When to Use Et Al. Citation in APA 7

An et al. citation is used in APA 7 to shorten in-text citations for works with three or more authors. Instead of listing every author's surname, APA requires you to cite only the first author's surname followed by "et al." and the publication year. This rule applies from the very first citation and helps keep writing concise without losing clarity.

However, et al. is generally used only in APA in-text citations, not in the reference list. In the reference list, APA requires you to list every author for works with up to 20 authors.

Et al. citation meaning

The phrase et al. is an abbreviation of the Latin expression et alia, meaning "and others." It tells readers that additional authors contributed to the work but are not listed in the citation.

For example, instead of writing four author names every time you cite a source, APA allows you to shorten it:

Without abbreviation:

With et al.:

Although the phrase comes from Latin, APA 7 does not italicize "et al." The abbreviation is treated as standard academic language.

When should you use et al. in APA 7?

The rule depends on how many authors the source has.

The key point is simple:

• Never use et al. for one or two authors.
• Always use et al. for three or more authors in APA 7 in-text citations.

Et al. citation APA: parenthetical vs. narrative

APA allows both parenthetical and narrative citations.

Parenthetical citation

The author's surname, et al., and the publication year appear inside parentheses.

Narrative citation

The author's surname becomes part of the sentence, while the year appears in parentheses.

The format stays the same regardless of whether the work has three, four, five, or ten authors.

Et al. citation example

Suppose a journal article has four authors:

• Olivia Garcia
• Daniel Chen
• Maya Patel
• Ethan Wilson

Reference list

All authors appear.

Parenthetical citation

Narrative citation

Notice that only the in-text citation is shortened. The reference entry still lists every author because there are fewer than 21.

Et al. citation in-text for different numbers of authors

One author

Do not use et al.

Two authors

Always include both names.

Three authors

Use et al. immediately.

Four or more authors

The rule remains exactly the same.

The number of authors no longer changes the citation format once there are three or more authors.

If you're unsure whether to list every author or use "et al.," our guide on how to cite multiple authors APA covers each scenario with clear APA 7 examples for two, three, and multiple authors.

Et al. citation APA 7 reference list rules

Many students incorrectly believe that et al. also shortens reference entries.

It does not.

Up to 20 authors

List every author exactly as they appear in the publication.

Twenty-one or more authors

APA shortens only extremely long author lists.

List:

• the first 19 authors
• an ellipsis (...)
• the final author

Do not use et al.

This rule applies only to the reference list. In-text citations continue using the first author's surname followed by et al.

What if two citations become identical?

Sometimes different sources have the same first author and publication year.

For example:

• Garcia, Chen, Patel, and Lopez (2025)
• Garcia, Chen, Wilson, and Brown (2025)

Both would become:

Readers would not know which source you mean.

In this situation, APA requires adding enough surnames to distinguish the citations.

If the citations are still identical, add year suffixes such as 2025a and 2025b.

Direct quotations with et al.

When quoting directly, include a page number after the year.

Parenthetical citation:

Narrative citation:

For videos or webpages without page numbers, use another locator such as a paragraph number, section heading, or timestamp. Even when formatting an APA block quote, you'll still need to follow the correct author citation rules, including using "et al." whenever the source meets the APA requirements for abbreviated author names.

Using an APA Citation Generator

If you're unsure whether a source should use et al., an APA Citation Generator can automatically format both the reference entry and the corresponding in-text citation. Simply enter the source details, and the generator applies the correct APA 7 author rules based on the total number of authors.

Always verify the generated citation before submitting your paper. Check that:

• Two-author works list both authors.
• Three-author works use et al. in every in-text citation.
• Reference entries list all authors up to 20.
• Sources with 21 or more authors use the first 19 authors, an ellipsis, and the final author.

Common mistakes

Using et al. for two authors

Incorrect:

Correct:

Using et al. in the reference list

Incorrect:

Correct:

List every author if there are 20 or fewer.

Writing "et. al."

Incorrect:

Correct:

Italicizing et al.

APA 7 does not italicize et al.

Quick checklist

Before submitting your paper, confirm that:

• Sources with one author list one surname.
• Sources with two authors list both surnames.
• Sources with three or more authors use et al. in every in-text citation.
• "Et" has no period.
• "Al." ends with a period.
• Et al. is not italicized.
• Reference entries list every author through 20.
• Quotations include page numbers or another locator.