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OLD_Allied Health Resources: AMA 11th Citation Guide

An online reference portal designed to provide information to faculty, researchers and students in the College of Allied Health Sciences.

The URL, NEW URL, is now redirected to this library guide on AMA 11th Edition.

For guidelines and examples on AMA 10th Edition, consult our AMA 10th Library Guide, now accessible at guides.augusta.edu/CAHS/AMAcitations10

This Guide contains formatting guidelines and examples on how to cite a variety of sources in AMA 11th Edition. 

  • References are listed in numerical order at the end using Arabic numerals
  • Authors are listed by surname followed by initials
  • Abbreviate and italicize names of journals. Search journals here to find NLM-abbreviated titles

Important Changes

  • URLs, DOIs, PMIDs now occur after the accessed date in the citation
  • Location of the publisher for books, databases, and reports are not included
  • Location of manufacturer for equipment, devices, and drugs are not included

AMA Manual of Style

AMA Blog

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Reference List

Journal Article (print)

Note: 

​According to section 3.11.2, abbreviate and italicize journal names. Search journals here to find NLM-abbreviated titles. 

AMA uses strict capitalizing rules for article tiles. According to section, 3.9.1.1 for English-Language Titles, only capitalize:

  • The first letter of the first word
  • Proper names
  • Names of clinical trials or study groups
  • Abbreviations that are ordinarily capitalized (eg, DNA)
Format Example
Author(s). Article title. Journal Name [using National Library of Medicine abbreviations]. Year;vol(issue No.):inclusive pages.

Example: One Author

Spencer LJ. Physician, heal thyself – but not on your own please. Med Educ. 2005;89(1):548-549.

Example: 2-6 authors

Salwachter AR, Freischlag JA, Sawyer RG, Sanfey HA. The training needs and priorities of male and female surgeons and their trainees. J Am Coll Surg. 2005;201(2):199-205.

Example: > 6 authors

Fukushima HL, Cureoglu S, Schachern P, et al. Cochlear changes in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2005;133(3):100-6

Journal Article (electronic)

Note: ​ If a DOI is present cite it rather than the URL. Be sure to include "http://" or "https://" to insure proper linking. Also, only use URL that links directly to the article, not the search result.

 

Format Example
Author(s). Article title. Journal Name [using National Library of Medicine abbreviations]. Year;vol(issue No.):inclusive pages. URL Accessed [date].

Cook GJ, Fogelman I. Pseudo pulmonary embolism in complex congenital heart disease. J Nucl Med. 1996;37(8):1359-1361. http://jnm.snmjournals.org/content/37/8/1359.full.pdf+html. Accessed October 3, 2019.
Author(s). Article title. Journal Name [using National Library of Medicine abbreviations]. Year;vol(issue No.):inclusive pages. DOI. Coppinger T, Jeanes YM, Hardwick J, Reeves S. Body mass, frequency of eating and breakfast consumption in 9-13-year-olds. J Hum Nutr Diet. 2012;25(1):43-49. doi: 10.1111/j.1365277X.2011.01184.x.

 

 

Book (print)

According to section 3.9, book titles should retain the spelling, abbreviations, and style for numbers used in the original. Numbers that begin a title are spelled out, except for years.

AMA uses strict capitalizing rules for book tiles. According to section, 3.9.1.2 for English-Language Titles:

  • Italicize the titles of books, government bulletins, documents, and pamphlets.
  • Capitalize the first letter of each major word,
  • Do not capitalize articles, prepositions with three or less letters, and/or the to in infinitives.
  • Capitalize two letter verbs.
Format Examples

Author(s). Book Title. Edition number (if it is the second edition or above). City, State (or Country) of publisher: Publisher’s name; copyright year.

Modlin J, Jenkins P. Decision Analysis in Planning for a Polio Outbreak in the United States. 3rd ed. San Francisco, CA: Pediatric Academic Societies; 2004.

 

World Health Organization. Injury: A Leading Cause of the Global Burden of Disease, 2000. Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organization; 2002.

