AAA Citation Style: Format, In-Text Rules, and Examples

AAA citation style is the informal name students and instructors use for the citation format historically tied to the American Anthropological Association (AAA): an author-date system built on the Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS). If an assignment says “cite in AAA style,” it almost always means placing a short (Author Year, page) note in your sentence and listing full sources alphabetically under a heading called “References Cited” at the end of your paper. This guide walks through what AAA citation style actually covers today, the in-text citation rules, the reference list format, and worked examples for the source types anthropology papers cite most.

What Is AAA Citation Style?

The American Anthropological Association does not currently publish its own citation manual for students. AAA’s publishing style guide explains that AAA journals now accept free-format submissions, meaning authors are not required to follow one specific citation style before copyediting, and AAA does not maintain a separate student-facing citation guide.

Even so, “AAA citation style” is still assigned constantly in anthropology courses, and it is distinct from other citation styles you may have used before. When an instructor asks for it, they almost always mean the historic AAA convention, which follows the Chicago Manual of Style using the author-date system rather than the notes-bibliography system that history papers often use. According to AAA’s current guidance, the Chicago Manual of Style, 18th edition, author-date system is the closest and most current match to that convention, since AAA has not published an updated manual of its own. Older library guides, some still online, point to CMOS 17th or 14th instead. A university anthropology research guide, for example, still teaches the CMOS 17th author-date system, which is nearly identical to the 18th described in this guide. Confirm which one your instructor expects before you start citing.

AAA In-Text Citations

AAA in-text citations follow the Chicago author-date model: a short parenthetical note that points to the full entry in your References Cited list, placed as close to the author’s name or the borrowed idea as possible, and after a quotation rather than before it.

The exact punctuation between year and page number has changed over time, which is a common source of confusion. Both formats below cite the same source, and instructors sometimes still ask for the older one.

Convention	Format	Example
Current (CMOS 18th, per AAA’s 2026 guidance)	(Author Year, Page)	(Geertz 1973, 12)
Historic AAA convention (CMOS 14th/17th)	(Author Year:Page)	(Waterman 1990:3-7)

Whether you name the author matters too. When the author’s name already appears in your sentence, put only the year and page in parentheses: Geertz (1973, 12) describes thick description as an interpretive act. When the author is not named in the sentence, the full citation goes in parentheses: thick description treats culture as a text to be read (Geertz 1973, 12).

For two authors, cite both surnames: (Smith and Lee 2019). For three or more authors, use “et al.” in the text citation, but list every author’s name in the References Cited entry: (Smith et al. 2019). Unlike some other styles, AAA convention does not use “ibid.” for a repeated reference. Repeat the short author-date note each time instead.

The AAA “References Cited” List

When citing sources in AAA style, list every one under a heading titled “References Cited,” not “Works Cited” or “Bibliography.” Alphabetize entries by the first author’s surname, and if you cite the same author more than once, order those entries chronologically by publication year. This mechanic matches the general Chicago author-date reference list format, since AAA style does not change how the list itself is built, only a few of the citation details layered on top.

Each entry generally follows the same skeleton: author surname, then forename, then the publication year, then the title, then the publication details. Standalone works such as books are italicized, while shorter works such as journal articles or web pages are placed in quotation marks. Use a hanging indent so the second and later lines of each entry sit slightly to the right of the author’s name.

If you cite two works by the same author published in the same year, add a lowercase letter after the year in both the in-text citation and the reference entry, for example (Geertz 1973a) and (Geertz 1973b), ordered by the title of each work. When citing a specific volume of a multivolume work, add the volume number after the year: (Waterman 1990, vol. 2:3-7).

How to Cite Common Source Types in AAA Style

The reference format changes slightly by source type. The table below covers the sources anthropology assignments cite most, including a book, a journal article, and a website.

