Master the AMA Citation Style: A Comprehensive Guide with a Free Generator

The American Medical Association (AMA) citation style is a widely recognized and used format in medicine, health sciences, and beyond. Correctly citing sources according to AMA guidelines is crucial for academic integrity and giving credit to the original authors. This guide offers a thorough overview of the AMA citation style, its key components, and how you can simplify the process with the help of a free AMA citation generator.

What is the AMA Citation Style?

AMA style provides guidelines for writing and citations in medical and scientific publications. The official source for these rules is the AMA Manual of Style, currently in its 11th edition. This manual provides in-depth guidance on various aspects of writing and citation, making it essential for researchers, students, and professionals in the medical field.

Why is Citation Important?

According to the AMA Manual of Style, citations serve three vital purposes:

• Acknowledgment: Giving credit to the researchers whose work has influenced yours.
• Documentation: Providing evidence for facts and figures that are not considered common knowledge.
• Directing readers: Enabling readers to find more in-depth information by referencing the sources you used.

How to Cite in AMA Style

In-Text Citations

AMA uses superscript Arabic numerals for in-text citations. These numbers are placed immediately after the fact, idea, or quotation you are citing.

Examples:

• "The study included 20 patients."1
• "While this was observed on multiple occasions,2,3,4 it cannot be said with certainty that it is true."
• "Study A pointed to no correlation5; study B reframed the whole concept.6"

When citing multiple references at once, use commas to separate non-sequential numbers and hyphens to indicate a range:

Example: As indicated previously,1,5-8,20,23

AMA Reference List

At the end of your paper, include a "References" list containing full citations for all sources mentioned in the text. The list should be in numerical order, corresponding to the order of citations in the text.

General format for a reference list entry:

Author's last name, Author's first & middle initials. Title in sentence case. Journal Title in Title Case. Year; volume(Issue#): pp-pp.

AMA Citation Examples

Here are examples of how to cite different types of sources in AMA format:

Journal Articles

• Warren R, Price J, Graham E, Forstenhaeusler N, VanDerWal J. The projected effect on insects, vertebrates, and plants of limiting global warming to 1.5°C rather than 2°C. Science. 2018;360(6390):791-795. doi:10.1126/science.aar3646

Books

• Gabriele M, Perry DM. The Bright Ages: A New History of Medieval Europe. Harper; 2022.

Websites

• France-Presse A. Child labour worldwide increases for first time in 20 years. The Guardian. Published June 10, 2021. Accessed February 4, 2022.

Thesis/Dissertation

• Eid H. The anti-cancer effect of scorpion venom. Unpublished master’s thesis. Modern Sciences and Arts University; 2017.

Note: For more examples, including patents, online books, and software manuals, see Bibguru's guides for AMA citation. Or, if you wish to cite a dissertation, you can read the AMA dissertation citation guide.

AMA Formatting: Authors and Titles

Authors

• List authors as surname followed by initials.
• Include all authors if there are six or fewer; if there are more than six, list the first three followed by "et al."
• In the text, refer to one or two authors by their surnames. For more than two, use the first author's surname followed by "et al."

Titles

• Capitalize only the first word, proper nouns, names of clinical trials, and commonly capitalized abbreviations in the titles of articles and book chapters.
• Italicize book titles and capitalize the first letter of each major word.

Simplify Citing with an AMA Citation Generator

While the AMA Manual of Style offers comprehensive guidelines, creating citations manually can be time-consuming and prone to errors. An AMA citation generator like BibGuru's free tool can significantly streamline the process.

Benefits of using a Citation Generator

• Accuracy: Avoid common errors in formatting and punctuation.
• Efficiency: Create citations quickly by entering source details.
• Consistency: Ensure that all citations adhere to AMA guidelines.

How to Use BibGuru's AMA Citation Generator

1. Go to the BibGuru AMA Citation Generator.
2. Select the type of source you want to cite (e.g., book, journal article, website).
3. Enter the details of the source, such as author, title, and publication date
4. Generate your citation in AMA format with a click of a button.

Additional Resources

• Purdue University Online Writing Lab (OWL):AMA Style Guide
• University of Illinois Chicago: AMA Style Guide

By using this guide and taking advantage of the benefits of citation generators, you can confidently and accurately cite sources in your medical and scientific writing.