Author-date Reference Sorting

For publications that use Author-Date (Harvard-style) citations, Orion Author-Date Reference Sorting can run after SmartReferences

Styles

Author-Date (Name-Date) references are sorted alphabetically, first by author names, and then by the publication year (for references with the same author or author group). The exact method used to "break ties" and establish the final sequence depends on the editorial style chosen.

NOTE

Run Author-Date Reference Sorting after running SmartReferences.

The sorting methods for Author-Date styles can be categorised into two style groups: Continuous alphabetical sort or Sort by citation format.

Continuous alphabetical sort

These styles treat the entire reference list as an alphabetical stream. When two or more references share the same first author, the system will search the entire list of authors' surnames and initials until an alphabetical difference is found before sorting by the year.

Examples: American Psychological Association (APA), Chicago Manual of Style (Chicago), and Council of Science Editors (CSE)

Sort by citation format

These styles sort references alphabetically by citation format. When the first author is the same, references are grouped by how they appear in citations (1- author, 2- authors, 3+- authors) before being sequenced.

Example style: Cell Press

This table details the hierarchy and sorting rules applied for references with the same first-author surname.

Author group	Primary sort key	Secondary sort key
Single-author	Chronologically by Year	Year Letter (2025a, 2025b)
Two-author	Alphabetically by the Second Author's Surname (initials ignored)	Year, then Year Letter
Three or more authors	Chronologically by Year (other author names ignored)	Year Letter

Universal alphabetization conventions

These rules apply to both style types, including APA, Chicago, CSE, and Cell Press, when ordering references with different first-author surnames.

Author group	Description	Example
Prefixes	Surname parts like van, de,or la are included in sorting	Van der Maas is sorted under V
Alphabetisation	Alphabetical sorting is word-for-word (not letter-by-letter)	New York is listed before Newark
Abbreviations	Alphabatise Mc and St. as typed, not as if expanded as Mac and Saint	Saint-Pierre before St. Bernard
Suffixes	Suffixes like Jr., Sr, and III are ignored	Smith, J., III sorts as Smith, J.
Single-author	Chronologically by Year	Year Letter (2025a, 2025b)
Two-author	Alphabetically by the Second Author's Surname (initials ignored)	Year, then Year Letter
Three or more authors	Chronologically by Year (other author names ignored)

Run Author-Date Reference Sorting

To use Author-Date Reference Sorting:

1. Run Orion processes (Cleanup, Styles, SmartReplace, SmartReferences) before working with the Author-Date Reference Sorting advanced workflow. This ensures that all reference author lists are correctly identified, and validation errors can be corrected and reprocessed before sorting references.
2. Select the Advanced Workflow tool
   
   to open a dropdown (Word → Orion → Edit → Advanced Workflows)
3. Select Author-Date Reference Sorting from the dropdown. Typefi Orion will sort your reference lists according to the citation style selected in Typefi Compass.