AAA Format
Current AAA journal submission guidance uses free-format submission rather than requiring one AAA citation format at initial submission; for assignments explicitly asking for traditional AAA style, AAA points to Chicago author-date as the closest current model. AAA states that it does not currently publish a separate student style/citation guide, so older third-party “AAA format” templates should not be treated as automatically current or universal.
Current AAA journal submission guidance uses free-format submission rather than requiring one AAA citation format at initial submission; for assignments explicitly asking for traditional AAA style, AAA points to Chicago author-date as the closest current model.
Key details
Important caveats
Scope Boundary
AAA states that it does not currently publish a separate student style/citation guide, so older third-party “AAA format” templates should not be treated as automatically current or universal.
Further guidance
Application
Check the journal, instructor, or publisher first. For current AAA journals, follow the venue requirements; for a classroom request labeled “AAA style,” use the current AAA guidance and its Chicago author-date recommendation unless the instructor supplies a different specification.
Core Rule
Current AAA journal submission guidance uses free-format submission rather than requiring one AAA citation format at initial submission; for assignments explicitly asking for traditional AAA style, AAA points to Chicago author-date as the closest current model.
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
- AAA Publishing Style Guide (opens in a new tab)American Anthropological Association · Current AAA publishing guidance: journals allow free-format submission, AAA does not publish a separate student citation guide, and Chicago author-date is the closest current match to traditional AAA conventions when a specific AAA-style assignment requires guidance.