How do I write 1 or multiple author(s) in a citation?
Answer
Citations are written differently depending on how many authors a source has. When a source has more than 3 authors, write the words "et al." after the first author. "Et al." means "and others" in latin.
Example of a source written by one author (Smith):
. . . (Smith, 2020).
According to Smith (2020) , . . .
Example of a source written by two authors (Smith and Jones):
(Smith & Jones, 2019).
According to Smith and Jones (2019), . . .
Example of a source written by three or more authors (Smith, Jones, and Reynauld):
. . . (Smith et al., 2018).
According to Smith et al., (2018), . . .
For more information about citing authors in-text, look at the citation rules on our Quick Guide or check out the official style blog.