abbreviation
et al.
et AL
Et al. (abbreviation) means And others: used after the first author's name in citations to stand in for the remaining authors of a work. Example: “The findings were replicated by Nakamura et al. (2019).”
abbreviation
1
And others: used after the first author's name in citations to stand in for the remaining authors of a work.
"The findings were replicated by Nakamura et al. (2019)."
"See Patel et al. for the full methodology."
2
informal And the rest of them: used informally after a name to mean the group associated with that person.
"The invitation went out to Marcus et al."
How to use et al.
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA short way of writing 'and the other authors' in a reference.
When to use it
Academic and formal; italicisation is not required in most modern styles.
Memory tip
Treat 'X et al.' as plural in British style and check your journal's rules; keep the full stop after 'al'.
Trace the full origin ↓
Common pairings
Smith et al. (2020)
as reported by ... et al.
et al., p. 44
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Etymology
A shortening of Latin et alii ('and others', masculine), et aliae (feminine) or et alia (neuter).
Synonyms
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and others
and colleagues
and co-authors
Rhymes for et al.
See all rhymes for et al. →Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between 'et al.' and 'etc.'?
'Et al.' stands for 'and others' and is used for people, chiefly co-authors. 'Etc.' stands for 'and the rest' and is used for things. Writing 'Smith etc.' or 'apples et al.' reverses them wrongly.
Where does the full stop go in 'et al.'?
After 'al' only. 'Et' is a complete Latin word, so it takes no point, while 'al.' is an abbreviation of 'alii' and does. 'Et. al.' and 'et al' without the stop are both incorrect in formal citation.
When should you use 'et al.' in a citation?
It depends on the style. APA uses it for works with three or more authors from the first citation onward; MLA uses it for three or more; many science journals use it for more than three. Check the style guide, and always name the first author before it.
What is the meaning of et al.?
"et al." (abbreviation) means and others: used after the first author's name in citations to stand in for the remaining authors of a work.
