If you’ve ever read a long scientific study or an article with many citations, you may have seen the abbreviation “et al.” and felt confused. If you’ve searched “et al. meaning” in hopes of finally learning what this short phrase really means, you’re in the right place. Put simply, et al. means “and others.” To dive deeper into the meaning and usage of et al., read on.
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What Is et al.?
Et al. is an abbreviation that is a shortened form of the Latin term “et alia.” This Latin phrase translates to mean “and others” in English. The feminine plural version of this neutral phrase is “et aliae,” while the masculine plural is “et alii.”
Et al. is commonly used when making citations in a scholarly article. By using et al., you can indicate that there are more authors responsible for contributing to a work, but you just aren’t listing all of the author names at this time.
When writing et al., don’t forget that it is an abbreviation of a longer word, which means you need to use punctuation, specifically a period. However, there shouldn’t be a comma after it.
Examples:
- The paper written by Brown et al. has influenced many thought leaders.
- This study published by Harrison et al. posits many intriguing theories about chemistry.
- A widely-revered article by Williams et al. inspired many of their colleagues to reevaluate their assumptions.
- This article, published by Floyd et al., asserts that cats are more similar to dogs than we may think.
- In a casual setting: My mom says her favorite musicians are The Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, Janet Jackson, et al.
How to Use et al.?
Now that you know the meaning of et al., the next question you’re probably asking is how to use it. In that case, we also got you covered.
First and foremost, you need to determine what style guide your teacher or professor asked you to use. Why? That’s because the correct et al. usage and format depend on the style guide.
In the next sections, we’ll go over all the tips you need to know to use et al. in accordance with the most popular style guides.
APA (American Psychological Association) Style
APA style dictates that you should use et al. when you are citing a work by three or more authors.
So, in APA format (7th edition), if a work has only one or two authors, you can write their full names in your citations. But as soon as that number of authors reaches three or higher, you should use et al. to simplify your citations.
You should use this format for each in-text citation throughout your writing, even the very first one.
Examples:
- Parenthetical citation: (Brown et al., 1983)
- Parenthetical citation: (Davidson et al., 2020)
- Narrative citation: Lindsay et al. (1999)
MLA (Modern Language Association) Style
MLA is another popular style utilized by many academics and professionals. Even though et al. means the same thing when used in this style, you need to format the phrase differently.
As outlined by Texas Woman’s University, et al. should be used to save space in a citation that has three or more authors.
Example:
- MLA In-Text Citations: Waverly et al. assert that…(101).
- Parenthetical Citation: (Waverly et al. 19)
- Worked Cited: Parker, Jeremy, et al. [insert citation]
Fun fact: MLA style is now in its 9th edition. This version was published in 2021.
Chicago Style
Using Chicago Style instead? No problem. Here is how to correctly use et al. under this style guide
According to the official Chicago Manual of Style website, you should write et al. following the first author of a work if you are creating in-text citations.
But when you’re creating a reference list, you should write more authors before cutting off the list with this abbreviation.
If the work you are referencing has four or more authors, you can write up to ten in your reference list. But if the work has more than ten authors, only list up to seven of them before writing “et al.” to finish off the list.
Example:
- Reference list: Smith, John A., Emily Johnson, David Brown, Samantha White, Michael Davis, Sarah Wilson, Jessica Garcia, et al.
- In-text Citation: (Smith et al. 2000, 302)
- In-text Citation: (Robinson et al. 1970, 46)
Tip: Keep in mind that Chicago Style is now in its 17th edition. The 18th edition of this popular style will be released this September 2024, so stay tuned for any updates that may impact the way et al. is used.
Et al. vs. Et Cetera: What’s the Difference?
Due to the similar way they start, these Latin abbreviations can often be confused. However, they do not mean the same thing.
While et al. means “and others,” et cetera or “etc.” stands for “the rest” or “and so on.” While et al. is used to refer to a longer list of people (such as authors), et cetera is used to list a group of items in a series.
Another phrase that is often confused with these two is “et alibi.” This one means “and elsewhere” and refers to additional locations that are not mentioned in a list.
Final Thoughts
Now you’ve learned the answer to the question, what is et al. meaning and when should I use it? Et al. is an abbreviation that keeps your citations short, especially when you need to credit multiple authors. Again, it means “and others” and indicates that there are more authors who contributed to a particular work. Remember that there are different ways to use et al. correctly depending on the citation style that you are following.
