---
name: ajs-author-date-references
source: https://app.decimal.ai/s/ajs-author-date-references@1/SKILL.md
source_sha256: 2b2e8195ffdd
---

# AJS author-date references

## Contract
Enforces the American Journal of Sociology (AJS) author-date house citation style — the same
system as the Chicago Manual of Style author-date and the AJS CSL style shipped in reference
managers. Apply to every in-text citation and every reference-list entry in a manuscript. These
tokens are arbitrary and non-default; follow them exactly, do not substitute APA, MLA, or a
numbered style.

## Rules

### R1 — Author-date order
Each reference-list entry begins with the author(s), then the four-digit **year**, then the
title. The year comes **right after the author name, not at the end** of the entry, and it is
**not** wrapped in parentheses.
`Author(s). Year. Title. …`

### R2 — Full given names, first author inverted only
Give each author's **full given name(s)**, never initials only (`Peter Bearman`, not
`P. Bearman`). **Only the first author is inverted** to `Last, First`; every later author stays
in normal `First Last` order.
- One author: `Bearman, Peter S.`
- Two: `Bearman, Peter S., and James Moody.`
- Three: `Bearman, Peter S., James Moody, and Katherine Stovel.`

### R3 — "and", with a comma before it
Join authors with the spelled-out word **`and`** (never `&`), and always put a **comma before
the `and`**, even with just two authors (`Blau, Peter M., and Otis Dudley Duncan.`).

### R4 — Article titles: double quotes + headline case
An **article or chapter** title goes in **double quotation marks** and uses **headline
(title) case** — capitalize the first and last words and all principal words; lowercase
articles (a, an, the), coordinating conjunctions, and short prepositions. The closing period
sits **inside** the closing quotation mark.
`"Chains of Affection: The Structure of Adolescent Romantic and Sexual Networks."`

### R5 — Book / journal names: italic, no quotes
A **book title** and a **journal (periodical) name** are set in **italics with no quotation
marks**, in headline case.

### R6 — Journal locator: `Volume (Issue): pages`
For a journal article, after the italic journal name give
**`Volume (Issue): FirstPage–LastPage`** — volume, a space, the issue in parentheses, a
**colon and one space**, then the inclusive page range joined by an **en dash (–)**, not a
hyphen. Condense the closing page number per Chicago (`1455–91`, not `1455–1491`; but keep both
digits below 100, `44–91`).
`American Journal of Sociology 110 (1): 44–91.`

### R7 — Book chapter: "Pp. X–Y in …, edited by …"
A chapter in an edited book is
`Author. Year. "Chapter Title." Pp. X–Y in Book Title, edited by First Last. City: Publisher.`
Note the capital **`Pp.`**, the word **`in`**, the italic book title, and **`edited by`** with
the editor in normal `First Last` order.

### R8 — Book: `City: Publisher`
A whole book ends with **`City: Publisher.`** (place, colon-space, publisher). Include the
two-letter state only for a lesser-known city (`Cambridge, MA: Belknap Press.`).

### R9 — In-text: `(Author Year)`, no comma
An in-text citation is the author surname(s) and year in parentheses with **a space and no
comma** between them: `(Bearman 2004)`. A page reference adds a **comma before the page**:
`(Bearman 2004, 52)`. Separate multiple sources with a **semicolon**: `(Blau and Duncan 1967;
Bearman 2004)`.

### R10 — In-text "et al." only at FOUR or more authors
In text, name **all** authors for works with **one, two, or three** authors
(`(Bearman, Moody, and Stovel 2004)`). Use **first author + `et al.`** only for **four or
more** authors (`(DiMaggio et al. 2001)`). Do **not** switch to `et al.` at three authors.

### R11 — Repeated author: 3-em dash
When consecutive reference-list entries have the **same author(s)**, replace the repeated
name in the later entry with a **3-em dash** (`———`) followed by a period, then the year.
Entries by one author are ordered by year, earliest first.

