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AMA Citation Style 11th Edition Guide

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citing thesis

Theses and dissertations..

Titles of theses and dissertations are given in italics. References to theses should include the name of the university (or other institution) and year of completion of the thesis. If the thesis has been published, it should be treated as any other book reference (see  3.12.1 , References to Books, Complete Data).

General format for Thesis/Dissertation 

Author Title Type Institution Date accessed URL
Author AA. . Dissertation. University; 2020. Accessed Month, date year. www.xxx.com
Author AA. . Thesis University; 2005.    

1. Maiti N.  Association Between Bullying Behaviors, Health Characteristics, and Injuries Among Adolescents in the United States.  Dissertation. Palo Alto University; 2010.

2. Ghanbari S.  Integration of the Arts in STEM: A Collective Case Study of Two Interdisciplinary University Programs . Dissertation. University of California; 2014. Accessed October 14, 2016.  http://escholarship.org/uc/item/9wp9x8sj

3. Neel ST.  A Cost-Minimization and Policy Analysis Comparing Immediate Sequential Cataract Surgery and Delayed Sequential Cataract Surgery From Payer, Patient, Physician, and Surgical Facility Perspectives in the United States.  Master’s thesis. London School of Economics and Political Science; 2013.

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AMA 11th Referencing Guide

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Theses and dissertations

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Titles of theses and dissertations are given in italics. References to theses should include the location of the university (or other institution), its name, and year of completion of the thesis. If the thesis has been published, it should be treated as any other book reference. 

  • Fenster SD. Cloning and Characterization of Piccolo, a Novel Component of the Presynaptic Cytoskeletal Matrix. Dissertation. University of Alabama; 2000.
  • Lienart, GH.  Effects of Temperature and Food Availability on the Antipredator Behaviour of Juvenile Coral Reef Fishes.  Dissertation. James Cook University; 2016. Accessed December 18, 2020. https://researchonline.jcu.edu.au/47533/
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AMA 11th Edition Citation Guide

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AMA Manual of Style, 11th Edition

  • Special Materials 3.13.4 Theses & Dissertations

ama reference style thesis

Theses & Dissertations

Titles of theses and dissertations are given in italics. References to theses should include the location of the university (or other institution), its name, and year of completion of the thesis. If the thesis has been published, it should be treated as any other book reference.

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AMA Style (11th ed): Citing Your Sources

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What is AMA Style?

The American Medical Association (AMA) style was created by editors of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). AMA style specifies writing and citation styles for scholarly works in medicine. AMA style is internationally recognized and is used throughout disciplines in the health sciences. The AMA Manual of Style was first published in 1963, and is currently in its 11th edition (2020).

This guide includes some basic and common citation styles, condensing nearly 200 pages of print content covering citing and referencing in AMA Style. Consult the full 1200 page AMA Manual of Style for significantly more detail on citing, referencing, writing, and manuscript styling.

Unlike other publication manuals, the AMA Manual of Style provides a range of acceptable citation practices, explains the purpose of each practice, and allows the writer/editor to make choices that make sense for their specific project.

Because of this element of choice, the person who is grading your citations as part of your school work, or the editors reviewing your article submission, are the only people who can decide if an AMA formatted citation is "correct." The examples here include only the most basic and general AMA citation rules. If you are writing for a class or for publication, follow any specific rules you have been provided. If you have not been provided specific rules beyond "use AMA style,"  try to consider what style choices you could make to conform to the ultimate goals of any citation style: communicate to the reader that you selected a relevant and authoritative source for this fact/quote/idea, and allow the reader to find the specific source you are citing.

Review this guide for commonly used reference styles; review the full Manual for all styles and manuscript styling.

Find the full manual at USC

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Citing and Writing handouts, AMA 11th

  • Quick Citing Reference- AMA 11th ed 2 page handout covering the basics of using AMA style, 11th edition
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References are found at the end of a manuscript and are titled “References,” and each item should be listed in numerical order (two references should not be combined under a single reference number) as opposed to alphabetically. Additionally, each item should be single-spaced.

Sample Reference

AuthorLastname FirstInitialMiddleInitial. Title in sentence case.  Abbreviated Journal Title in Title Case . Year;volume(Issue#):PP-PP. doi: ##

If you are citing an online article, you should include the day and month of publication as well in the format of Month Day, Year.

Use sentence case for all titles (capitalize only the first word of the title). Abbreviate and italicize names of journals according to the listing in the  National Library of Medicine database .

Author Names

When writing up your references list, be sure to always include the last name and the first and middle initial of the authors  without  punctuation. However, do use a comma to separate more than one author in a single bibliographic group (e.g., Wheeler T, Watkins PJ).

If the author's middle initial isn't available, omit it. The abbreviations "Jr" and "Sr" ("Junior" and "Senior") may follow authors' names when applicable (e.g., Jameson JJ Jr). Use Roman numerals to signify "2nd," "3rd," "4th," and so on (e.g., Doe JF III).

