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"Et al." is a Latin abbreviation that stands for "et alii," which means "and others." It is commonly used in academic writing and citations to refer to a group of authors in a work when one or more are omitted for brevity. For instance, if a research paper has multiple authors, instead of listing all their names, one might write "Smith et al." to indicate that there are additional co-authors without specifying each one.

Using "et al." helps streamline references, especially in cases with many contributors, ensuring that the focus remains on the principal author or authors while acknowledging the contributions of others involved. This practice is especially prevalent in disciplines like social sciences and natural sciences.