I saw this yesterday in an online news story.
Problem:
A period is missing.
Explanation:
There are three Latin phrases that mean and others:
- et alii — spelled E-T followed by A-L-I-I — which is masculine;
- et aliae — spelled E-T followed by A-L-I-A-E — which is feminine;
- et alia — spelled E-T followed by A-L-I-A — which is neuter.
The correct abbreviation of any of the three Latin words for “others” requires a period after A-L.
An example of proper use is “the report presented by Jones et al.” (notice the period after A-L).
Solution:
“et al.”