AAA References Cited

    Create comprehensive reference lists following AAA style for anthropological papers

    Try Our Tools
    Free

    Put these guides into practice with our powerful academic tools

    AAA Citation Generator

    Featured

    Generate AAA citations automatically

    Try Now

    Deep Research

    Verify your citations and references

    Try Now
    Published: September 15, 2025

    References Cited Fundamentals

    AAA reference lists appear at the end of the paper under the heading "REFERENCES CITED" and include all sources cited in the text, arranged alphabetically by author.

    Key Guidelines:

    • • Alphabetical order by author surname
    • • Hanging indent for each entry
    • • Double-spaced throughout
    • • Include only sources cited in text
    • • Use specific format for ethnographic sources
    • • Capitalize only first word of titles and subtitles

    Books

    Format:

    Author, First Name
      Year  Title of book: Subtitle. City: Publisher.

    Examples:

    Benedict, Ruth
      1934  Patterns of culture. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

    Geertz, Clifford
      1973  The interpretation of cultures: Selected essays. New York: Basic Books.

    Levi-Strauss, Claude
      1949  The elementary structures of kinship. Boston: Beacon Press.

    Journal Articles

    Format:

    Author, First Name
      Year  Title of article. Journal Name Volume(Issue):page range.

    Examples:

    Turner, Victor W.
      1969  Liminality and communitas. American Ethnologist 1(2):95-125.

    Abu-Lughod, Lila
      1991  Writing against culture. American Anthropologist 93(1):137-162.

    Edited Collections and Book Chapters

    Format:

    Author, First Name
      Year  Chapter title. In Book title, edited by Editor Name, pp. xx-xx. City: Publisher.

    Example:

    Rosaldo, Renato
      1989  Grief and a headhunter's rage. In Culture and truth: The remaking of social analysis, edited by Renato Rosaldo, pp. 1-21. Boston: Beacon Press.

    Ethnographic and Field Sources

    Personal Communication

    Gonzalez, Maria (Elder, Pueblo Community)
      2023  Personal communication, September 20.

    Interview

    Smith, John (Traditional Craftsperson)
      2023  Interview by author. Digital recording. August 10, Village Center.

    Field Notes

    Author
      2023  Field notes. October 15, Ceremonial Grounds, [Location].

    Museum Collection

    National Museum of Anthropology
      2023  Ceramic vessel, Catalog #2023.45. Washington, DC.

    Digital and Electronic Sources

    Online Journal Article:

    Author, First Name
      Year  Article title. Journal Name Volume(Issue):pages. DOI or URL, accessed Month Day, Year.

    Digital Archive:

    Archive Name
      Year  Collection title. URL, accessed Month Day, Year.

    Examples:

    Johnson, Sarah M.
      2023  Digital ethnography in virtual communities. Anthropology Today 39(2):15-20. https://doi.org/10.1111/ante.12345, accessed October 15, 2023.

    Human Relations Area Files
      2023  Cross-cultural database. https://hraf.yale.edu, accessed October 15, 2023.

    Special Publication Types

    Dissertation/Thesis

    Davis, Rebecca L.
      2023  Ritual and identity in contemporary Maya communities. Ph.D. dissertation, Department of Anthropology, University of California, Berkeley.

    Film/Documentary

    Producer, Jane
      2023  Voices from the field: An ethnographic journey. Documentary film. New York: Independent Films.

    Government Report

    Bureau of Indian Affairs
      2023  Tribal language preservation report. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.

    Sample References Cited

    Here's an example of a properly formatted AAA references cited list:

    REFERENCES CITED

    Benedict, Ruth
      1934  Patterns of culture. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

    Geertz, Clifford
      1973  The interpretation of cultures: Selected essays. New York: Basic Books.

    Gonzalez, Maria (Elder, Pueblo Community)
      2023  Personal communication, September 20.

    Turner, Victor W.
      1969  Liminality and communitas. American Ethnologist 1(2):95-125.