AMA Citation Style Guide
The AMA (American Medical Association) citation style is the standard for medical and health sciences publications.
When to Use AMA
AMA style is the standard citation format for:
- Medical research papers and theses
- Clinical studies and case reports
- Health sciences journals
- Medical education materials
- Public health publications
Citation Format Overview
AMA uses a numbered citation system where references appear as superscript numbers in the text (e.g., ¹, ², ³). Citations are numbered in the order they first appear in the document.
In-Text Citations
Single citation:
According to recent research,¹ cardiovascular disease...
Multiple citations:
Several studies1-3 have shown that...
Non-consecutive citations:
Previous work1,5,7 demonstrates...
Reference List Format
References are listed numerically at the end of the document in the order they first appear in the text.
Common Source Types
Journal Article
Format:
Author(s). Article title. Journal Abbreviation. Year;vol(issue):pages. doi:xxxxx
Example:
1. Smith J, Johnson M, Lee A. Effects of medication on blood pressure. JAMA. 2024;331(4):567-580. doi:10.1001/jama.2024.1234
Book
Format:
Author(s). Book Title. Edition. Publisher; Year.
Example:
2. Harrison TR. Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine. 21st ed. McGraw-Hill; 2022.
Website
Format:
Author/Organization. Page title. Website name. Published date. Updated date. Accessed date. URL
Example:
3. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. COVID-19 vaccination. CDC website. Updated January 15, 2024. Accessed January 20, 2024. https://www.cdc.gov/covid19/vaccines
Important AMA Rules
- Author names: Surname followed by initials without periods (e.g., Smith J)
- Up to 6 authors: List all authors
- 7+ authors: List first 3 authors, then "et al"
- Journal abbreviations: Use NLM (National Library of Medicine) abbreviations
- DOI: Include DOI when available in format doi:10.xxxx/xxxxx
- PMID: PubMed ID can be included after DOI
External Resources
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