1. 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.

Do you use et al for 3 authors?

The abbreviation “et al.” (meaning “and others”) is used to shorten in-text citations with three or more authors. ... Only include the first author's last name, followed by “et al.”, a comma and the year of publication, for example (Taylor et al., 2018).

How do we refer to authors by name?

The APA Style format for author names in reference list entries is to provide the author's surname(s) followed by the initials of their given name(s). Example: Lee, C. L. (2017).