Use all authors’ names unless there are more than 6 authors. In that case, list the names of the initial 3 authors, followed by “et al” in place of the others.

Bibliographic Elements

Each reference is divided with periods into bibliographic groups; each bibliographic group contains bibliographic  elements , which may be separated using the following punctuation marks:

  • A comma : if the items are sub-elements of a bibliographic element or a set of closely related elements (e.g., the authors’ names).
  • A semicolon:  if the elements in the bibliographic group are different (e.g., between the publisher’s name and the copyright year) or if there are multiple occurrences of logically related elements within a group; also, before volume identification data.
  • A colon:  before the publisher’s name, between the title and the subtitle, and after a connective phrase (e.g., “In,” “Presented at”).

See the following examples:

In-Text Citations

Each reference should be cited in the text using superscript arabic numerals. These superscript numbers should be outside periods and commas but inside colons and semicolons . Multiple references may be cited in the same instance. If you are citing sequential references, these should be indicated with a hyphen. Nonsequential references should be separated with commas. There should not be a space between numbers. For example: 

As Smith et al have reported, 1-3,5

Smith et al reported 1-3,5 :

AMA recommends that you do not place a superscript reference citation immediately following a number, and advises that you revise the sentence to prevent any possible confusion with an exponent.

Parenthetical citations should ONLY be used for items that do not occur in the references list, such as unpublished material, personal communications, and news articles. These citations may or may not include a title or author, but should include page numbers and, if possible, a DOI or URL.

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AMA Style - 11th Edition

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ama reference style thesis

:

You will need (minimum information in bold):

(in sentence case - not in italics)  (in italics, in Title Case)

Standard article pattern (print):

Author AA, Author BB. Title of article.  Journal Abbreviation . Year;volume(issue):pp-pp.

  • Chiang HC, Huang V, Cornelius LA. Cancer and itch.  Semin Cutan Med Surg . 2011;30(2):107-112.
  • Nejad AG, Kheradmand A. Five rare psychiatric syndromes co-occurring together.  Neurosciences . 2009;14(1):91-3.
  • Voigt C, Grasse P, Rex K, Hetz S, Speakman J. Bat breath reveals metabolic substrate use in free-ranging vampires.  J Comp Physiol B . 2008;178(1):9-16.

Standard article pattern (electronic):

Author AA, Author BB. Title of article.  Journal Abbreviation.  Year;volume(issue):pp-pp. Accessed Month DD, YYYY. DOI or URL

  • Economopoulos KJ, Brockmeier SF. Rotator cuff tears in overhead athletes.  Clin Sports Med . 2012;31(4):675-692. doi:10.1016/j.csm.2012.07.005
  • Finnan RP, Crosby LA. Partial-thickness rotator cuff tears.  J Shoulder Elbow Surg . 2010;19(4):609-616. Accessed April 26, 2012. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1058274609004662
  • Ho DTN, Le TPT, Wolbers M, et al. Risk factors of Streptococcus suis infection in Vietnam. A case-control study.  PLoS One . 2011;6(3):e17604. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0017604
  • There are no spaces between the year, volume, issue number and page numbers.
  • Some online journals do not have page numbers. Use the article number instead. Reference 6 is an example.
  • If there is a DOI you should always include it at the end of the reference. 
  • You don't need to include a URL if there is a DOI, and you only need to include an Accessed date if you have used a URL.
  • There is no full stop after the DOI or URL

What's a DOI?   Read this explanation from Citing Medicine.

Book (Entire Book)

 (you do not need to cite individual chapters).  - not the work of a particular chapter by a particular author.

You will need (minimum information in bold):

 (if editors, include ed. or eds) (in italics - in Title Case)  (if it is not the first edition)

Standard book patterns:

Pay close attention to the punctuation use in these examples – including case, italics, the order of dates and spaces.

Standard book in Print:

Author AA, Author BB, Author CC.  Book Title . Vol no. Nth ed. Publisher; Year.

Edited book:

Editor AA, Editor BB, Editor CC, eds.  Book Title . Vol no. Nth ed. Publisher; Year.

Author AA, Author BB, Author CC.  Book Title . Vol no. Nth ed. Publisher; Year. Accessed Month DD, YYYY. DOI or URL

  • Drake RL, Vogl W, Mitchell AWM, Gray H.  Gray's Anatomy for Students.  4th ed. Elsevier; 2020.
  • Cameron P, Little M, Mitra B, Deasy C, eds.  Textbook of Adult Emergency Medicine.  5th ed. Elsevier; 2020.
  • Vieira AR. Genetic Basis of Oral Health Conditions.  Springer; 2019. doi:10.1007/978-3-030-14485-2
  • World Health Organization.  Health Worker Roles in Providing Safe Abortion Care and Post-abortion Contraception . World Health Organization; 2015. Accessed December 9, 2021.   https://www.who.int/reproductivehealth/publications/unsafe_abortion/abortion-task-shifting/en/
  • Dates follow the American pattern of Month-Day-Year.
  • You only use the Accessed date if you are using a URL.
  • The author may be an organisation or government body.

