In-text citation (three+ authors): (AuthorSurname et al. Page). Example: (Garcia et al. 15). No comma before “et al.” in the parentheses. Just the name, a space, then “et al.”—period at the end of “al.”
Works Cited entry (three+ authors): AuthorSurname, FirstName, et al. Title. Publisher, Year. Here, you do put a comma before “et al.” after the first author’s name. Example: Garcia, Maria, et al. Science for All. Academic Press, 2026.
Still confused? Picture this: you’re at a party with seven friends. Instead of shouting everyone’s name, you just say, “Maria and the gang.” That’s et al. You’re the cool host. Everyone knows who you mean. Party on.
So go forth, cite boldly, and remember: et al. is your friend. A tiny, Latin, slightly mysterious friend who saves your citation game. Use it wisely. And if you mess up? Just blame the Romans. They started it.