Source Type	References Cited Format	In-Text Citation
Book	Geertz, Clifford. 1973. The Interpretation of Cultures. New York: Basic Books.	(Geertz 1973, 12)
Journal article	Smith, Jane. 2021. “Article Title Goes Here.” Journal Name 12(3): 45-60.	(Smith 2021, 52)
Website	American Anthropological Association. 2026. “Publishing Style Guide.” Accessed September 19, 2026. https://americananthro.org/publications/publishing-style-guide/.	(American Anthropological Association 2026)
Chapter in an edited book	Behar, Ruth. 1995. “Chapter Title Goes Here.” In Book Title, edited by Editor Name, 1-29. Berkeley: University of California Press.	(Behar 1995, 5)
Film or documentary	Film Title. 1980. Film. Directed by Director Name. City: Distributor.	(Film Title 1980)

For an image or other online media without a listed author, cite the organization or uploader as the author, and give the format in the reference entry, such as “Image” or “Photograph,” right before the URL.

AAA Formatting Rules to Know

Beyond the citation format itself, the historic AAA convention layers a handful of discipline-specific word and punctuation choices on top of standard Chicago style. An anthropology department style resource from Bates College outlines several of these, summarized below.

• Use “et al.” in text for three or more authors, but list every author’s name in the References Cited entry.
• Do not use “ibid.” for a repeated citation. Repeat the short author-date note instead.
• For a forthcoming source, write “in press” in text citations and “In press” in the References Cited list.
• For an undated source, use “n.d.” in place of the year, both in text and in the reference entry.
• Spell out state names in the body text, but reduce them to two-letter postal abbreviations in the reference list.
• When a source has no named author, give the sponsoring organization as the author, such as the American Anthropological Association for its own guidance pages.
• Use full first names for authors and editors where possible instead of initials, unless an author consistently publishes under initials.
• Do not spell out well-known acronyms such as CIA, FBI, or NATO on first use.
• Put foreign-language quotations in quotation marks, not italics. Add an English translation in parentheses right after.
• Capitalize the full official name of a group, such as the American Anthropological Association. Lowercase informal shorthand like “the association” later in the same paper.

These word choices follow standard Chicago style, the same source behind the citation format above. For any rule this guide does not cover, check the Chicago Manual of Style directly. AAA convention treats it as the default.

Quoting and Paraphrasing With AAA Citations

Short quotations of a few lines stay in the body paragraph inside double quotation marks, with the citation placed right after the closing quotation mark and before the sentence’s final punctuation. Longer quotations, typically five lines or more, are set off as a block quotation with no quotation marks, and the citation follows the final punctuation instead.

Paraphrased ideas still require a citation even without quotation marks. Place the parenthetical note at the end of the sentence or clause that contains the borrowed idea, not at the end of the whole paragraph, so a reader can tell exactly which sentences rely on that source. If you shorten or alter a direct quotation, use ellipses or brackets to show the change, and never alter the original wording without marking it.

Citing Interviews and Fieldwork in AAA Style

Anthropology papers lean on sources most citation guides skip: interviews, informants, and unpublished field notes. AAA convention treats these as personal communications. Cite them in text only. Leave them out of the References Cited list, since a reader cannot look them up like a published source.

Source	In-Text Citation	References Cited
Interview you conducted	(Maria Lopez, interview by author, June 4, 2026)	Not included
Informal conversation or informant	(J. Ruiz, pers. comm., March 2026)	Not included
Your own unpublished field notes	(field notes, July 2026)	Not included, unless formally archived

If your department asks you to protect an informant’s identity, use a fake name or a short role label instead, such as “a community elder.” Note the swap the first time it appears. If the interview was published later, such as in an oral history collection, cite that published version like a book chapter, with the interviewee listed as the author.

Common AAA Citation Mistakes to Avoid

The most frequent error is mixing citation styles: adding “p.” before a page number or a comma after the author’s name the way APA does. AAA’s author-date format, like the rest of Chicago style, skips both.

Frequently Asked Questions