When to Use “et al.” in APA Citations: A Complete Guide

Key Takeaways

“et al.” means “and others” — it’s the abbreviation of the Latin phrase “et alia” and is used when a source has multiple authors.
APA 7th edition rule: Use “et al.” in every citation (including the first) when a source has three or more authors.
The big change from APA 6th to 7th: APA 6th required listing all authors up to five the first time. APA 7th says: use “et al.” from the very first citation if there are 3+ authors.
Never use “et al.” for two authors — always write out both names, every time.
In-text citations use “et al.”, but the reference list never does — list all authors (up to 20) in the reference list.
The ambiguity exception: If two sources with 3+ authors from the same year shorten to the same “et al.” form, spell out enough names to tell them apart.

What Does “et al.” Mean?

“et al.” is the shortened form of the Latin phrase et alia, which translates to “and others.” It’s used in academic writing to replace a long list of author names when citing a source that has multiple authors.

Here’s the quick breakdown:

et = “and”
al. = “others” (abbreviation of “alia”)

You’ll see this abbreviation in in-text citations, not in your reference list or bibliography. It’s one of the most common sources of confusion in APA formatting — and one of the most commonly misused.

The Core Rule (APA 7th Edition)

In APA Style 7th edition, the rule is straightforward:

For any source with three or more authors, use “et al.” in every in-text citation, including the first citation.

Let’s look at some examples:

3 or More Authors (Always Use “et al.”)

In-text citation: (Taylor et al., 2024)

Narrative citation: Taylor et al. (2024) found that…

1 or 2 Authors (Never Use “et al.”)

In-text citation: (Smith & Jones, 2024)

Narrative citation: Smith and Jones (2024) argued that…

The key distinction? If the source has two or fewer authors, write every name out. Three or more, use “et al.”

The APA 6th vs 7th Edition Change (Why Students Get Confused)

This is where most students run into trouble. The rule changed dramatically between editions, and many students are still using outdated APA 6th edition guidance.

APA 6th Edition (Old Rule)

1st citation: List all authors up to five.
- Example: (Smith, Johnson, Williams, Brown, & Davis, 2023)
Subsequent citations: Use “et al.” from the first author.
- Example: (Smith et al., 2023)

APA 7th Edition (Current Rule)

Every citation: Use “et al.” right away for 3+ authors.
- Example: (Smith et al., 2023) — every single time

That’s it. One consistent rule instead of two. The 7th edition simplified the process so you don’t have to track whether it’s the “first time” or a “subsequent” citation.

Why the change? The APA recognized that students were spending more time memorizing two different rules than actually writing. Streamlining the citation process means fewer formatting errors and more focus on content.

💡 What we’d choose: Always follow the 7th edition unless your instructor or journal explicitly asks for the 6th edition. Most universities and publishers have adopted the 7th edition, and it’s been the standard since 2020.

When “et al.” Does NOT Apply

Students often jump to “et al.” because they see multiple names and assume it’s always needed. Here are the situations where you should not use “et al.”:

Situation 1: Two Authors or Fewer

If your source has exactly two authors — or just one — never use “et al.” Always write out every name.

Correct: (Rodriguez & Kim, 2025)

Incorrect: (Rodriguez et al., 2025)

Situation 2: In the Reference List

In your reference list (not in-text citations), never use “et al.” List every single author’s name.

Correct (reference list): Thompson, A., Garcia, R., & Patel, S. (2024). Title of the work…

Incorrect (reference list): Thompson et al. (2024). Title of the work…

The rule: In the reference list, write out all authors when there are up to 20. Only use an ellipsis (…) when there are 21 or more authors.

Situation 3: When “et al.” Stands for Only One Person

Because “et al.” is plural (meaning “and others”), you should never use it to replace a single author’s name.

Situation 4: In MLA, Chicago, or Other Citation Styles

The “3+ authors” rule is specific to APA style. Other citation styles have their own rules:

MLA: Generally uses “et al.” after the first author for any source with more than three authors (varies slightly by discipline).
Chicago: Uses “et al.” for bibliographic entries with more than three authors; in footnotes, list up to the first three authors then use “et al.”

Always check which citation style your assignment requires before applying APA rules.

The Ambiguity Exception (When Two “et al.” Citations Conflict)

This is the trickiest part of the rule — and it’s something that professors specifically test on.

Sometimes, two different sources with three or more authors from the same year will shorten to the exact same “et al.” citation form. You can’t have two different sources listed as (Smith et al., 2024). That’s ambiguous.

Here’s how APA 7th edition handles it:

Example scenario: You’re citing two different studies that both use the same first author and were published in the same year:

Source 1: Kapoor, Bloom, Montez, & Williams (2017)
Source 2: Kapoor, Bloom, Zucker, & Davis (2017)

Both would technically shorten to (Kapoor et al., 2017). To fix this, spell out enough names to tell them apart, then use “et al.”:

Source 1 citation: (Kapoor, Bloom, Montez, et al., 2017)
Source 2 citation: (Kapoor, Bloom, Zucker, et al., 2017)

You write out as many surnames as needed to make the two citations distinct, and then abbreviate the rest.

⚠️ Common mistake: Students often think they should just add “a” and “b” to the years (like Berndt, 2017a vs. Berndt, 2017b). That’s a different APA rule for multiple works by the same single author in the same year. The “et al.” ambiguity exception works differently — it’s about the in-text citation form, not the year designation.

