常见的论文引用格式主要有三种:MLA、APA、Chicago。在APA格式中,有三个及以上(但少于六个)作者的情况下,文中首次引用我们需要写出所有作者,后来再出现用省略形式,即第一作者加et al.。例如:
In research-based development planning, decision-making is based on careful, systematic examination of goals, data, and results (Rasmussen, Hopkins, & Fitzpatrick, 2004).
Rasmussen et al. (2004) emphasized the vital role research plays in development planning, saying that thoughtful examination of data and evidence should be present.
在MLA格式中,与APA格式相似,有三个及以上作者时,用省略形式。文中和文末引用形式如下:According to Franck et al., “Current agricultural policies in the U.S. are contributing to the poor health of Americans” (327).The authors claim that one cause of obesity in the United States is government-funded farm subsidies (Franck et al. 327).
相应的文末引用为:Franck, Caroline, et al. “Agricultural Subsidies and the American Obesity Epidemic.” American Journal of Preventative Medicine, vol. 45, no. 3, Sept. 2013, pp. 327-333.
在Chicago格式中,有四个及以上(少于10个)作者时,才用省略形式,即第一作者加et al..另外,et al.后面直接写年份,而没有逗号隔开。例如,文中引用 (Clements et al. 2017) 的文末文献格式为:
Clements, Jessica, Elizabeth Angeli, Karen Schiller, S. C. Gooch, Laurie Pinkert, Allen Brizee, and Vanessa Iacocca. 2017. “General Format.” The Purdue OWL. Last edited October 12, 2017. https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/717/02.
最后,有两点值得我们注意。第一,et al. 表示复数。第二,当第一作者同一年与其他多个不同的作者发表了不同的文章。用第一作者加et al.的省略形式就会发生混淆。MLA通常会在括号里加上全部作者。APA和Chicago则建议在年份后面加上一个小写字母来区分。