A. General Instructions
1. Authors’ surnames are spelled out in full, except “et ” is used for junior authors’ names for publications with three or more authors.
2. Agency names serving as the author are spelled out in full in the initial citation and may be abbreviated in subsequent sections if used frequently (usually determined as more than three times).
3. Format
a. Do not use a comma between the author’s name and the year. Do not place a space between the colon following the year of publication and the page numbers.
b. Do not separate the name of the author from the parentheses containing the year or year and pages in text For example, Rust (1976:12) said: “The survey was complete.” not Rust said: “The survey was complete” (1976:12).
4. No extra words, such as see, g., i.e., contra, sensu, ibid., op. cit., loc. cit., etc., for narrative text citations or references (Rust 1972) not (see also Rust 1972) nor (e.g., Rust 1972), but see also Rust (1972).
B. Sample Citations
1. One author, no page numbers—(Smith 1969), Smith (1969), see Smith (1969), or Smith’s (1969) discussion, not (see Smith 1969).
2. Agency as author—Initial citation: (Philadelphia Registry of Deeds [PRD] 1680:1.6.170 [book. leaf. page]), subsequent citation if more than three: (PRD 1680:1.6.170). In the references section include any abbreviations used: Philadelphia Registry of Deeds (PRD).
3. Two authors—(Little and Shackel 1992) or Little and Shackel (1992).
4. Three or more authors—(Arnold et 1992) or Arnold et al. (1992). List all names in the references section.
5. Three or more authors with the same senior author, more than one reference—List them chronologically in the text, adding names of junior authors until they differ (Olin, Harbottle et al. 1978; Olin, Black et al. 1984), not (Olin et al. 1978, 1984); cite them in strict alphabetical order in the references. In the infrequent instances in which the references are of the same year, cite them alphabetically both in the text and in the references, as in the following example: (Arnold, Fleshman, Garrison et al. 1991; Arnold, Fleshman, Hill et al. 1991.
6. Several different authors cited in one place—Use chronological, then alphabetical order: (McKee 1886; Colton 1959; Deetz and Dethlefsen 1965; Deetz 1967, 1973; Brown 1973; Hall 1973).
7. Several references by the same author—Without pagination: (Hardesty 1985, 1988, 1991a, 1991b) or Hardesty (1985, 1988, 1991a, 1991b). With pagination: (South 1972:23,27, 1977:14–173, 1978a, 1978b) or South (1972:23,27, 1977:14–173, 1978a, 1978b).
8. Two or more references by the same author or authors in the same year—Organize them alphabetically by title in the references, adding the letters a, b, c, etc. to the year as needed. Cite as (Barber 1907c; Kelso 1993a, 1993b, 1993c) or Barber (1907c) and Kelso (1993a, 1993b, 1993c).
9. Two or more references by the same author or authors, both as author and as editor, in the same year—(Rose 1985a, 1985b) or Rose (1985a, 1985b) in the text, but list them separately in the references with the author citation (1985a) preceding the editor citation (1985b).
10. Citation with pages, tables, or figures specified—Leave no space between colon and pagination and cite full page references: (Archives Départmentales de la Gironde 1584:449–450; McKearin and McKearin 1948:plate 22; Hall 1969:184–197; Schuyler 1974:17,21; South 1977:chapter 4; Kehoe 1978:21,64, figures 5,12; Otto 1984:table 2; Adams and Boling 1989:82, table 4, figure 9a,b). When several categories are present, cite in the order of [volume,] pages or folios, chapters, tables, and figures.
11. Book citation when the volume number is required for clarity—For the volume number use an Arabic numeral in brackets followed by a colon with no spaces: (Winsor 1881[1]:533; Historical Register 1930[2]:5; Garcia 1982[2]; Orser et al. 1987[1]:398–414, [3]:95–106).
12. “In press” or missing date—Avoid using the term “in press” or “n.d.” (no date). Provide the firm, scheduled date of publication when available or use a bracketed date, e.g., [2025], when no date is scheduled, but general consensus exists for the estimated publication date.
13. Electronic sources, found on the Internet (World Wide Web)—Text citations for electronic sites/pages are the same as other citations with the author and date: (Steen 1997) or Steen (1997). It is incumbent upon scholars referencing these sources to maintain a copy of the information as cited, treating these copies as personal papers because of the lack of ability to archive original electronic sources.
14. Electronic personal communication (discussion lists, Usenet Group, Facebook, X, and e-mail)—Use the author’s full name, date of communication, and “elec. comm.”: (Lester A. Ross 1997, comm.) or Lester A. Ross (1997, elec. comm.). You must secure permission and provide the editors with written or electronic permission to cite these communications. Personal electronic communications are not listed in the references section. It is incumbent upon scholars referencing these sources to maintain a copy of the information as cited, treating these copies as personal papers because of the lack of ability to archive original electronic sources.
15. Personal communication—Use the author’s full name, date of communication, and “pers. comm.”: (Alfred E. Dade 1987, pers. comm.) or Alfred E. Dade (1987, pers. comm.). You must secure permission and provide the editors with written permission to cite these Personal communications are not listed in the references section.
16. No author given—Do not use “anonymous.” Cite the agency issuing the report, the series title, the publisher, the main Website name, or the archive: (Archives Départmentales de la Gironde 1584:449–450; Norfolk Gazette 1815; National Park Service 1984; CRM Archaeology, Inc. 1998; Find a Grave 2000).
17. A play—(Shakespeare, Hamlet 2.259–261 [act.scene.lines]).
18. Biblical citations—an in-text citation and no entry in the reference list. Place the information in parentheses, with the book spelled out and chapter and verse numbers divided by a colon, e.g., (John 13:1–15), (Exodus 12:1–14), Use Roman numerals for numbered books, such as (I Corinthians 22:23–32). If you wish to include the book name in the sentence itself, e.g., “the passage in Exodus (12:1–14) describing the Passover.” If using more than one translation, include the information in the citation, spelling it out on first usage, abbreviating afterward, e.g., (John 13:1–15, Authorized Version [AV]), (Exodus 12:1–14, AV).
19. Published book reviews—Schuyler’s 1980 review of Deetz, found in American Antiquity 45:643–645, is cited in text as (Schuyler 1980:644).
20. Newspaper—Give the year and pages (Pennsylvania Gazette 1875:2; New York Times 1988[sec. 4]:E11). Do not list the day and month in the text reference, but list them in the references section.
21. Document in archives—If the document has no author, cite by the name of the archive: (Essex Institute 1794[1]:book 14).
22. Publication or quotation cited in another source—Cite the original source whenever possible and include it in the In the occasional case when the original is so obscure that it cannot be easily located or retrieved, then list only the source used.
23. Article located elsewhere in the current issue—(Reitz, this issue). Such citations are not listed in the references section.
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