A Note on Recent Changes
The American Anthropological Association currently does not require a specific citation style for its journals. AAA journals use free-format submission—authors may submit manuscripts without following a particular style guide, and formatting is standardized during copyediting rather than by the author. AAA does not currently publish a separate style/citation guide for students.
If you are a student and your instructor says "cite in AAA style," they most likely mean the historic convention described below, which is based on the Chicago Manual of Style. Always confirm the expected style with your instructor or, if submitting to a journal, that journal's specific author guidelines.
Recommended Style: Chicago Manual of Style, 18th Edition (Author-Date)
From 2015 until it adopted free-format submission, AAA style was explicitly based on the Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS), using the author-date system (not notes-bibliography). CMOS is now in its 18th edition. Since AAA has not published an updated style manual of its own, CMOS 18th edition, author-date system, is the closest and most current match to traditional AAA conventions.
- In-text citations: (Author Year, page)—e.g., (Geertz 1973, 12)
- Reference list: titled "References Cited," alphabetical by author surname
- CMOS Quick Guide: Chicago Author-Date Style Quick Guide
Last reviewed: July 2026. AAA's style guidance has changed in recent years; this page will be updated if AAA publishes new guidance.