The reference list is arranged in numerical order, based on the in-text citations. The entire list is single-spaced and flushed with the left margin (unlike in APA style, where the reference list is double-spaced and uses a hanging indent).
Before we go into the basics for various citation types, here’s a quick overview on how to write out author names using AMA Style.
In AMA Style citations, you should write the abbreviated version of the journal title and italicize it in your reference list. To find the appropriate abbreviated title, visit the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) NLM Catalog.
A Digital Object Identifier (DOI) is a permanent address to an article or other electronic source that will continue to lead a reader to the source even if the source's web address has changed multiple times.
Most articles will include the DOI with the citation information. If you can't find it there, go to www.crossref.org. Click on Search Metadata, and enter the title of the your article into the search box. If your article has a DOI, it will appear on the results page. Watch the video tutorial below or view the print tutorial.
Not every article will have a DOI. Only those articles from scholarly journals published from about the mid-1990's on.
This guide uses tabs to organize content. Follow the instructions below on how to navigate using tabs.
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out to one of our librarians!
There are two basic formats for citing journal articles:
Author(s). Article title. Abbreviated Journal Name. Year;vol(issue No.):inclusive pages. DOI, if provided.
Author(s). Article title. Abbreviated Journal Name. Publication date. DOI, if provided
Mensinger JL, Calogero RM, Stranges S, Tylka TL. A Weight-Neutral Versus Weight-Loss Approach for Health Promotion in Women with High Bmi: A Randomized-Controlled Trial. Appetite. 2016;105:364-374. doi:10.1016/j.appet.2016.06.006
Anderson LM, Scrimshaw SC, Fullilove MT, Fielding JE, Normand J. Culturally competent healthcare systems. American Journal of Preventive Medicine. 2003;24(3):68-79. doi:10.1016/S0749-3797(02)00657-8
Preprints are frequently articles that will eventually be published in a peer-reviewed journal, but are uploaded to a preprint server, typically without formatting or editing, such as MedRxiv or bioRxiv.org. Below is an example of how to cite an article found on the MedRxiv preprint server:
Riad R, Denais M, de Gennes M, et al. (2024). Automated speech analysis for risk detection of depression, anxiety, insomnia, and fatigue: Algorithm Development and Validation Study (p. 2024.03.20.24304577). medRxiv. https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.03.20.24304577
Just like with journal articles, there are two primary styles of citations used for books:
Author(s). Book Title. Edition number (if it’s the second edition or later). Publisher’s name; copyright year.
Author(s). Book Title. Edition number (if it’s the second edition or later). Publisher’s name; copyright year. Accessed [date]. URL (or DOI, if provided)
Gordon A. What We Don’t Talk About When We Talk About Fat. Beacon Press; 2020.
Bodenheimer T, Grumbach K. Understanding Health Policy: A Clinical Approach. 5th ed. McGraw-Hill;2009. Accessed September 25, 2024. doi:10.1036/0071496068
If you’re citing a chapter in a book that has been contributed to by multiple authors, you can cite just the specific chapter that you are referencing. The following example comes from the AMA Manual of Style book1.
Prince M, Glozier N, Sousa R, Dewey M. Measuring disability across physical, mental, and cognitive disorders. In: Regier DA, Narrow WE, Kuhl EA, Kupfer DJ, eds. The Conceptual Evolution of DSM-5. American Psychiatric Publishing Inc; 2011:189-227.
The basic format of citing a webpage is as follows:
Author (or, if no author is available, the name of the organization responsible for the site). Title (or if no title is available, the name of the organization responsible for the site). Name of the website. Published [date]. Updated [date]. Access [date]. URL
National Black Nurses Association. Events. Accessed September 24, 2024. https://nbna.org/events/
Due to the fluid nature of social media posts, it may be best to avoid citing content from social media sites. Below are some examples of how you could cite these sources, if necessary, from the AMA Manual of Style book1.
Mayo Clinic Sports Medicine Facebook page. #RotatorCuff tears are among the most common shoulder injuries, particularly in individuals who engage in activities that require repetitive arm motions. Discover the possible treatment options for a torn rotator cuff: https://mayocl.in/2H6AR3P. Accessed March 4, 2019. https://www.facebook.com/mayoclinicsportsmedicine
Ehrhardt A. Odds and ends. AMA Style Insider blog. July 12, 2024. Accessed September 24, 2024. https://amastyleinsider.com/2024/07/18/odds-and-ends/
MGH Institute. What is a Subject Heading? [Video recording]. October 11, 2023. Accessed September 24, 2024. https://vimeo.com/873445498
SaludAmerica. Building Support for Latino Families [Video recording]. October 17, 2017. Accessed September 24, 2024. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pr0GZvPPpzM
Reports are often formatted similarly to journal articles and books. While you are asked to provide the dates for when the work was published, updated, and accessed, occasionally, you may only have access information available - that is ok.
US Department of State. Integrated Country Strategy: Canada. Approved May 26, 2022. Accessed September 24, 2024. https://www.state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/ICS_WHA_Canada_Public.pdf
World Health Organization. World health statistics 2024: monitoring health for the SDGs, sustainable development goals. May 21, 2024. Accessed September 24, 2024. https://iris.who.int/bitstream/handle/10665/376869/9789240094703-eng.pdf
Interviews, conversations, emails and electronic mailing list messages (those coming from LISTSERVs) should be treated like personal communications and cited in-text in a parenthetical style. Below are some examples of how you could cite these sources, from the AMA Manual of Style book1.
Similar findings have been noted by Roberts6 and by H. E. Marman, MD (email communication, August 1, 2015).
According to the manufacturer (H. R. Smith, PhD, Pharma International, written communication, May 1, 2015), the drug became available in Japan in January 2014.
(J. Smith, personal communication, August 8, 2016)
These citations will not appear in the reference list.
Welcome to our Database Citation (and Stumpers) page, where you'll find answers to those hard to cite resources. If you don't find what you need here, just Ask a Librarian.
Article Author. Article title. UpToDate. http://www.utdol.com. Published date. Updated date. Accessed date.
[include as many of the dates as you can]
Caplan, LR. Clinical diagnosis of stroke subtypes. UpToDate. http://www.utdol.com. Updated November 13, 2013. Accessed June 5, 2015.
Article title. Micromedex Solutions. Greenwood Village, CO: Truven Health Analytics. http://micromedex.com/. Updated date. Accessed date.
[look for the link to View Full Document to find a "last modified" date that you can use for Updated date in the citation]
Chronic fatigue syndrome. Micromedex Solutions. Greenwood Village, CO: Truven Health Analytics. http://micromedex.com/. Updated June 24, 2015. Accessed July 22, 2015.
Article title. Title of Lexidrug section. Hudson, OH: UpToDate Inc, Copyright date. http://online.lexi.com/. Updated date. Accessed date.
Sertraline. Lexi-Drugs. Hudson, OH: UpToDate Inc, 2015. http://online.lexi.com/. Updated July 27, 2015. Accessed August 3, 2015.
If you’re using ChatGPT or other Generative AI tools to help with your research, AMA recommends that you include descriptions of how you used the tool in the text, not in the formal reference list. Including this information helps “promote transparency, reproducibility, and accountability”1. When referring to your use of AI, include the version and producer of the AI tool you are using:
(ChatGPT version 3.5, Open AI) or (Gemini 1.5 Flash model, Google)
Looking for help with AI? We're working on a student guide for generative AI usage, but the Faculty Generative AI Guide has a list of tools that you may find useful in the meantime.
