Generating the Extended Mapping Class Group by Three Involutions

We prove that the extended mapping class group, $\rm Mod^{*}(\Sigma_{g})$, of a connected orientable surface of genus $g$, can be generated by three involutions for $g\geq 5$. In the presence of punctures, we prove that $\rm Mod^{*}(\Sigma_{g,p})$ can be generated by three involutions for $g\geq 10$ and $p\geq 6$ (with the exception that for $g\geq 11$, $p$ should be at least $15$).