Citation Basics4 min read

Et Al. Meaning: How to Use Et Al. in Citations

Understand what "et al." means and when to use it in APA, MLA, and Chicago citations. Includes rules for first and subsequent citations.

CiteMe Editorial Team

CiteMe Editorial Team

Academic Research Team

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Et Al. Rules by Citation Style

Different styles have different thresholds for when to use "et al." APA 7 changed to use et al. from the first citation for 3+ authors.

Use et al. from first citation
APA 7: 3+ authors
Use et al. for 3+ authors
MLA: 3+ authors
List all first time, then et al.
Chicago: 4+ authors
Old rule, now outdated
APA 6: 6+ authors
Source: Style manual guidelines (APA, MLA, Chicago)Visualization by CiteMe

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