## Worked examples (BEFORE = base default → AFTER = AJS conforming)

**R1/R2/R4/R6, journal article, three authors.**
- BEFORE: `Bearman, P., Moody, J., & Stovel, K. (2004). Chains of affection: The structure of adolescent romantic and sexual networks. American Journal of Sociology, 110(1), 44-91.`
- AFTER: `Bearman, Peter S., James Moody, and Katherine Stovel. 2004. "Chains of Affection: The Structure of Adolescent Romantic and Sexual Networks." American Journal of Sociology 110 (1): 44–91.`

**R5/R8, book, two authors.**
- BEFORE: `Blau, P. M., & Duncan, O. D. (1967). The American occupational structure. Wiley.`
- AFTER: `Blau, Peter M., and Otis Dudley Duncan. 1967. The American Occupational Structure. New York: Wiley.`

**R7, book chapter.**
- BEFORE: `Granovetter, M. (1983). The strength of weak ties: A network theory revisited. In R. Collins (Ed.), Sociological Theory (pp. 201-233). Jossey-Bass.`
- AFTER: `Granovetter, Mark. 1983. "The Strength of Weak Ties: A Network Theory Revisited." Pp. 201–33 in Sociological Theory, edited by Randall Collins. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.`

**R9, in-text with page.**
- BEFORE: `(Bearman, 2004, p. 52)`
- AFTER: `(Bearman 2004, 52)`

**R10, four-author in-text.**
- BEFORE (three authors, wrongly abbreviated): `(Bearman et al. 2004)` for a 3-author work.
- AFTER: `(Bearman, Moody, and Stovel 2004)` — name all three; reserve `et al.` for four+.

**R11, repeated author.**
- BEFORE: `Coleman, James S. 1990. Foundations of Social Theory. …`
- AFTER (second of two Coleman entries):
  `———. 1990. Foundations of Social Theory. Cambridge, MA: Belknap Press.`

## Edge cases & exceptions
- **No issue number.** Give `Volume: pages` with the colon directly after the volume
  (`American Sociological Review 51: 273–86.`).
- **Four or more authors in the reference list.** The reference list still names **all**
  authors in full; only the **in-text** form collapses to `et al.` (R10).
- **Subtitle after a colon.** Capitalize the first word after the colon in headline case
  (`"Culture in Action: Symbols and Strategies."`).
- **Reprint / classic year.** Use the edition year cited; an original date, if needed, goes as
  `[1922] 1978` — the bracketed year first.
- **A repeated author with a co-author.** The 3-em dash stands only for an **identical** author
  string; a different set of co-authors is spelled out again.

## Do / Don't
- DON'T abbreviate given names to initials. DO write the full given name (R2).
- DON'T join authors with `&`. DO use `and` with a comma before it (R3).
- DON'T set article titles in sentence case or leave them unquoted. DO use headline case in
  double quotes (R4).
- DON'T write `Volume(Issue), pages`. DO write `Volume (Issue): pages` with an en dash (R6).
- DON'T write `(Author, Year)`. DO write `(Author Year)` with no comma (R9).
- DON'T use `et al.` at three authors. DO name all three; `et al.` starts at four (R10).
- DON'T repeat a repeated author's name. DO use the 3-em dash (R11).

## Common mistakes (the base's wrong defaults)
- Defaulting to APA: initials, sentence-case titles, `(Author, Year)`, `Volume(Issue), pages`.
- Putting the year at the end of the entry instead of right after the author.
- Using `et al.` in text for a three-author work.
- Using a hyphen instead of an en dash in the page range, or not condensing it.
- Repeating the full author name across consecutive entries by the same author.

## Quick checklist
Year right after author? · full given names, first author inverted only? · `and` with a comma
before it? · article title in double quotes + headline case? · journal/book in italics? ·
`Volume (Issue): pages` with an en dash? · chapter as `Pp. X–Y in …, edited by …`? · in-text
`(Author Year)` with no comma? · `et al.` only at four+ authors? · 3-em dash for a repeated
author?