An Easy Guide to AMA Citation

The AMA format, developed by the American Medical Association, is a citation style designed for research writing in the medical field. Along with the NLM format, the AMA Manual of Style is one of the most commonly used citation styles for medical writing. 

Several medical journals and medical schools demand writers use the AMA style to cite sources and references. So what does the AMA require, and how can you ensure that your paper follows the AMA guidelines accurately? 

Learn about the rules of AMA citation with this simple guide. 

Let’s dive in!

AMA In-Text Citations

An AMA in-text citation is a superscript number that appears at the point in the text where you refer to a source. The number corresponds to the entry on the reference list at the end of your paper.

Here are the rules for citing in text in different situations:

• Single Citation

When an idea or fact taken from a specific source is mentioned, it is a single citation. It is cited by placing a number at the end of the sentence or after mentioning the source in the sentence. Place these numbers outside of periods and commas but inside colons and semicolons. 

• Multiple Citations

When citing multiple sources, use commas to separate the numbers and present them in numerical order.

If you need to cite multiple sources at the same point, you can use a range with an en dash (for two or more consecutive numbers: ^1–3) or a list with commas (for non-consecutive numbers: ^1,4,8). Do not use any spaces between the numbers. 

• Direct Quotes

When directly quoting, include the page number along with the superscript number. If you need to include page numbers, you can add them in parentheses after the citation number, without any spaces. Use "p" for a single page, and "pp" for a range or a list of pages. 

AMA References

The reference list is where you provide the full information about each source you cited in the text. Here are the rules of formatting the reference list in the AMA style:

• The reference list should appear at the end of your paper, on a separate page. It should be titled "References". 
• Keep the margins, text size, and text style same as the rest of the paper.
• Each entry should be numbered. The entries should be listed in the same order as they appear in the text. Do not alphabetize or group them by source type.
• Do not use a hanging indent. 

Different types of sources are formatted and referenced differently. Here are the most common types of sources and how to format them in AMA references list.

Book

Format: Author(s) last name Initials. Book Title: Subtitle. Edition (if not the first). Publisher; Year.

Example:

Journal Article

Format: Author(s) last name Initials. Article title. Journal Title. Year;volume(issue):page range. doi:DOI.

Example:

Website

Format: Author(s) or organization name. Title of webpage. Name of website. URL. Published date. Updated date. Accessed date.

Example: 

Chapter in a Book

Format: Author(s) of chapter last name Initials. Chapter title. In: Editor(s) of book last name Initials, eds. Book Title: Subtitle. Edition (if not the first). Publisher; Year:page range.

Example:

Here’s an example of AMA format reference page:

AMA Page Formatting

Besides citing your sources correctly, you also need to format your paper according to the AMA style. Although most AMA journals and institutions require custom formatting that can differ, here are some general guidelines you can follow as a start:

• Use a standard font, such as Times New Roman or Calibri, in 12-point size.
• Use double spacing throughout the paper
• Use 1-inch margins on all sides of the page
• Use half-inch first line indent when beginning new paragraphs
• Include a title page according to the specific guidelines of your institution or journal. Add the following information in the AMA format title page: full title of the paper, author name, affiliation(s), and any relevant information required by your instructor or journal.
• Include an abstract (if required) on a separate page, with a brief summary of your paper's purpose, methods, results, and conclusions (no more than 250 words)
• Add page numbers on the top-right corner, beginning from the title page. Check specific header and running head instructions provided by the instructor or journal and follow them.
• Visually differentiate different levels of headings. Again, you should ask for particular guidelines.

The AMA format does not provide detailed and specific guidelines for page formatting, so institutions and journals define most of it for themselves. Whenever you use AMA, make sure you know specific page formatting guidelines of your targeted journal. 

Wrapping up, 

By following these guidelines for AMA in-text citations, references, and page formatting, you'll be well-equipped to produce clear, accurate, and professionally presented medical research papers. 

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