Chapter from Book (print)

According to section 3.12.4, book chapter citations follow the same capitalization guidelines as journal article titles. This includes the subtitle guidelines for journal article titles noted in section 3.10.
Format Example

Chapter Author(s). Book Chapter Title. Book Editor(s). Book Title. Edition number (if it is the second edition or above). City, State (or Country) of publisher: Publisher’s name; copyright year.

Solensky MR. Drug allergy: desensitization and treatment of reactions to antibiotics and aspirin. In: Lockey P, ed. Allergens and Allergen Immunotherapy. 3rd ed. New York, NY: Marcel Dekker; 2004: 585-606.

Electronic Book (e-Books / CD-ROM)

Note: If the reference is to the entire book, do not include the information about chapter title and inclusive pages.
Format Example

Author(s). Chapter title. In: Editor(s). Book Title. (Edition number, if it is the second edition or above). City, State (or country) of publisher: Publisher's name; copyright year. URL: [provide URL and verify that the link still works as close as possible to the time of publication]. Accessed [date].

e-Book referencing chapter title

Resnick NM. Geriatric medicine. In: Braunwald E, Fauci AS, Isselbacher KJ, et al, eds. Harrison’s Online. Based on: Braunwald E, Hauser SL, Fauci AS, Kasper DL, Longo DL, Jameson JL, eds. Harrison’s Principles of Internal Medicine. 15th ed. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill; 2001. http://www.hsls.pitt.edu/resources/documentation/harrisonsinfo.html. Accessed December 6, 2005.

 

e-Book referencing entire book

Lunney JR, Foley KM, Smith TJ, Gelband H, eds. Describing Death in America: What We Need to Know. Washington, DC: National Cancer Policy Board, Institute of Medicine; 2003. http://www.nap.edu/books/0309087252/html/. Accessed December 6, 2005.

Website

According to section 3.15, citing data from a website should include the elements in the Format section of the table below. Please note to always check you have the appropriate DOI, URL, and PMID, depending on which citation you plan to use.
Format Examples

Author(s), if given. Title of the specific item cited (if none, use the name of the organization responsible for the site). Name of the website. Published [date]. Updated [date]. Accessed [date]. URL.

Interim guidance for influenza outbreak management in long-term care and post-acute care facilities. Updated November 18, 2019. Accessed August 13, 2020. https://www.cdc.gov/flu/professionals/infectioncontrol/ltc-facility-guidance.htm

Recommendations for the care and maintenance of high intensity metal halide and mercury vapor lighting in schools. National Electrical Manufacturers Association. Accessed February 4, 2014. http://www.nema.org/stds/halide-schools.cfm#download

In-Text Citations

Basic In-Text Citations

  • How references are numbered
    • References are numbered in consecutive order in the text, figures, tables, or boxes. Section 3.6. 
  • Use of superscript
    • Use superscript Arabic numerals to cite material, e.g., 1 . The first reference used in a written document is listed as 1 in the reference list.
    • Where to place the superscript?  The superscript number 1 is inserted into the document immediately next to the fact, concept, or quotation being cited.  If citing more than one reference at the same point, separate the numbers with commas and no spaces between. 
  • Author’s names in-text
    • Using author's names in-text: According to Section 3.7, you may use author names in your text, as long as these mentions are accompanied by numbered citations. Use last names only.  For items with one or two authors, include both names. For items with 3 or more authors, include the first author's surname and then 'et al' or 'and
  • Secondary citations:
    • Reference may be made to one author’s citation of, or quotation from, another’s work. Distinguish between citation and quotation (i.e., between work mentioned and words actually quoted). In the text, the name of the original author, rather than the secondary source, should be mentioned. (See also 3.11.12, References to Print Journals, Discussants.) As with citation of an abstract of an article rather than citation of the original document (see 3.11.9, References to Print Journals, Abstracts and Other Material Taken From Another Source), citation of the original document is preferred unless it is not readily available. Only items actually consulted should be listed.

Examples:

  • Finding treatments for colon cancer is a major goal for scientists.1
  • As reported in several studies,3-10 (NOTE: Use a hyphen for multiple consecutive sources cited)
  • As in previous discussion,2,9-11,16 (NOTE: Use a comma for multiple nonconsecutive sources cited)
  • Smith and Doe14 reported that...
  • Smith's investigation of Leucovorin15 indicates...