The phrase "et al."—from the Latin et alii, which literally means "and others"—must always be typed with a space between the two words and with a period after the "l" (since the "al." is an abbreviation). A comma does not follow the abbreviation unless the sentence's grammar requires it.
What is the correct way to use et al?
This phrase means “and others.” Most commonly, et al. indicates other contributors (authors, editors, etc.) in a bibliographic list, such as “Feynman, Hawking, Sagan, et al.” There should always be a period after et al. to show it is an abbreviation.
How do you use et al in the middle of a sentence?
Use it in an email greeting by saying, “Dear Mr. Smith et al.,” when there is more than one recipient. For punctuation, always follow the abbreviation with a period since it's short for “et alia” or “and others.”
Is there a point after et al?
This is abbreviated to et al. (with a full stop at the end) and it is used in a citation when you have three authors or more. This makes your citation more manageable. When using the authors name in your writing you should include the full stop after et al.
Do I put two periods after et al?
Second, never put a period after the first word in et al. because et is a complete Latin word meaning and — it's not an abbreviation. But always put a period after al because it's the abbreviation for the different forms of the Latin word meaning others (alii, alius, alia, or aliae).
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