When to Use Et Al. in APA 7th Edition

“Et al.” is an abbreviation of the Latin phrase et alia, meaning “and others.” APA 7th edition simplified the rules significantly compared to earlier editions, but there are still important details to get right.

The Basic Rule

In APA 7th edition, for any work with three or more authors, use the first author’s last name followed by “et al.” from the very first citation onward. This applies to both narrative and parenthetical citations.

For works with one or two authors, always write out all names in every citation. Et al. is never used for one- or two-author works.

How This Changed from APA 6th Edition

The 6th edition required listing all authors (up to five) on the first mention, then switching to et al. for subsequent citations. The 7th edition eliminated this distinction—you now use et al. from the very first citation for three or more authors. If you learned APA under the old system, this is the most important change to internalize.

The Disambiguation Exception

There is one situation where you need to include more authors than just the first: when two different sources would shorten to the same form. For example, if your paper cites both of these sources:

Both would shorten to “Johnson et al. (2023),” making them indistinguishable. In this case, include as many author names as needed to differentiate:

Formatting Rules

These details are small but frequently cited as errors by reviewers:

• Not italicized — Despite being Latin, “et al.” is not italicized in APA style.
• Period after “al” — Always include the period, because “al” is an abbreviation.
• Space between words — Write “et al.” not “etal.”
• Comma placement — In parenthetical citations: (Johnson et al., 2023). In narrative citations: Johnson et al. (2023). Note the comma comes after “al.” in parenthetical form.

Et Al. in the Reference List

Et al. is never used in the reference list. Always list all authors of a work in the reference entry, up to 20 authors. For works with 21 or more authors, list the first 19, then an ellipsis, then the final author.

Quick Reference Summary

• 1–2 authors: always write out all names
• 3+ authors: use et al. from the first citation
• Same first author + same year: include enough names to disambiguate
• Never italicize et al.
• Always include the period after “al”
• Never use et al. in the reference list