What's a DOI?   Read this explanation from Citing Medicine.

Book Chapter

You will need (minimum information in bold):

(in sentence case - not in italics) (in italics - in Title Case)  (if it is not the first edition)

Standard chapter pattern:

Author AA, Author BB. Title of chapter. In: Editor AA, Editor BB, eds.  Book Title . Vol no. Nth ed. Publisher; Year:page numbers. Accessed Month DD, YYYY. DOI or URL

  • Karmakar M. Ultrasound-guided central neuraxial blocks. In: Narouze SN, ed.  Atlas of Ultrasound-Guided Procedures in Interventional Pain Management . Springer; 2011:161-178. doi:10.1007/978-1-4419-1681-5_12
  • Shaparin N, Shah A, Gritsenko K. Pharmacological agents: opioids. In: Urman RD, Vadivelu N, eds.  Perioperative Pain Management . Oxford University Press; 2013:29-37. Accessed December 16, 2021. https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/jcu/detail.action?docID=1274300
  • Banasik J. Alterations in cardiac function. In: Copstead L, Banasik J, eds.  Pathophysiology . 4th ed. Saunders Elsevier; 2010:429-460.
  • Dog TL. Botanicals in the management of pain. In: Audette JF, Bailey A, eds.  Contemporary Pain Medicine: Integrative Pain Medicine: the Science and Practice of Complementary and Alternative Medicine in Pain Management . Humana Press; 2008:447-470.
  • Varacallo M, El Bitar Y, Mair SD. Rotator cuff tendonitis. In:  StatPearls . NCBI Bookshelf version. StatPearls Publishing: 2019. Accessed October 24, 2019.  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK532270/  [example has been updated 04-04-2022]

Brochures and Pamphlets

Brochures and pamphlets should take the following form:

  • Eating and drinking with a high output stoma: what you need to know. Patient brochure. Sunshine Coast Hospital and Health Service. Accessed September 29, 2020.  https://www.health.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0037/734959/eating-drinking-high-output-stoma.pdf

Class Handouts

If the work was given in class, and you have confirmed that the information has not been copied from a published source (book, journal article, web page etc), treat it as  personal communication .   Do not include it in your reference list , and in text explain the nature of your source in brackets:

According to a diagram distributed by M. Grant (class handout, February 2020)...

The Cornell Method template (K. Bartlett, class handout, March 21, 2020) can be used to analyse and compare journal articles.

Class handouts are often copied or taken from other sources.  Endeavour to find the original source, if possible.

Cochrane Review

Cochrane Reviews are supposed to be cited as electronic journal articles.  Articles are given article numbers instead of page numbers. Place the article number (without "Art no") in the place of the page numbers for a normal journal article.  There is no volume number for Cochrane reviews, so skip straight from the year to the issue number.  Always use the doi instead of a URL for Cochrane reviews:

  • Shepherd E, Grivell RM. Aspirin (single dose) for perineal pain in the early postpartum period.  Cochrane Database Syst Rev . 2020;(7):CD012129. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD012129.pub3
  • Palmer MJ, Henschke N, Villanueva G, et al. Targeted client communication via mobile devices for improving sexual and reproductive health.  Cochrane Database Syst Rev . 2020;(8):CD013680. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD013680
  • Palareti L, Melotti G, Cassis F, Nevitt SJ, Iorio A. Psychological interventions for people with hemophilia.  Cochrane Database Syst Rev . 2020;(3):CD010215. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD010215.pub2

Conference Paper, Webinar

Standard conference paper pattern:

Author AA, Author BB. Title of paper. Type of presentation presented at: Name of the Conference. Date of conference; Year; City, Country or State Abbreviation. Accessed Month DD, YYYY. URL. Vidocast/Transcript/Abstract available at: URL

Papers presented at a conference, symposium or meeting, unpublished or only available from the conference website

Maddox S, Hurling J, Stewart E, Edwards A. If mama ain't happy, nobody's happy: the effect of parental depression on mood dysregulation in children. Paper presented at: Southeastern Psychologica Association 62nd Annual Meeting; March 30-April 2, 2016; New Orleans, LA.

Pearson J. Fat talk and its effects on state-based body image in women. Poster presented at: Australian Psychological Society Congress; September 21-30, 2018; Sydney, Australia.

Baydorova I, Collins H, Ait Saadi, I. Matching student and supervisor expectations in Malaysian doctoral education. Paper presented at: Australian Association for Research in Education Conference; November 26-30, 2017; Canberra, Australia. Abstract available at:  https://www.aare.edu.au/publications/aare-conference-papers/show/13007/matching-student-and-supervisor-expectations-in-malaysian-doctoral-education

Published papers

Papers from conferences, symposia and meetings are usually published as part of a special issue of a journal, as a monograph (book) of the conference proceedings, or as a document on a website. Once a presentations is published, use the pattern for the book, journal, or other medium in which they are published.

