Subject & Research Guides: Citation Styles: Social Sciences Styles

Social Sciences Styles

The American Anthropological Association (AAA) is the world's largest professional anthropology organization.

The AAA publishes over 20 anthropology journals. Since 2015, the AAA has followed the Chicago Manual of Style, but their own style guide still exists and may be preferred in some cases; please see below. Always be sure to check with your instructor or the publication you are writing for.

Saint Mary's Anthropology Department AAA Citation and Style Guide
Produced by the Saint Mary's University Department of Anthropology, this guide to American Anthropological Association style includes a sample essay and instructions on how to write in-text citations.
American Anthropology Association (AAA) Style Guide
Complete style guide from the American Anthropological Association (AAA). AAA Style is based on the Chicago Manual of Style, 17th edition.

The American Sociological Association (ASA) is a professional organization for sociologists and those interested in sociology. Always check with your instructor or the journal you are writing for, as Chicago Style may also be permitted.

American Sociological Association Style Guide by American Sociological Association
Call Number: HM 569 .A54 2022- (REF)
ISBN: 9780912764580
Publication Date: 2022-06-01
"The ASA Style Guide, 7th edition, is the authoritative reference for writing, submitting, editing, and copyediting manuscripts for ASA journals and other publications following ASAs unique format. The ASA Style Guide is intended primarily as a reference for authors who are submitting articles to ASA journals. However, it has been adapted for a range of other purposes, including as a teaching tool. Sociology departments have widely adopted it as a guide for the preparation of theses, dissertations, and other types of research papers. It is also used by professional writers and publishers of scholarly materials on sociological or social science issues more generally."

ASA Guide (OWL)
Purdue OWL overview to the American Sociological Association (ASA) style.

The Linguistic Society of America (LSA) is a professional linguistics organization and publisher. There is no formal style guide for the LSA; rather, the LSA publishes general guidelines (see below) to supplement the style instructions for their individual journals. Be sure to review the style expectations for each journal you are planning to publish in, or check with your instructor if completing a class assignment.

Notes to Contributors (LSA)
A general overview of protocols for publishing in LSA journals. If you are interested in publishing in a LSA journal, be sure to review the style guide specific to that particular journal.

Associated Press (AP) style is used in journalism, news copy, and magazine writing.

The Associated Press Stylebook
Call Number: PN 4783 .A83 2020 (REF)
ISBN: 9780917360695
Publication Date: 2020
"The style of The Associated Press is the gold standard for news writing. With The Associated Press Stylebook in hand, you can learn how to write and edit with the clarity and professionalism for which the agency's writers and editors are famous. Fully revised and updated to reflect the latest changes in writing style, this new edition contains more than 3,000 A to Z entries detailing the AP's rules on grammar, spelling, capitalization, abbreviation and word and numeral usage."

Associated Press (AP) Style (Purdue OWL)
Overview of AP Style from Purdue Owl.

While Harvard Style is named for a renowned institution, there is no official manual. Please see resources listed below.

Harvard Style (Lund University)
A brief overview of Harvard Style, including the history of the style and links to additional resources.

Graduate students who are planning to publish their work should consider style rules dictated by the specific academic journal they plan to submit to. Many journals have in-house styles; this information can typically be found on the journal's website under a heading titled "Publishing - Information for Authors" or something similar. Please see some examples below.

American Antiquity, Latin American Antiquity, and Advances in Archaeological Practice (SAA)
Editorial Policy, Information for Authors, and Style Guide for Society for American Archaeology journals.
Style Guide for American Political Science Association Journals
Style manual for all APSA journals. Authors should also review the specific submission guidelines for the academic journal they plan to submit to.