What Does “et al.” Mean?
Updated October 2026
“Et al.” is short for the Latin et alia — "and others." In citations it stands in for a list of co-authors so a parenthetical doesn't run to five names. The punctuation and the when differ by style, and both trip people up.
The punctuation (people get this wrong)
It's two words, and only the second is abbreviated: et (a full word, no period) + al. (abbreviation of alia, with a period). So: et al. — never "et. al." and never "et al" without the period. The period stays even mid-sentence.
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Citation style
Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 7th edition (2020). The 7th dropped the publisher location and the "Retrieved from" prefix that the 6th required.
When each style uses it (in-text)
- APA 7 — three or more authors: et al. from the first citation. (Two authors: name both, always.)
- MLA 9 — three or more authors: first author + et al.
- Chicago — four or more authors in a note use et al.; the bibliography lists more.
- Harvard — typically three or more authors: first author + et al.
Grammar and the reference list
Et al. is plural — it represents multiple people — so it takes a plural verb: "Harris et al. (2020) were…", not was. Important: et al. is for in-text citations. The reference list spells out author names (APA lists up to 20 before truncating; MLA cuts to et al. after the first). Don't carry et al. into your bibliography unless the style's list rule calls for it.
Examples
APA: (Harris et al., 2020). MLA: (Harris et al. 360). Both pull from a reference entry that names more authors. Full rules in APA In-Text Citations and MLA In-Text Citations.
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Go Premium — $5/monthFrequently asked questions
- Is it 'et al.' or 'et. al.'?
- 'et al.' — 'et' is a whole word (no period), 'al.' is the abbreviation (with a period). 'et. al.' is incorrect.
- When do I use et al. in APA?
- For three or more authors, from the very first in-text citation in APA 7. Two authors are always both named.
- Does et al. take a singular or plural verb?
- Plural — it stands for several authors: 'Harris et al. were,' not 'was.'
- Do I use et al. in the reference list?
- Generally no — the list spells out author names (APA up to 20; MLA cuts to et al. after the first author). et al. is mainly an in-text device.