Morgan R, Meldrum K, Bryan S, et al. Embedding digital literacies in curricula: Australian and Malaysian experiences. In: Teh GB, Choy SC, eds.  Empowering 21st century learners through holistic and enterprising learning: selected papers from Tunku Abdul Rahman University College International Conference 2016 . Springer Singapore; 2017:11-19.

Huang G-M, Huang K-Y, Lee T-Y, Tzu-Ya Weng J. An interpretable rule-based diagnostic classification of diabetic nephropathy among type 2 diabetes patients.  BMC Bioinformatics.  2015;16(suppl 1):S5. Selected articles from the Thirteenth Asia Pacific Bioinformatics Conference (APBC 2015). doi:10.1186/1471-2105-16-S1-S5

(Example 5 shows an article from a special issue of the journal that has been entirely dedicated to publishing papers from the conference). 

Online conferences and webinars

Gunn E, Kendall-Taylor J, Vandenburg B. Taking author instructions to the next level. Council of Science Editors webinar. September 10, 2015. Accessed March 15, 2016.  http://www.councilscienceeditors.org/resource-library/past-presentationswebinars/past-webinars/2015-webinar-3-taking-author-instructions-to-the-next-level/

Drug Databases and Similar Resources

You will need (minimum information in bold):

 (if available) (in sentence case - not in italics) (if available) (in italics - in Title Case)  (at least year, if available)   (if different to published date - at least year, if available)

Standard database pattern:

Author AA, Author BB. Title of entry [type of entry, if applicable]. In: Editor AA, Editor BB, eds (if available).  Title of Database . Publisher’s name. Published (or Updated) date (at least year, if available). Accessed date. URL

  • Paracetamol. In: Brayfield, A, ed.  Martindale: the Complete Drug Reference . Pharmaceutical Press. Updated October 31, 2014. Accessed February 20, 2015. http://www.medicinescomplete.com
  • Paracetamol (Systemic). Drug monograph. In:  AusDI database . Phoenix Medical Publishing. Updated May 28, 2020. Accessed September 1, 2020.  https://ausdi-hcn-com-au.elibrary.jcu.edu.au/productMonograph.hcn?file=0460
  • Ginger. In:  Natural Standard: the Authority on Integrative Medicine . Natural Standard. Updated July 10, 2020. Accessed September 1, 2020.  https://naturalmedicines-therapeuticresearch-com.elibrary.jcu.edu.au/databases/food,-herbs-supplements/professional.aspx?productid=961
  • Liquid paraffin. In:  Australian Medicines Handbook . Australian Medicines Handbook. Accessed September 1, 2020.  https://amhonline-amh-net-au.elibrary.jcu.edu.au/chapters/gastrointestinal-drugs/laxatives/stool-softeners/liquid-paraffin?menu=vertical
  • Prevention of endocarditis. In:  eTG Complete . Therapeutic Guidelines. April, 2019. Updated August 2020. Accessed September 1, 2020.  https://tgldcdp-tg-org-au.elibrary.jcu.edu.au/viewTopic?topicfile=infection-prevention-endocarditis&guidelineName=Antibiotic&topicNavigation=navigateTopic#toc_d1e47
  • Prozac (Product info). In:  MIMS Online . MIMS Australia. Updated September, 2020. Accessed September 1, 2020.  https://www-mimsonline-com-au.elibrary.jcu.edu.au/Search/AbbrPI.aspx?ModuleName=Product%20Info&searchKeyword=Prozac+Capsules&PreviousPage=~/Search/QuickSearch.aspx&SearchType=&ID=5050001_2
  • Propylthiouracil. In:  DynaMed . EBSCO Information Services. Updated July 22, 2020. Accessed September 30, 2020.  https://www.dynamed.com/drug-monograph/propylthiouracil

Tip : For DynaMed, last date modified (updated) in Drugs A-Z is near the bottom of the page under References.

If you were referring to the database as a whole, rather than an individual entry in the database, you would skip the reference to the authors and title of the entry and begin with the Editors (if there are any) or the title of the database.

  • MIMS Online.  MIMS Australia; September 2020. Accessed September 1, 2020.  https://www-mimsonline-com-au.elibrary.jcu.edu.au
  • If there are no authors, begin with the title of the entry.

NB:  This pattern is based on a combination of the formats for databases and book chapters, as the AMA manual recommends citing databases as a whole but at JCU it is preferred practice to pinpoint the entry used.

Government/Organization Report

References to reports published by departments or agencies of a government should include the following information, in the order indicated: (1) name of author (if given); (2) title of bulletin; (3) name of issuing bureau, agency, department, or other governmental division (note that in this position, Department should be abbreviated Dept; also note that if the US Government Printing Office is supplied as the publisher, it would be preferable to obtain the name of the issuing bureau, agency, or department); (4) date of publication; (5) page numbers (if specified); (6) publication number (if any); (7) series number (if given); (8) online accessed date (if applicable); and (9) web address (if applicable).

