Citation & Style (jaar-citation-and-style)
JAAR has a citation style that trips up authors coming from history or theology: citations go
in-text (author-date), not in footnotes. Footnotes are for substantive remarks only. Getting this
wrong signals you have not read the style sheet — fix it before submitting.
When to trigger
- Converting a footnote-cited draft to JAAR's in-text style
- Building the reference list and checking entry forms
- Handling primary-source citations, translations, and transliteration in references
- Final style pass before submission
JAAR's citation rules (verify current style sheet)
- In-text author-date citations. Cite as
(Wolf 1996: 33) or in prose Clarkson notes … (1995: 45–46). Do not put bibliographic citations in footnotes.
- Footnotes for substance only. Use notes for points outside the body of the argument, not to cite
sources. Keep them lean (they count toward the word budget).
- Reference list. An alphabetized, year-keyed list of works cited; format each entry per the
JAAR style sheet.
- House conventions. Serial (Oxford) comma; gender-neutral language; italicize foreign words;
a consistent transliteration system for non-Latin scripts.
- Fallback style. For anything the JAAR style sheet does not address, the sheet directs authors to
the Chicago Manual of Style (the downloadable sheet references the 15th edition; CMOS is now
in its 18th — 待核实 the current edition the live style guide cites). Treat JAAR's in-text
author-date system as primary regardless.
Primary sources, translations, transliteration
- Cite primary texts by the conventions of your subfield, but keep them consistent and keyed to the
reference list; give edition/translation information.
- Provide originals where the argument turns on wording; note the translator; transliterate consistently.
Anti-patterns
- Footnote-style bibliographic citations (the most common JAAR style error)
- A footnote apparatus so heavy it blows the word budget
- Inconsistent transliteration or undefined foreign terms
- Reference-list entries that don't match the in-text author-date keys
- Defaulting to a CMOS edition without checking which the current style sheet names (待核实)
Output format
【In-text citations】author-date, not footnotes? [Y/N]
【Footnotes】substantive only, lean? [Y/N]
【Reference list】alphabetized, year-keyed, style-sheet form? [Y/N]
【House conventions】serial comma + gender-neutral + foreign-term italics? [Y/N]
【Transliteration】consistent + terms defined? [Y/N]
【CMOS edition】confirmed against live style sheet? [Y/N/待核实]
【Next】jaar-review-process
Conversion table: history/theology habits → JAAR house style
Most authors arriving at JAAR are trained in disciplines whose flagship venues cite in notes. The
AAR/Oxford University Press journal expects a specific in-text apparatus, so the highest-yield style
pass is mechanical reformatting first.
| You wrote (footnote-trained) |
JAAR wants (in-text author-date) |
As Smith argues.¹ + note "¹ Smith, Imagining Religion, 22." |
As Smith argues … (1982: 22). + keyed entry |
Ibid., 24. / op. cit. |
Repeat author-date: (1982: 24) — no Latin shorthand |
See note 14 above for sources. |
Cite in-text at the point of use; reserve notes for substance |
Cf. the *Bhagavad Gītā* 2.47. in a note |
Cite the primary text in-text per subfield convention |
| Bibliography of "Works Consulted" |
Reference list of works cited only, alphabetized, year-keyed |
Worked vignette: de-noting a textual-historical draft
An author submits a study of a Kabbalistic commentary with 78 footnotes, 60 of them bare citations
migrated from a dissertation. The JAAR pass:
- Bibliographic notes go in-text. Note 12 ("Scholem, Major Trends, 205–6") becomes
(Scholem 1941: 205–6) in the sentence; the note disappears. After conversion, only 11 notes
survive — all genuinely substantive (a manuscript-variant aside, a definitional caveat on sefirot).
- Foreign terms. Ein Sof, tiqqun, devequt are italicized and glossed on first use under a
single declared transliteration system, so a non-Hebraist religion-studies reader can follow — a
point
jaar-writing-style also enforces.
- Budget effect. Cutting 49 citation-only notes returns words to the body, easing the length
ceiling that
jaar-structure-and-exposition tracks (notes count toward it); every surviving in-text
key now matches an alphabetized, year-keyed entry, and "Works Consulted" but never cited are removed.
Referee and copyedit pushback → the fix
- "Citations belong in the text, not notes" → run the conversion table above end-to-end.
- "Note apparatus is overweight" → strip citation-only notes; keep substantive asides.
- "Reference entry doesn't match the in-text key" → reconcile every
(Author year) to its entry.
Hedged calibration: the downloadable sheet long referenced CMOS 15th while CMOS is now in its 18th
edition; treat the in-text author-date system as primary and verify the named fallback edition on the
journal's current submission guidelines rather than assuming the cached number.
