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Citation Style Guide : AMA

Basic introduction into AMA, APA, Chicago, MLA and Turabian citation styles.

AMA Manual of Style

AMA Manual of Style 10th Edition Cover

Resources

AMA citation is used primarly for medicine, health, and biological sciences.

If you need more information than what is given in this guide, try the following sources:

Notice

This is only intended to be a guide. Your professor may have specific or additional requirements not listed in this guide.

Citations by Formats

Print books:
Print books are ones you can hold in your hands.
 

Format:

  

Author Last Name(s), First Initial. Book Title. Edition number (only if it is the second edition or above). City, State (or Country) of publisher: Publisher's Name; copyright year.
     

Example:

  

Meyer, S. Twilight. New York: Little, Brown and Co.; 2005.

Online Books:
Online books are any that you need a computer to read. Sometimes they are referred to as eBooks or electronic books.

Format:

 

Author Last Name(s), First Initial. Book Title. Edition number (only if it is the second edition or above). City, State (or Country) of publisher: Publisher's Name; copyright year. URL. Accessed date.
     

Example:

 

Collin, P.H. Dictionary of Business. 4th ed. London: A & C Black; 2006. http://www.credoreference.com/vol/525. Accessed February 9, 2009. 

Print Journals:
Print journals are periodicals, magazines, newspapers, etc. you can hold in your hands.
 

Note: AMA uses abbreviated journal titles.  To find abbreviations, try this website: http://www.efm.leeds.ac.uk/~mark/ISIabbr/
 

Note: AMA uses strict capitalizing rules for article tiles. Only capitalize:

  • Names
  • The first word in a phrase or title
  • The first word after a colon (:)
  • Abbreviations

 

Format:

 

Author Last Name(s), First Initial. Article title. Journal Name (abbreviated). Year; vol(issue):inclusive pages.
     

Example:

 

Richards, B. Henry James, Oscar Wilde and aesthetic culture. Essays Criticism. 2008; 58(4):363-369.

Online Journals:
Online journals are periodicals, magazines, newspapers, etc that you need a computer to read. Sometimes they are referred to as eJournals or electronic journals.

 

Note: AMA uses abbreviated journal titles.  To find abbreviations, try this website: http://www.efm.leeds.ac.uk/~mark/ISIabbr/
 
 
Note: AMA uses strict capitalizing rules for article tiles. Only capitalize:

  • Names
  • The first word in a phrase or title
  • The first word after a colon (:)
  • Abbreviations

 

Format:

 

Author Last Name(s), First Initial. Article title. Journal Name (abbreviated). Year; vol(issue):inclusive pages. URL. Accessed date.
     

Example:

 

Gill, A.A. Sicily crypts - where the dead don't sleep. Natl Geogr. 2009; 215(2):118-133. http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2009/02/sicily-crypts/gill-text. Accessed February 9, 2009.

Web Sites

 
Note: AMA uses strict capitalizing rules for website names. Only capitalize:

  • Names
  • The first word in a phrase or title
  • The first word after a colon (:)
  • Abbreviations
     

Format:

   Author Last Name(s), First Initial (if given). Title (or, if no title is available, the name of the organization responsible for the site). Name of the Web Site. URL. Published date (if given). Updated date (if given). Accessed date.
     
Example:   American Cancer Society. Detailed guide: Castleman disease. Cancer Reference Information. http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/CRI_2_3x.asp?dt=70. Accessed February 9, 2009.

Formatting Your Paper

AMA Spacing Example

Formatting

  • Use 1" margins
  • 12pt Times New Roman font
  • Doublespace
     

Page number

  • Not specified. Usually flushed with right margin.
     

Header

  • Use shortened title
  • Capitalize nouns
  • Alignment not specified. Usually flushed with left margin.

 
Title

  • Centered
  • First page only
  • Nouns and major words capitalized
     

Headings

  • No specified format, but should be consistent throughout.
AMA Title Page Example

Formatting

  • Use 1" margins
  • 12pt Times New Roman font
  • Doublespace
     

Page number & Header

  • No page number or header on title page.

 

 Title, author name and instution

  • Centered
  • Doublespaced.
  • Do not underline, bold or italicize your title.

 
Abstract

  • Required for AMA
  • Center and bold "Abstract"
  • Flushed with left margin
  •  Must include following sections (italicized):
    • Objectives
    • Methods
    • Results

 
Keywords

  • Supply 3-10 keywords
  • Flushed with left margin
  • Only first word after colon (:), proper nouns and abbreviations should be capitalized
AMA Reference Page

Formatting

  • Use 1" margins
  • 12pt Times New Roman font
  • Doublespace
     

Page number

  • Not specified. Usually flushed with right margin.
     

Header

  • Use shortened title
  • Capitalize nouns
  • Alignment is not specified. Usually flushed with left margin.

 
References Title

  • Use References as header (in bold)
  • Flush left with margin
     

Numbering and Order

  • Number each reference
  • References should be listed in order they appear in the paper
  • Flush left with margin
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