  • World Health Statistics 2020: Monitoring Health for the SDGs, Sustainable Development Goals. World Health Organization. 2020. Accessed September 29, 2020. https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/332070/9789240005105-eng.pdf?ua=1

Images, Figures and Tables

The way you reference an image depends on where the image was found.

If the image was found in a book, journal article or entry in a database:

Do not cite the image individually but give the citation details for the book/article/etc. Treat it as though it was a direct quote.

If the image was found online, as part of a website, treat it like a  Web Object :

Author AA, Author BB. Title of page or object. Clarifying information if necessary. Title of web site. Published Month DD, YYYY  or  Updated Month DD, YYYY. Accessed Month, DD, YYYY. URL.

  • UCF Libraries. Research lifecycle and University of Central FL. Infographic. University of Central Florida. Updated June 23, 2017. Accessed January 11, 2020.  https://library.ucf.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2017/06/research-life-cycle.png
  • California Deparment of Public Health. West Nile Virus transmission cycle. 2018. Image reproduced in: Vector-borne diseases. California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment. Updloaded February 11, 2019. Accessed January 11, 2020.  https://oehha.ca.gov/epic/impacts-biological-systems/vector-borne-diseases
  • Slide 37 - Solvent, nummular eczema. Image. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. Updated April 17, 2001. Accessed September 3, 2020.  https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/skin/occderm-slides/ocderm8.html
  • If there is a credit for the image, use this as your author.  If there is no credit for the image, use the authors of the web site if you believe they are responsible for the image.
  • If the  "authors" of the site and the name of the site are identical, treat the page as if it has no author and begin with the title of the page  (for example, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention is both the name of the site and the name of the organisation responsible for the information on that site).
  • If you are not sure who is responsible for the image, omit the authors and begin with the title of the image.
  • If the image does not have a title, give a description of the image (e.g.: Photograph of a boy holding a fish).
  • If the image was not created by the authors of the book/article/website/etc, then it needs to be treated as a  secondary citation  (give as much of a full citation for the image as you can, then state the role it plays in your source material, and give the full citation for your source - see example 2).

Lecture Notes

Online Lecture Notes:

If the notes/handouts are available online through LearnJCU, cite them as a  web object . Include details after the title, if it is necessary for clarity.

Author AA, Author BB. Title of page or object. Title of web site. Published Month DD, YYYY. Updated Month DD, YYYY. Accessed Month DD, YYYY. URL.

  • De Cat S. Introduction to TV1101. PDF lecture notes. LearnJCU. Updated February 18, 2014. Accessed March 2, 2014.  https://learnjcu.jcu.edu.au/bbcswebdav/pid-1447836-dt-content-rid-1294103_1/xid-1294103_1
  • TV1101 - week1: syringe and needle handling practical 1. PDF class handout. LearnJCU. Updated February, 2014. Accessed March 2, 2014.  https://learnjcu.jcu.edu.au/bbcswebdav/pid-1447837-dt-content-rid-1294105_1/xid-1294105_1
  • Most lecturers would rather you did not cite the lecture notes, but found the relevant information in books, journals or other such resources. Only use lecture notes if you cannot find the information elsewhere.
  • Only include the full link to the document if a) you have tested the link and it will work several days after you originally accessed the document, and b) you are confident the person reading your work can access the site. Otherwise, simply include the URL for LearnJCU.
  • If there is no attributed author, begin the reference with the title of the document.

Note on URLs for LearnJCU:   Ideally, you use a URL that will get your readers as close as possible to the document.  When writing for someone who has access to the LearnJCU site, include the full URL for the document (copy and paste). Always include the date you last checked to see the URL still worked (the Accessed date).

Legislation

The information given in the AMA Manual of Style regarding citation of legislation is specific to US Bills and Statutes and does not translate easily to Australian legislation. As the manual recommends using the Blue Book for State Legislation (the Blue Book is the standard form of legal citation used in the US) we recommend using the AGLC for Australian legislation (which is the standard form of legal citation use in Australia).

However, in keeping with the requirements of AMA in general, if the legislation was accessed online, you will also need to include an accessed date and the URL. If the document you are citing has an updated or compiled date on it, include that as well.

For example:

  • Biosecurity Act 2014  (Qld) ch 7 pt 2 div 4 s 169. Accessed April 22, 2021.  https://www.legislation.qld.gov.au/view/html/inforce/current/act-2014-007#sec.169 .
  • National Health Act 1953  (Cth) pt 4 s 84AA. Compiled December 16, 2020. Accessed April 22, 2021.  https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/C2016Q00048 .

More details can be found in the AGLC, but a brief summary of the pattern is as follows:

The name of the Act including the Year  (Jurisdiction) section details. Accessed date. URL.

See page 68 of the AGLC for the jurisdiction abbreviations, and page 69-70 to see how to lay out the section details (AGLC calls it a pinpoint).

