authordatesystem

Authordatesystem, in scholarly writing, refers to a citation approach where sources are identified in the text by the author’s surname and the publication year, with full bibliographic details provided in a separate reference list. This system contrasts with numeric or footnote-based styles and is widely used across the social sciences and many areas of the humanities.

In the author-date approach, in-text citations typically appear as brief parenthetical references such as (Author, Year) or (Author Year, Page) for direct quotes, depending on the governing style. The corresponding reference list at the end of the document gives full details for each cited work, arranged alphabetically by author. References usually include author names, year, title, and publication information; DOIs or stable URLs are often included for online sources.

Variants of the author-date system include styles such as APA, Chicago author-date, and Harvard. While all share the core principle of linking in-text citations to a bibliography, they differ in punctuation, ordering, capitalization, and the exact formatting of each reference entry. For example, some styles place a comma between the author and year, others omit it, and page numbers may be included in in-text citations for direct quotations.

Typical reference entries vary by resource type but generally provide sufficient information to locate the work: author(s), year, title, source (journal name or publisher), and location details (volume/issue, page range, DOI or URL). The system emphasizes author attribution and allows readers to verify sources efficiently.

Overall, the author-date system offers a concise, consistent framework for citing sources and tracking scholarly provenance, while requiring careful attention to style guidelines.