Visual Guide: Decision Flowchart

Below is a visual reference to help you know exactly when to use “et al.” and when not to.

[Decision Flowchart – When to Use et al. in APA Citations]

Use “et al.” when:

3 or more authors in an in-text citation (every time, including first citation)
Two or more different sources with 3+ authors from the same year, and the short form would be identical

Do NOT use “et al.” when:

1 or 2 authors (write out every name, every time)
The reference list (always write all names)
Only one author is being replaced (et al. is plural)

Common Student Mistakes (and How to Fix Them)

These are the errors we see most often — and the ones that cost students points on grading rubrics:

Mistake 1: Putting a Period After “et”

Incorrect: et. al.

Correct: et al.

Only “al” is an abbreviation, so only “al” gets the period. “et” is a complete word.

Mistake 2: Forgetting the Period Entirely

Incorrect: Smith et al 2024

Correct: (Smith et al., 2024)

The period after “al.” is mandatory. It signals that “al” is an abbreviation.

Mistake 3: Using “etc.” Instead of “et al.”

Incorrect: (Smith etc., 2024)

Correct: (Smith et al., 2024)

“etc.” means “and so forth” and is used for things, not people. “et al.” means “and others” and is used for people (authors). Never mix them up.

Mistake 4: Applying the 6th Edition Rule in 7th Edition Papers

Incorrect (old 6th rule): (Smith, Johnson, & Williams, 2024) — first citation; (Smith et al., 2024) — second citation

Correct (7th rule): (Smith et al., 2024) — every citation

Check your assignment requirements and confirm which edition of APA style you’re supposed to follow.

Mistake 5: Using “et al.” in the Reference List

Incorrect (in reference list): Smith et al. (2024). Title of the work…

Correct (in reference list): Smith, A., Johnson, R., & Williams, K. (2024). Title of the work…

The reference list is for full attribution. Never abbreviate author names here.

Quick Examples at a Glance

Here’s a fast reference you can use when writing:

Number of Authors	In-Text Citation	Reference List
1 author	(Davis, 2024)	Davis, A. (2024). …
2 authors	(Davis & Lee, 2024)	Davis, A., & Lee, K. (2024). …
3+ authors (first citation)	(Davis et al., 2024)	Davis, A., Lee, K., & Patel, R. (2024). …
3+ authors (subsequent)	(Davis et al., 2024)	Davis, A., Lee, K., & Patel, R. (2024). …

Note: For 3+ authors, the in-text citation is identical every time. APA 7th edition removed the first-time vs. subsequent distinction.

What About Group Authors and Organizations?

Sometimes the “author” of a source is an organization, not an individual person. APA 7th edition handles this differently:

First citation with abbreviation: (National Institute of Mental Health [NIMH], 2023)

Subsequent citations: (NIMH, 2023)

If the organization doesn’t have a well-known abbreviation, you would write the full name in every citation — no “et al.” needed.

Group authors are a separate category from individual authors with multiple names. You don’t use “et al.” for organizations. You abbreviate them, if the abbreviation is established and well-known.

The “Same Surname, Different Initials” Exception

If your paper includes multiple references with the same last name but different first initials, APA 7th edition requires you to include the initials in the in-text citation to prevent confusion:

Example: You’re citing two sources by researchers who share the same last name:

Johnson, A. (2023)
Johnson, B. (2023)

In-text citation: (A. Johnson, 2023) and (B. Johnson, 2023)

This rule applies regardless of the number of authors. When surnames overlap, initial disambiguation takes priority.

Why This Matters (and Why Students Struggle)

Here’s the real reason this topic is so confusing: students are learning two different rule sets without realizing it.

They’re taught the 6th edition somewhere (an older textbook, a professor who hasn’t updated their materials, or a friend’s previous paper) and then they show up in a 7th edition class with the wrong mental model. The transition from “list all five names the first time” to “use et al. immediately” feels unintuitive. It’s a real shift in logic.

On top of that, the ambiguity exception — where you spell out extra names to avoid confusion — is an edge case that few students expect to encounter. It shows up on exams and rubrics, and it’s the single most common source of point deductions in citation sections.

My recommendation: Learn the 7th edition rule cold. Memorize the 3+ threshold. Practice the ambiguity exception with worked examples. Don’t let the older rules from the 6th edition cloud your thinking.

Final Checklist Before You Submit

Run through this list before you hand in your paper:

[ ] In-text citations use “et al.” for any source with 3+ authors
[ ] In-text citations never use “et al.” for 1 or 2 authors
[ ] The reference list never uses “et al.” — all names are written out
[ ] Only “al.” has a period (not “et.”)
[ ] Ambiguous citations are distinguished with extra surnames if needed
[ ] “et al.” is not confused with “etc.”
[ ] You are using APA 7th edition rules, not the outdated 6th edition

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Related Guides

This guide is based on the APA Publication Manual, 7th edition (Sections 8.10–8.36). For additional details on in-text citation formatting, consult the official APA Style website.

Official APA Style Guide for Author–Date Citations

Purdue OWL – In-Text Citations: Author/Authors

APA Style – Works That Shorten to the Same et al. Form

Best Edit & Proof – Et al. in APA 7th Edition

UCL Library Guide – APA Sources with Multiple Authors

Lindenwood University – Using Et al. in APA 7