Use this for citing US legislative materials

You can find a link to the complete AGLC here.

Newspaper Article

:

You will need (minimum information in bold):

(in sentence case - not in italics)  (in italics)

Standard news article pattern (print):

Author AA, Author BB. Article title.  Newspaper name . Month DD, year:pp-pp.

Tourne R. Townsville Hospital in poor health: hospital troubles persist.  Townsville Bulletin . February 26, 2011:5.

Packham B. Australian-made vaccine available 'within months'.  The Australian.  September 7, 2020:5.

Standard news article pattern (online):

Author AA, Author BB. Article title.  Newspaper name . Month day, year:pp-pp. Accessed Month DD, YYYY. URL

Scott M. More than 60 treated in hospital after Townsville music festival.  The Australian.  May 7, 2019. Accessed September 7, 2020.  https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/more-than-60-treated-in-hospital-after-townsville-music-festival/news-story/f4b6a403939ed34b0c18d426becb9533

Ikonomou T. Townsville’s rising obesity numbers among shocking health statistics. Townsville Bulletin. November, 14, 2018. Accessed September 9, 2020.  https://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/news/townsville/townsvilles-rising-obesity-numbers-among-shocking-health-statistics/news-story/47c5f163d537ba20353e0572901ea19e

  • Newspaper names are not abbreviated.
  • If a city name is not part of the newspaper name, it may be added to the official name for clarity.

News Release

News and media releases take the following format:

  • Examining how common depression symptoms are in adults before, during COVID-19 pandemic. News release. JAMA For the Media. September 2, 2020. Accessed September 7, 2020.  https://media-jamanetwork-com.elibrary.jcu.edu.au/news-item/examining-how-common-depression-symptoms-are-in-adults-before-during-covid-19-pandemic/
  • Teleheath, e-prescribing arrangements must be extended. News release. Australian Medical Association. September 3, 2020. Accessed September 7, 2020.  https://ama.com.au/media/telehealth-e-prescribing-arrangements-must-be-extended

Online Conference Proceedings

These are treated much the same as a “presented at” reference (see above), with the addition of the accessed date and the URL.

Morales M, Zhou X. Health practices of immigrant women: indigenous knowledge in an urban environment. Paper presented at: 78th Association for Information Science and Technology Annual Meeting; November 6-10, 2015; St Louis, MO. Accessed March 15, 2016.  https://dl-acm-org.elibrary.jcu.edu.au/doi/10.5555/2857070.2857108

Botkin J, Menikoff J. Opening remarks presented at: Secretary’s Advisory Committee on Human Research Protections Meeting; December 4, 2015; Rockville, MD.  http://www.hhs.gov/ohrp/sachrp/mtgings/2015%20Dec%20Mtg/december3-4,2015sachrpmeeting.html . Accessed March 15, 2016. Videocast available at:  https://videocast-nih-gov.elibrary.jcu.edu.au/

The presentation in example 2 did not have a title; hence, the “title” field and the “presented at” field were combined. In addition, a webcast of the meeting is available for the presentation in example 2, and that information is also included in the reference. See example 3 below for how to cite a videocast.

Labor, Health and Human Services Subcommittee Hearing. National Institutes of Health: Investing in a Healthier Future. October 7, 2015. Accessed March 15, 2016. Videocast available at:  http://www.appropriations.senate.gov/hearings/labor-hhs-subcommittee-hearing-national-institutes-of-health-investing-in-a-healthier-future

A transcript from a teleconference is cited as follows:

Volkow N, Botticelli M, Johnston LD, Miech RA. Monitoring the Future: Teleconference 2015. December 16, 2015. Accessed March 15, 2016. Transcript available at:  https://www.drugabuse.gov/news-events/podcasts/2015/12/monitoring-future-teleconference-2015#content-area

A webinar is cited as follows:

Published work

If you are citing work that has previously been published, you cite it exactly how you would cite any other work (e.g., if it was a journal article, cite a journal article).

Previous assignments

If you are citing work that you submitted in a previous assignment, it is considered an unpublished manuscript, but you would site it the same way you would cite an  unpublished dissertation .

  • Smith J.  Multidisciplinary Care Teams in Rural Communities . Assignment submitted for HS1155. James Cook University; 2021.

N.B.  Only use one of your own assignments as a source for your work if your lecturer has told you it is okay to to so.

Images and figures

If you are creating an original figure for an assignment, you do not need to cite yourself - you only need to cite information or work that was taken from other sources.

If you are using a photograph or artwork you have created yourself, and it has been "published" online (for example, Flickr or a personal website), you will need to cite it as you would any other image taken from an online source. You would need to include this in your reference list as you would any other cited source.

If you have not previously made the image public, or produced it specifically for this assignment, it does not require citations - but you can put "Own work" as part of the caption for the image if you believe it is necessary for clarity (for example, if you are also using similar images from other sources). You would not include this in your reference list.

