A Quick Guide to Using the AMA Style

The AMA style is the proper format used in citing references used in the text. Developed by the American Medical Association, the AMA style is used in writing research papers or documents on science, medicine, and other health-related topics. This citation style is not only used by medical practitioners and medical journalists but also by medical professors and medical students.

General guidelines in AMA style

All sources, which are enumerated at the end of the paper, are listed according to their chronological appearance on the text. For text reference purposes, each source entry must be properly numbered, not bulleted. All citation elements, regardless of the source type, must be separated by periods.

Element chronology for book citations:

* author’s name
* chapter title
* editor’s name/translator’s name
* book title
* volume number
* book edition
* place of publication
* book publisher
* copyright year
* page numbers

General rules in citing books

If some of the elements are unavailable in your source, then just skip them and follow the same chronology. Page numbers are only included in book citations if the specific pages of the book are directly cited on the paper. When writing the author’s name, always follow the “<last name>, <first name> <middle initial>” format.

Element chronology for journal articles:

* article title and subtitle
* abbreviated name of journal
* year of publication
* volume number
* supplement number
* page numbers

General rules in citing journal articles

Unlike in book citations, there is no need to write down the first name of the writer in journal article citations. Just follow the “<last name>, <first name initial> <middle initial>” format.

Element chronology for Internet sources:

* author’s name
* article or webpage name
* URL source
* date accessed

General rules in citing Internet sources

Citation of Internet sources, although not advised, is now accepted in the AMA style. If the Internet source is an abstract of a study or an article in an online journal, then indicate it inside brackets. You must always include the proper notation of the online journal cited in the text.

Photo Credit : David G. Romero

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