full stop after ‘al’ but never after ‘et.’ This is because ‘et’ is a complete Latin word (‘and’), while ‘al.’ is a shortened form of ‘alii/alia,’ and abbreviations take a period. Writing ‘et. al’ is a common error.
When you actually use it depends on the citation style:
- APA: Use et al. in in-text citations for works with three or more authors, e.g. (Jones et al., 2019). Do not use it in the reference-list entry.
- MLA: Use et al. for sources with three or more authors, in both in-text citations and the Works Cited list.
- Chicago: Generally use et al. in notes and in-text citations for four or more authors, and in bibliographies for larger author groups.
Modern APA and MLA keep et al. in regular roman type rather than italics, even though it is Latin. Always check the specific edition of the style guide you are following, since thresholds can change.
A few finer points help you use the phrase confidently. First, treat ‘et al.’ as referring to real people whose names you have simply chosen not to spell out; it is not a vague ‘and so on.’ Second, watch the sentence punctuation: when ‘et al.’ ends a sentence, its own period also serves as the full stop, so you do not add a second one. Third, be consistent about how many authors trigger the abbreviation, following one style guide throughout a document rather than mixing rules. Fourth, remember that ‘et al.’ can shorten lists of names other than authors, such as parties in a legal case (‘Smith et al. v. Jones’) or members of a team. Finally, keep subject-verb agreement natural: ‘Smith et al. argue’ treats the group as plural. These habits, plus the golden rule that the period goes only after ‘al,’ will keep your citations clean. When in doubt, consult the current edition of the relevant style manual, since the exact author thresholds are periodically revised.
Example sentences
- Recent findings (Garcia et al., 2021) support the earlier theory.
- The study by Nguyen et al. was widely cited within a year.
- As Patel et al. (2018) demonstrated, the effect is consistent across samples.
- Several authors, including Lee et al., reached similar conclusions.
- In MLA, cite three or more authors as ‘Smith et al.’
- Remember that the period goes after ‘al,’ never after ‘et.’
Related and confusable terms
Related Latin abbreviations include etc. (et cetera, ‘and other things’), i.e. (id est, ‘that is’), e.g. (exempli gratia, ‘for example’), ibid., and op. cit. The rarer et alibi means ‘and elsewhere.’
The most common confusion is between et al. and etc. Use et al. for people (‘and other authors’) and etc. for things (‘and other items’). Another frequent error is misplacing the period as ‘et. al.’ Because ‘et’ needs no period, the correct form is always ‘et al.’
Common misconceptions
A widespread misconception is that et al. and etc. are interchangeable; they are not, because one refers to people and the other to things. Another is that the abbreviation should be italicized, when most current style guides keep it in plain roman type. Finally, the exact number of authors that triggers et al. is not universal; it varies by citation style, so always confirm the rule for APA, MLA, Chicago, or whatever system your work requires.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does et al. mean?
Et al. is short for the Latin et alii or et alia, meaning 'and others.' It is used in citations to represent additional authors beyond the ones named.
How do you punctuate et al.?
Write 'et al.' with a period only after 'al,' because 'al.' is the abbreviation of 'alii/alia,' while 'et' is a complete Latin word meaning 'and' and needs no period.
When do you use et al. in APA style?
In APA, use 'et al.' for in-text citations of works with three or more authors, naming the first author followed by et al., as in (Smith et al., 2020). It is not used in the reference list.
How is et al. used in MLA and Chicago?
MLA uses 'et al.' for sources with three or more authors in both in-text citations and the Works Cited list. Chicago uses it for four or more authors in-text and for larger author groups in bibliographies.
Should et al. be italicized?
No. Although it comes from Latin, et al. is so common in academic writing that APA and MLA keep it in regular roman type rather than italics.
What is the difference between et al. and etc.?
Et al. means 'and other people' and is used for authors or named individuals, while etc. (et cetera) means 'and other things' and is used for lists of items.