The Ultimate Guide to AMA Citation Style

The American Medical Association (AMA) citation style is a widely used citation style in the medical and healthcare fields. It is defined by the AMA Manual of Style, which provides guidelines for writing and citing sources in medical research papers.

What is AMA Citation Style?

AMA citation style is used to cite sources in medical research papers, including books, journal articles, websites, and more. The style uses superscript arabic numerals for in-text citations, and references are numbered in consecutive order.

Why Do I Need to Cite in AMA?

Citing sources in AMA style serves three primary purposes:

• Acknowledgment: to credit the work of other researchers who have contributed to the field
• Documentation: to provide evidence for facts and figures that are not common knowledge
• Directing the reader to additional sources: to provide readers with more information on a specific topic

How Do I Cite in AMA?

To cite in AMA style, use superscript arabic numerals for in-text citations, and include a reference list at the end of the document. The reference list should be in numerical order, with each reference including the author's name, title of the source, publication date, and other relevant information.

In-Text Citations

In-text citations in AMA style use superscript arabic numerals, such as:

• Immediately next to the fact, idea, or quotation being cited: The study included 20 patients.^1
• Outside periods and commas: While this was observed on multiple occasions,^2,^3,^4 it cannot be said with certainty that it is true.
• Inside colons and semi-colons: Study A pointed to no correlation^5; study B reframed the whole concept.^6

Reference List

The reference list in AMA style includes full citations for each source, in numerical order. The general format for a reference list entry is:

• Author's last name, first and middle initials
• Title of the source
• Publication date
• Volume and issue numbers (for journal articles)
• Page numbers (for journal articles and book chapters)

Citation Examples

Here are some examples of citations in AMA style:

• Journal article: 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
• Book: Gabriele M, Perry DM. The Bright Ages: A New History of Medieval Europe. Harper; 2022.
• Website: France-Presse A. Child labour worldwide increases for first time in 20 years. The Guardian. http://www.theguardian.com/law/2021/jun/10/child-labour-worldwide-increases-for-first-time-in-20-years. Published June 10, 2021. Accessed February 4, 2022.

Additional Formatting Rules

The AMA Manual of Style provides guidelines for formatting specific elements in the reference list, including:

• Authors: use the author's surname followed by initials without periods
• Titles: capitalize only the first letter of the first word, proper names, and abbreviations that are ordinarily capitalized
• Non-English language titles: may be cited as they originally appeared, without translation

Helpful Resources

For more information on AMA citation style, check out the following resources:

• Purdue University Online Writing Lab (OWL)
• University of Illinois Chicago
• James Cook University
• University of New England
• Medical College of Wisconsin

FAQs

• Does AMA style require abbreviations for journal titles?: Yes, AMA style requires the use of standard National Library of Medicine (NLM) abbreviations for all journal titles.
• What version of AMA style should be used in 2022?: The 11th edition of the AMA Manual of Style, released in March 2020, is the most recent and updated version of AMA style.
• Where do I find AMA style reference examples?: You can find reference examples in the AMA citation style guide.
• Is AMA style easy to use for a paper?: While the references section of the AMA Manual of Style can be complex, AMA style is easy to adopt with the help of BibGuru, a citation generator that can help you create accurate citations quickly and easily.