Now things get interesting. For three, four, or five authors, you list everyone the first time. Then you throw in “et al.” (Latin for “and others”) every time after. Example: First mention: “(Taylor, Lee, & Kumar, 2026).” Second mention: “(Taylor et al., 2026).”
Why? Because nobody wants to read a phone number in the middle of a sentence. Et al. is like the academic version of “and the rest of the crew.” It keeps your text from looking like a crowded subway map.
Rhetorical question: Would you rather write “Smith, Jones, Patel, and Nguyen” twelve times, or just “Smith et al.” after the first one? Exactly. Your fingers will thank you.
