Et Al: What Does It Mean And How to Use It

Do you know that there are some of the Latin abbreviations that you use in your content? But it is seen that most of the time, you are unaware of its proper usage! This situation becomes troubling and challenging to handle. You must not ignore the fact that you can enhance your abilities to an impressive level by grasping some of the essentially used terms. In this blog, you will get to know about “How to use Et al”? Everything revolving around it would be addressed elaborately! So, without much delay, let’s start exploring it in detail!

What Does Et al Mean?

Et al is a Latin term that means et alia (and others). You can mainly see it in the academic writing to cite the sources with multiple authors. One thing that you must keep in mind is that you must use it according to the style guide that you are following. It is the most vital thing that you must not ignore. So keep this thing in your mind while utilizing this in your content.

You need to note that you must never use it in place of one author. It is advisable to quote it when you are using more than two authors. To get an appropriate answer for “how to use et al in a sentence” you should know about its structure for drafting in your document. So, to know it in more detail, let’s dive into the ocean of it. Get to know about the different citation styles that you can use in your write-up:-

Et al in Different Citation Styles

The et al in different citation styles provide you with the essential information you need to know. So, get ready to know about it in a detail way:-

Et al in MLA style

To know the answer to the question “how to use et al in MLA” style is used to quote more than two authors in your write-up. It is used in both in-text citations as well as in work cited lists. It means that the first author’s name should be written in the citation. To get a clear idea of it, let’s see an example of it:-

So, after getting an understanding of it, see how we can use it in a sentence of MLA citations of APA:-

Tim et al state that..... (this is not the correct way to write it)

Tim and colleagues state that......(this is the right way to mention)

Et al in Chicago Style

In the case of Chicago style, allows for the choice between the author-date style citations or the note bibliography. In both cases, et al remains the same. If you are adding the names of 2 to 3 authors, then it is mandatory to mention the names of them.

Further, for getting more clarity on how to use et al, in this case, see the below-stated expression. For mentioning the names of 4 or more authors, you can write “et al” in it. So, to have clarity on this type of style then have a look at this example:-

Note:- You can write the name of up to 10 authors including all the author’s names in it. However, if you want to cite more than ten then, in that case, add the names of the first seven authors in your document.

Et al in APA Style

The most important thing that you must keep in mind is the style guide that you are using. There are two types of style guides for using this:-

• APA Et Al 6th Edition Guide

In this type of APA style of 6th edition, the usage of et al depends upon the number of authors you need to cite. For instance, if you are using two authors, then use them as it is throughout the text in your document.

In the case of 3 to 5 authors, each of the author’s first names should be listed the first time. If the author has more than 5 authors, then you must write the first author's name by adding “et al” before it.

So, you must keep this table in mind so that you can write them in your document. You must know about it beforehand to avoid the situation where you feel confused with the question “How to use et al in citation?”

• APA et al 7th Edition Guide

In the case of APA et al 7th edition, you have to make sure that when you are citing more than 3 or 4 authors, you use et al. So, to create more clarity on this concept, you can have a look at the below-stated example in detail:-

So, this is the vital thing that you can have in your mind for using the et al in the APA 7th edition.

Next after looking at these different citation styles, it is time to understand how to use et al. It’s basic guidelines that you need to know!

How to Use Et Al? Basic Guidelines

After understanding the different styles and their usage, it is time to see that how you can use et al as per the need. You have to make a solid grip on the guidelines that guide you in using them in your final document. So, let’s start exploring them in detail:-

Basic Guidelines

1. For using the et al in characters, then you must cite them by writing

2. You have to mention the author’s last name followed by et al then a comma and year of publication

3. You have to mould the use of it depending upon the style that you are using

4. You have to use the period and then a comma after writing the citation for et al (et al.,)

5. While you are using et al to address the group of people, then state it in singular form ( John et al state that....., instead of John et al stating that......)

Now, let’s see how you can use et al in a formal way:-

How to Use et al in Email

For using the et al in email, you have to keep in mind some of the vital points. For example:-

• If you want to cite more than 2 people, then you can use et al to address a group of people.

• You can also draft an email where you can save your time and mention all the team members' names by using et al.

So, after knowing about the et al and its basic guidelines it is time to look at some differences:-

Et al Vs Etc Vs Et Alibi

So now you are well versed about the et al meaning and the guidelines it holds. It is time to know about the difference between the similar-sounding phrases.

Firstly we will look at the points of differentiation between et al and etc:-

So, after knowing about the difference in detail between these two. Now it is the time to have a look at some more:-

However, after reading all these necessary guidelines and comparisons, there is a possibility that you might feel confused. So, to avoid such situation you can opt for assignment help to solve all your doubts and queries in a timely manner.

Get Our Help in Using Et Al

If you are facing difficulty in using the et al in your document, then in that case, you are at the right place. We provide you with the best services and guidance to solve our doubts and queries systematically. You can get the answer to this question, “ how to use et al”. So, you can now excel in enhancing your abilities to the advanced level. However, apart from this, if you want aid in completing your task on time, then you can opt for a research paper to get expert advice regarding this matter.