Figure 4 . Wound dressing following removal of stitches

Image of wound dressing used as an example

Image shows multiple adhesive dressings used together. Own work.

Pharmacopoeia, Encyclopedias & Dictionary Entries

:

 use "book section" and leave the author field blank)

You will need (minimum information in bold):

(if available) (in sentence case - not in italics)  (if available) (in italics - in Title Case)  (if it is not the first edition)

Pharmacopoeia entry (also used for encyclopedia and dictionary entries)

Author AA, Author BB. Title of entry. In: Editor AA, Editor BB, eds.  Title of Pharmacopoeia . Vol no. Nth ed. Publisher; Year:page numbers. Accessed Month DD, YYYY. DOI or URL

  • Ceylon cinnamon bark oil. In:  British Pharmacopoeia 2013 . Vol 5. The Stationery Office; 2012:3659-3660.
  • Carbamazepine tablets. In:  The Pharmocopeia of the United States of America.  Vol 2. 31st  ed. The United States Pharmocopeial Convention; 2007:1631.
  • Antihistamines. In Andrews A, Boden E eds.  Black's Veterinary Dictionary . Bloomsbury; 2015. Accessed July 20, 2015. http://search.credoreference.com.elibrary.jcu.edu.au/content/entry/acbvet/antihistamines/0
  • Authors for the entry or editors for the book may not be available.
  • Contributors to encyclopedia and dictionaries are sometimes indicated by initials at the end of the entries - always try to find an author rather than assuming there isn't one simply because you cannot see a name in an obvious location.
  • Online books may not have page numbers.

Titles of theses and dissertations are given in italics. References to theses should include the location of the university (or other institution), its name, and year of completion of the thesis. If the thesis has been published, it should be treated as any other book reference. 

  • Fenster SD.  Cloning and Characterization of Piccolo, a Novel Component of the Presynaptic Cytoskeletal Matrix.  Dissertation. University of Alabama; 2000.
  • Lienart, GH.  Effects of Temperature and Food Availability on the Antipredator Behaviour of Juvenile Coral Reef Fishes.  Dissertation. James Cook University; 2016. Accessed December 18, 2020.  https://researchonline.jcu.edu.au/47533/

Web Content

Use this formatting if:

You will need (minimum information in bold):

(if given)  (sentence case - not in italics) (if different from the page - Title Case, not in italics)  (at least year, if available) (if different to published date - at least year, if available)

Standard Web content pattern:

  • Pharmacy ownership in Queensland. Queensland Health. Updated September 1, 2021. Accessed January 10, 2022.   https://www.health.qld.gov.au/system-governance/licences/pharmacy/pharmacy-ownership/queensland
  • Department of Health & Human Services. Anaphylaxis. Better Health Channel. Updated August, 2014. Accessed August 31, 2020.  https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/ConditionsAndTreatments/anaphylaxis
  • Food allergy or intolerance? Allergy and Anapylaxis Australia. Updated January 2017. Accessed August 31, 2020.  https://allergyfacts.org.au/allergy-anaphylaxis/food-allergy-or-intolerance
  • Zika virus. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. January 26, 2016. Updated November 20, 2019. Accessed September 8, 2020.  https://www.cdc.gov/zika/
  • University of California Television. Ketogenesis and Fasting: Fuel for the Brain. YouTube. August 14, 2020. Accessed August 31, 2020.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H33vuQLIiXE&feature=emb_logo
  • For web pages in which there is no listed author for the information on that page, and the  "authors" of the site and the name of the site are identical, treat the page as if it has no author and begin with the title of the page  (for example, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention is both the name of the site and the name of the organisation responsible for the information on that site).
  • If the name of the site and the name of the corporate author is different then list the name of the corporate author in the author position and the name of the site in the Site title position (for example, Better Health Channel is the name of the site, but the Department of Health & Human Services is responsible for the information on that site).

Standard YouTube pattern:

Author AA, Author BB. Title of page or object. YouTube video. Published Month DD, YYYY. Updated Month DD, YYYY. Accessed Month DD, YYYY. URL.

  • JCU Library. Launch of Mabo Interpretive Wall. YouTube video. December 1, 2020. Accessed December 22, 2020. https://youtu.be/dnonEJ-ZpuA
  • The Two Ronnies - Sweet Shop Sketch. YouTube video. October 30, 2011. Accessed December 22, 2020. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IbGMS5jQFcs
  • Only provide the author if you are sure that person created the video. Do not list the person posting the video online as the author. If you are unsure, treat the citation as having no author.
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Formatting Authors in References

Dissertations, government or agency reports, audiovisual materials, mobile apps, drug databases, drug inserts, conference/meeting proceedings, material accepted for publication but not yet published, material submitted for publication but not yet accepted, comments on a journal article, legal documents, personal communications, social media.

