Citation Style: Anthropology

Dr. Dana Oswald recommends the format followed by American Anthropologist, the journal of the American Anthropological Association. This is based on, with some exceptions, The Chicago Manual of Style (14th edition, 1993) and Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (10th edition, 2000).

This handout is intended to be a brief overview of basic in-text citation and References Cited style rules. Consult the AAA Style Guide for tips on grammar, punctuation, capitalization, quotations, italics, etc., and for additional reference examples.

In-Text Citations

• Must be referenced
• Use "et al." with three or more authors (but spell out all names in References Cited)
• Use full first names when possible (if author uses initials, you may use initials)
• Quotations must include a page number
• Avoid "cited in" when citing another work - in parentheses, use the work listed in References Cited
• Use block extracts if more than four lines
• Italicize titles in text - not in References Cited

Examples:

• Waterman 1990:3-7 (colon, no space, between year and page number)
• Smith (1990) eloquently describes the material. (citing author's name in text, year in parentheses)
• Smith 1990 contains an analysis of the material. (citing the work, no parentheses necessary)
• Horace Smith claims (letter to author, July 12, 1993)... (personal communication - do not include in References Cited)

References Cited
Note: Although not shown in examples, the second and subsequent lines will be indented.

Examples:

1. Single-Author Book
   Castles, Stephen
   1990 Here for Good. London: Pluto Press.
   
2. Coauthored Book
   Bonacich, Edna, and John Modell
   1975 The Economic Basis of Ethnic Solidarity: Small Business in the Japanese American Community. Berkeley: University of California Press.
   
3. Chapter in Book with Editor(s)
   Rohlen, Thomas P.
   1993 Education: Policies and Prospects. In Koreans in Japan: Ethnic Conflicts and Accommodation. Cameron Lee and George De Vos, eds. Pp. 182-222. Berkeley: University of California Press.
   
4. Article in Journal
   Moll, Luis C.
   2000 Writing as Communication: Creating Strategic Learning Environments for Students. Theory into Practice 25(3):202-208.
   
5. Newspaper Article
   Reinhold, Robert
   2000 Illegal Aliens Hoping to Claim Their Dreams. New York Times, November 3:A1,A10.

References from Online Sources
For more examples from The Chicago Manual of Style, visit the Style Manuals section of the Prescott College Library's Online Reference Collection.

1. Internet Document
   Rheingold, Howard
   2000 A Slice of Life in My Virtual Community. Electronic document, http://well.sf.ca.us/serv/ftp.htm, accessed July 5.
   
   American Anthropological Association
   2000[1992] Planning for the Future: Current Long-Range Plan for the American Anthropological Association. Electronic document, http://www.aaanet.org/committees/lrp/lrplan.htm, accessed January 18, 2001.

Library Home | Library Handouts Home

This page is created and maintained by Linda Butterworth. Send comments or suggestions to library@prescott.edu.