VAR STYLE GUIDE
We ask that all authors ensure that their work conforms to the following style before submitting manuscripts for consideration.
CITATIONS, NOTES, & BIBLIOGRAPHIES
As a publication of the American Anthropological Association, VAR follows the Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS) 17th Edition and uses the Author-Date citation format. Citations should appear in the body of the text, with a complete list of references organized alphabetically at the end of the manuscript. The AAA Style Guide provides example bibliographic entries and a guide for formatting.
Authors should use endnotes, rather than footnotes. Any substantive discussion should appear in the body of the text. Word limits include both notes and bibliographies.
Authors should directly cite their sources and meaningfully engage with them. Following Sara Ahmed and the Cite Black Women Collective, we affirm that citations are political and encourage authors to take seriously how their own citational practices make and remake the field, institutionalize certain genealogies over others, and are powerful tools for re-envisioning visual anthropology. We encourage authors to be inclusive not only quantitatively in their bibliographies, but qualitatively in the sources and materials they use, especially when theorizing their work. Finally, we discourage excessive self-citation and advise authors to cite only their most relevant past publications that advance their current arguments.
ETHICAL REPRESENTATION & CAPITALIZATION
Inclusivity and ethical representation are paramount. Following the late Dr. Gregory Younging’s second principle of Indigenous style, when VAR style and Indigenous style disagree, authors should follow Indigenous style. We encourage authors to consult his text, Elements of Indigenous Style, directly.
Capitalize names of peoples when they are used as adjectives or nouns (e.g., Black, Indigenous).
Authors should use the personal pronouns that reflect the choices of those about and with whom they are writing. Chapter 5 of the Chicago Manual of Style, 17th Edition, outlines best practices for gender pronouns.
VISUAL MATERIALS
As part of VAR’s commitment to accessibility and inclusivity, all images should include alt text (alternative text) as well as descriptive captions that credit their makers. We expect authors to abide by the AAA Statement on Ethics when selecting visual materials for publication and encourage them to consult the SVA Ethics Forum page for resources.
EMPHASIS & ITALICS
Use italics, not quotes, to add emphasis for terms. Italicize words other than English with the closest English interpretation or translation after it in parenthesis. For example: They walked past each other and muttered bonjour (hello).
SPELLING, PUNCTUATION, & GRAMMAR
VAR follows the Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS) 17th Edition for issues of both punctuation and grammar and the Merriam-Webster Dictionary for spelling. Use U.S., rather than British or Australian, spelling and punctuation (e.g., double quotation marks, punctuation inside quotation marks, Oxford comma) consistently throughout your manuscript. Conform to the first spelling in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary. In the event that non-US spelling appears in a quotation used in text of the submission, leave spelling as-is. Write out words in full. Example: Instead of “they’d,” “we’ve,” and “didn’t,” write “they had,” “we have,” and “did not.”
UPDATED MAY 2, 2023