Et al. and in-text citations with multiple authors
Drag the slider to add authors. Watch the moment each style stops listing names and switches to “et al.”
| Style | Parenthetical | Narrative |
|---|---|---|
| APA 7 | (Okafor et al., 2022) | Okafor et al. (2022) |
| MLA 9 | (Okafor et al.) | Okafor et al. |
| Chicago 18 | (Okafor et al. 2022) | Okafor et al. (2022) |
| Harvard | (Okafor, Lindqvist and Tanaka, 2022) | Okafor, Lindqvist and Tanaka (2022) |
Three authors is where styles split: APA, MLA and Chicago 18 switch to “et al.”; Cite Them Right Harvard still names all three.
The rule for each style
- APA 7: one or two authors, name them; three or more, first author + et al. from the first citation. (Earlier APA 6 waited until the second citation for three to five authors; that rule is gone.)
- MLA 9: same thresholds as APA; “and” instead of “&”.
- Chicago 18: three or more authors shortened to first author + et al. in author-date citations and short notes.
- Harvard (Cite Them Right): name up to three; four or more become et al.
Punctuating et al. correctly
Write et al.: lower case, no italics, a full stop after “al” only. In APA the comma before the year still follows it: (Okafor et al., 2022). At the end of a sentence, the full stop in “al.” doesn’t double up with the sentence’s full stop if the citation is in parentheses; the bracket separates them.
Want to try it with your own author list? Use the in-text citation generator.
Questions students ask
When do you use et al. in APA?
APA 7 uses et al. for three or more authors, starting with the first citation: (Okafor et al., 2022). With two authors, always name both.
What does et al. mean?
It is short for the Latin “et alia”, meaning “and others”. Only “al.” is abbreviated, so it takes a full stop after “al” but not after “et”.
Is et al. italicised?
No. APA, MLA, Chicago and Harvard all set et al. in regular (roman) type.
What if two sources shorten to the same et al. citation?
In APA, if (Okafor et al., 2022) could mean two different papers, add as many names as needed to tell them apart: (Okafor, Lindqvist, et al., 2022).
Do I use et al. in the reference list too?
No, not in APA until there are more than 20 authors. The in-text citation is shortened; the reference entry lists the authors in full.