How to use et al. in MLA

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When you need to cite sources that have three or more authors or contributors, you don’t have to cite all of the contributors’ names. Instead, you can use et al.

Et al. is an abbreviation for the Latin word, et alii, which means “and others.” Using et al. shows that three or more contributors wrote, edited, or collaborated on the work, even though only one name is listed in the citation.

Using et al. in MLA


How to Format et al. in MLA Style

The format to write et al. is always the same: et al. Use lowercase letters with no punctuation after et and a period after al.


Works cited

Gere, Anne Ruggles, et al. “Interrogating Disciplines/Disciplinarity in WAC/WID: An Institutional Study.” College Composition and Communication, vol. 67, no. 2, 2015, pp. 243–266., www.jstor.org/stable/24633857. Accessed 6 Oct. 2020.

MLA Handbook. 9th ed., Modern Language Association of America, 2021.


Published October 25, 2020.

By Catherine Sigler. Catherine has a Ph.D. in English Education and has taught college-level writing for 15 years.


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