What is the posessive form when using "et al."? In the form -- authorname et al.'s book?

Question

The exact reference I am trying to make is as follows:
Chi et al.'s "Categorization and Representation of Physics Problems by Experts and Novices" supports the argument that...

Answer 1

et al is normally a reference to "and others" who have co-authored the book. If you are using a in text reference you can use the et al but in the reference/ bibliography list you must state all the authors in full. In MLA style you will need to quote the full name of the author/s in text rather than the et al unless it is the second time in your essay that you have used the same reference and then the et al can be used. Hope this helps.

Answer 2

To my knowledge there is no possessive form. You use the listed author's name in possessive form and put (et al.) in parentheses. For example:
author name Chi's (et al.) . . .
Also, look in the style-book such as ALA, APA, or MLA that your professor/profession recommends for how to handle in-text and bibliography references to books with multiple authors. The notes may be available online.

Answer 3

Try rewording to something like "In Categorization ... and Novices authorname et. al., the argument is supported by ....

Answer 4

How about replacing the possesive with the word "in" (Chi, et al, in "Categorization . . .) By the way you should get rid of the letter "s" at the end of "supports" (Chi, et al is plural)

Answer 5

that sounds right to me. Wow, sounds like you're quite an academic!