---
name: amanthro-writing-style
description: Use when drafting or polishing an American Anthropologist (AA) manuscript so it reads across all four fields, follows AA house style (Chicago author-date; free-format submission accepted), fits the section word caps (Research Articles ≤ 8,000 words; abstract 200 words), and uses inclusive, care-ful language. Tightens prose and format; it does not invent content.
---

# Writing Style (amanthro-writing-style)

An AA paper must be readable by an anthropologist outside its subfield, written with the craft AA prizes
(strong ethnographic prose, a clear argument, reflexive voice), formatted to **Chicago author-date**,
and disciplined to the section's word cap. AA also asks for **inclusive language** and **citational
practices that lift marginalized voices** — style here is partly an ethical commitment.

## When to trigger

- Drafting the introduction, framing the contribution, or final polish
- Over the word cap and needing to cut without losing the argument or the ethnography
- Writing the **200-word abstract**
- Aligning citations/format to AA house style before submission

## Reach all four fields

1. **Front-load the contribution.** By the end of the introduction the reader knows the question, the
   argument, the evidence, and why it matters to anthropology broadly — don't make a generalist dig.
2. **Minimize subfield jargon** or define it on first use; an archaeologist should follow a linguistic
   paper. Spell out acronyms; gloss technical terms.
3. **Argument-first, but keep the craft.** AA values vivid ethnographic writing and a reflexive voice;
   lead with claims and let well-chosen scenes and evidence carry them. Avoid both dry report prose and
   description with no argument.
4. **Write with care.** Use **inclusive language**; represent interlocutors and communities with
   dignity (avoid deficit framing); consider **citational politics** in who you cite and foreground.

## Format to AA house style

- **Citations:** **Chicago Manual of Style author-date**; AA accepts **free-format** submissions
  (you need not perfectly style-conform at first submission), but keep one consistent style and include
  **DOIs** where available. Manage with Zotero/BibTeX.
- **Abstract:** **200 words**.
- **Anonymize:** AA review is **anonymous** — no author names/affiliations in the manuscript or file
  name; supply a separate title page; neutralize obvious self-references and strip file metadata.
- **Land acknowledgment / positionality:** include where appropriate to the work and community.

## Fit the word cap (Research Articles ≤ 8,000 words incl. figures, tables, references, notes; abstract 200)

- Tighten throat-clearing and literature dumps; engage the conversation, not every paper
  (see `amanthro-literature-positioning`).
- Choose the scenes and exhibits that argue; cut redundant description.
- Notes count toward the limit — keep them lean.
- If the piece is short and engaged, target the right section (Essay 2,000–3,000; Commentary ≤ 1,500;
  Review Essay ≤ 5,000) rather than padding toward a Research Article.

## Anti-patterns

- A subfield-insider intro that never states four-field significance
- Burying the contribution under pages of description before the argument appears
- An abstract over 200 words or one that hides the finding
- Deficit or othering language toward communities; a "view from nowhere" with no positionality
- A bibliography that foregrounds only metropolitan theorists
- Padding an Essay/Commentary toward Research-Article length

## Output format

```
【Contribution stated by end of intro?】[Y/N]
【Reads across the four fields?】jargon defined / acronyms spelled? [Y/N]
【Abstract】word count (≤ 200)
【Word count】Research Article ≤ 8,000 (incl. figures/tables/refs/notes)?
【Chicago author-date + anonymized + DOIs】[Y/N]
【Care-ful language + citational politics】[Y/N]
【Next】amanthro-transparency-and-data
```

## Supplementary resources

- [`../../resources/official-source-map.md`](../../resources/official-source-map.md) — word/abstract caps, Chicago author-date, anonymity, inclusive-language guidance
- [`../../resources/worked-examples/01-introduction.md`](../../resources/worked-examples/01-introduction.md) — before→after AA-style introduction