Supplementary resources
Source: brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills → Journal-of-the-American-Academy-of-Religion-Skills/skills/jaar-citation-and-style/SKILL.md
1---2name: jaar-citation-and-style3description: Use when formatting citations and references for a Journal of the American Academy of Religion (JAAR) article. JAAR's distinctive rule is IN-TEXT author-date citations (NOT footnote citations) with an alphabetized year-keyed reference list; footnotes are reserved for substantive points. Handles reference apparatus; it does not write the argument.4---567# Citation & Style (jaar-citation-and-style)89JAAR has a citation style that trips up authors coming from history or theology: **citations go10in-text (author-date), not in footnotes.** Footnotes are for substantive remarks only. Getting this11wrong signals you have not read the style sheet — fix it before submitting.1213## When to trigger1415- Converting a footnote-cited draft to JAAR's in-text style16- Building the reference list and checking entry forms17- Handling primary-source citations, translations, and transliteration in references18- Final style pass before submission1920## JAAR's citation rules (verify current style sheet)21221. **In-text author-date citations.** Cite as `(Wolf 1996: 33)` or in prose `Clarkson notes … (1995:23 45–46)`. Do **not** put bibliographic citations in footnotes.242. **Footnotes for substance only.** Use notes for points outside the body of the argument, not to cite25 sources. Keep them lean (they count toward the word budget).263. **Reference list.** An **alphabetized, year-keyed** list of works cited; format each entry per the27 JAAR style sheet.284. **House conventions.** Serial (Oxford) comma; gender-neutral language; **italicize foreign words**;29 a consistent transliteration system for non-Latin scripts.305. **Fallback style.** For anything the JAAR style sheet does not address, the sheet directs authors to31 the **Chicago Manual of Style** (the downloadable sheet references the **15th edition**; CMOS is now32 in its 18th — **待核实** the current edition the live style guide cites). Treat JAAR's in-text33 author-date system as primary regardless.3435## Primary sources, translations, transliteration3637- Cite primary texts by the conventions of your subfield, but keep them consistent and keyed to the38 reference list; give edition/translation information.39- Provide originals where the argument turns on wording; note the translator; transliterate consistently.4041## Anti-patterns4243- Footnote-style bibliographic citations (the most common JAAR style error)44- A footnote apparatus so heavy it blows the word budget45- Inconsistent transliteration or undefined foreign terms46- Reference-list entries that don't match the in-text author-date keys47- Defaulting to a CMOS edition without checking which the current style sheet names (待核实)4849## Output format5051```52【In-text citations】author-date, not footnotes? [Y/N]53【Footnotes】substantive only, lean? [Y/N]54【Reference list】alphabetized, year-keyed, style-sheet form? [Y/N]55【House conventions】serial comma + gender-neutral + foreign-term italics? [Y/N]56【Transliteration】consistent + terms defined? [Y/N]57【CMOS edition】confirmed against live style sheet? [Y/N/待核实]58【Next】jaar-review-process59```6061## Conversion table: history/theology habits → JAAR house style6263Most authors arriving at JAAR are trained in disciplines whose flagship venues cite in notes. The64AAR/Oxford University Press journal expects a specific in-text apparatus, so the highest-yield style65pass is mechanical reformatting first.6667| You wrote (footnote-trained) | JAAR wants (in-text author-date) |68|------------------------------|----------------------------------|69| `As Smith argues.¹` + note "¹ Smith, *Imagining Religion*, 22." | `As Smith argues … (1982: 22).` + keyed entry |70| `Ibid., 24.` / `op. cit.` | Repeat author-date: `(1982: 24)` — no Latin shorthand |71| `See note 14 above for sources.` | Cite in-text at the point of use; reserve notes for substance |72| `Cf. the *Bhagavad Gītā* 2.47.` in a note | Cite the primary text in-text per subfield convention |73| Bibliography of "Works Consulted" | Reference list of **works cited only**, alphabetized, year-keyed |7475## Worked vignette: de-noting a textual-historical draft7677An author submits a study of a Kabbalistic commentary with 78 footnotes, 60 of them bare citations78migrated from a dissertation. The JAAR pass:7980- **Bibliographic notes go in-text.** Note 12 ("Scholem, *Major Trends*, 205–6") becomes81 `(Scholem 1941: 205–6)` in the sentence; the note disappears. After conversion, only 11 notes82 survive — all genuinely substantive (a manuscript-variant aside, a definitional caveat on *sefirot*).83- **Foreign terms.** *Ein Sof*, *tiqqun*, *devequt* are italicized and glossed on first use under a84 single declared transliteration system, so a non-Hebraist religion-studies reader can follow — a85 point `jaar-writing-style` also enforces.86- **Budget effect.** Cutting 49 citation-only notes returns words to the body, easing the length87 ceiling that `jaar-structure-and-exposition` tracks (notes count toward it); every surviving in-text88 key now matches an alphabetized, year-keyed entry, and "Works Consulted" but never cited are removed.8990## Referee and copyedit pushback → the fix9192- "Citations belong in the text, not notes" → run the conversion table above end-to-end.93- "Note apparatus is overweight" → strip citation-only notes; keep substantive asides.94- "Reference entry doesn't match the in-text key" → reconcile every `(Author year)` to its entry.9596Hedged calibration: the downloadable sheet long referenced CMOS 15th while CMOS is now in its 18th97edition; treat the in-text author-date system as primary and verify the named fallback edition on the98journal's current submission guidelines rather than assuming the cached number.99100## Supplementary resources101102- [`../../resources/official-source-map.md`](../../resources/official-source-map.md) — JAAR style sheet: in-text author-date citations, CMOS fallback103104---105106**Source:** [`brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills`](https://github.com/brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills) → `Journal-of-the-American-Academy-of-Religion-Skills/skills/jaar-citation-and-style/SKILL.md`
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