How To Use Et Al When Citing

In citing such papers using the name and date system also known as the harvard system a long string of names proves awkward which is why most journals recommend the use of et al which is latin for et alii or et aliae and means and others.

How to use et al when citing. The phrase et al is used with in text citations only when referencing a source that has three or more authors. In your bibliography or reference list when a source has more than 10 authors list the first seven followed by et al. When a source has four or more authors your in text citation or footnote should give only the first author s name followed by et al. In text citation format with et al. After the first author.

The term et al is mainly used for in text citations of research papers having multiple authors although some style guidelines also advocate the use of et al in the reference list. Include the surname of the first author followed by et al if the source you re citing has 4 or more authors type the surname of the first author listed on the title page followed by a space and the abbreviation et al then type a space and add the year the source was published. Specifically articles with one or two authors include all names in every in text citation. For parenthetical citation of a work with 6 or more authors. For example props f.

Use the lead author s surname and et al. This makes your citations more concise. For example blythe et al 2003. Ethical publication emphasizes that authors should provide an inclusive list of their sources in their manuscripts. Any time you have more than two authors the potential for using et al.

With in text citation is there. Articles with three four or five authors include all names in the first in text citation but are abbreviated to the first author name plus et al. Note that this rule has changed from apa 6 guidelines on using et al which recommend listing all author names in the first citation up to five authors but then using et al for the second and subsequent citations. 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. If you re instructed to follow the 6th edition the use of et al is slightly different.

In your reference list citation of a major reference book with a large editorial board. Scribbr citation checker new. As such the first citation should spell out all their names and any subsequent citation can include et al. And articles with six or more authors are abbreviated to the first author name plus et al. For sources with three to five authors list all the authors the first time and use et al only in subsequent citations.