when do you include et al in citation
Writers sometimes use the surname of the first author followed by et al. at the first mention of a work that has three, four, or five authors. Only when a work has six or more authors should the first in-text citation consist of the first author followed by et al. With five or fewer authors, all the author surnames should be spelled out at first mention. 2. Writers also make the opposite error by including all author surnames when et al. should be used instead. Once an in-text citation has been mentioned one time, all subsequent citations to a work with three or more authors should consist of the surname of the first author followed by et al. 3.