Now, here’s where life gets fun. When you have three or more authors, MLA says you don’t have to be a name-caller. You can use the lazy genius shortcut: et al.
“Et al.” is Latin for “and others.” It’s like saying, “You know, the whole gang.” In your sentence, you only use the first author’s last name, followed by “et al.”
So, if you have a study by Garcia, Lee, Patel, and Singh, you write: “Garcia et al. found that cats secretly run the internet…” Sounds official. Feels breezy.
When to Use It (And When Not To)
Use the “et al.” trick every single time you mention that source in your text. Don’t suddenly spell out all five names on page three—keep it consistent.
But here’s the rule: do not use “et al.” in your Works Cited list. That’s the one place you must show all the authors. Up to two authors, list both. For three or more? List the first author, then a comma, then “et al.”
Wait—I just told you the opposite, didn’t I? Let me be clear. In the Works Cited, for three or more authors, you still list only the first author, then “et al.” So: Garcia, Maria, et al. Yes, you read that right. The rule is the same everywhere.
