Q. In the author-date reference system, in a text citation, should a nonbreaking space be used between the author and the date and before the page number or other locator if present? If ordinary spaces are used, the citation could break at either, causing the next line to start with a number, which seems undesirable.
A. Don’t worry about the breaks you describe. You’re right that they aren’t ideal, but the squishing or stretching of text that results from the use of nonbreaking spaces can be even more unsightly.