  • Reference Managers

For help, you can

  • Ask a Librarian
  • Visit the Purdue OWL AMA Style Guide for a quick and easy guide
  • Read the AMA Manual of Style at HSL
  • View the AMA Manual of Style Online  

This guide goes over how to cite sources in AMA style. The reference citation varies depending on the material you are citing. You can use this guide to find the type of material you are citing and see how to format a reference for that material. For additional information on AMA Style or for source types not included in this guide, you can look at the online AMA Manual of Style .

In AMA, when you are referencing material in the body of your text:

  • References should be cited using superscript Arabic numerals (e.g.  1 )
  • References should be cited in the order they appear in the text, figures, tables, or boxes
  • Citations should occur outside periods and commas and inside colons and semi-colons (e.g. These results were found 1-3 : or One finding was this, 2,4 )
  • Use hyphens to connect more than 2 consecutive references, using commas with no space to connect more than 2 non-consecutive references (e.g.  1-3  or  2,4 )
  • Citations should not be placed immediately after numbers or measurements to avoid confusion
  • Material that has not been accepted for publication or personal communication can be referenced in the text, but should not be numbered, and should not be included in the reference list

You should list the references you cited in the text at the end of the document. References should be listed numerically in the order they were cited in the text. You can see information on how to format the references in the guide below. 

General Guidance

  • Authors should be identified by surname followed by initials with no periods.
  • Do not put "and" between author names

Number of Authors

  • No individual author, group author, or editor: do not include author in the reference, continue with the rest of the reference as usual
  • 6 or fewer authors: list all authors, with commas between names
  • More than 6 authors: list the first three authors followed by "et al"

Type of Authors

  • Anonymous author: use Anonymous in place of author
  • Group and individual author(s): list authors followed by a semi-colon and then the group name
  • Group, no individual authors: put the group name in place of author
  • Editor with no authors: list editors followed by "eds." after the last editor

Journal Article Reference Components:

  Author Article Title Journal Title Abbreviation Year Volume Issue Pages or e-locator Accessed Date DOI URL
General components Author AA. Title of article: Subtitle if applicable. xxxx; xx (xx): xx-xx. Accessed Month Day, Year. doi:xx/xx xx.xx
Example with DOI and pages  Younan D, Petkus AJ, Widaman KF, et al. Particulate matter and episodic memory decline mediated by early neuroanatomic biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease. 2019; 143 (1): 289-302.  

doi:10.1093

/brain/awz348

 
Example with DOI and e-locator Scarneo-Miller SE, Swartz EE, Register-Mihalik JK, Coleman KA, Emrich CM, DiStefano LJ. Spinal cord injury management policies in high school sports as reported by athletic administrators. 2024; 9 (1): e000239.  

doi:10.1249

/tjx.0000000

000000239

 
Example with URL but no DOI Posner EA, Sunstein CR. Should greenhouse gas permits be allocated on a per capita basis? 2009; 97 (51): 59-93. Accessed March 7, 2024.

 

https://chicago

unbound.uchicago

.edu/journal_

articles/1760/

Example with no URL or DOI Posner EA, Sunstein CR. Should greenhouse gas permits be allocated on a per capita basis? 2009; 97 (51): 59-93.      
  • DOI/URL: only include URL if there is no DOI
  • Accessed Date: only include the accessed date if including a URL
  • Article Title: capitalize the first letter of the first word and proper nouns

Formatted Journal Article Examples:

With doi and pages:.

Younan D, Petkus AJ, Widaman KF, et al. Particulate matter and episodic memory decline mediated by early neuroanatomic biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease.  Brain.  2019;143(1):289-302. doi:10.1093/brain/awz348

With DOI and e-locator:

Scarneo-Miller SE, Swartz EE, Register-Mihalik JK, Coleman KA, Emrich CM, DiStefano LJ. Spinal cord injury management policies in high school sports as reported by athletic administrators.  Transl J Am Coll Sports Med.  2024;9(1):e000239. doi:10.1249/tjx.0000000000000239

With URL but no DOI:

Posner EA, Sunstein CR. Should greenhouse gas permits be allocated on a per capita basis?  Calif Law Rev.  2009;97(51):59-93. Accessed March 7, 2024. https://chicagounbound.uchicago.edu/journal_articles/1760/

With no URL or DOI:

Posner EA, Sunstein CR. Should greenhouse gas permits be allocated on a per capita basis?  Calif Law Rev.  2009;97(51):59-93.

News Article Reference Components:

  Author Article Title Name of Newspaper Page Number Accessed Date URL
Components Author AA. Title of article: Subtitle if applicable. xx-xx. Accessed Month Day, Year. xx.xx
Example Lovitt L. UNC library brings together students and seeds at second-annual launch.   Accessed March 8, 2024.

https://www.dailytarheel.com/article/2023/03/

university-seed-library-launch-2023-kenan-

science-library

Formatted News Article Example:

Lovitt L. UNC library brings together students and seeds at second-annual launch. The Daily Tar Heel.  March 2, 2023. Accessed March 8, 2024. https://www.dailytarheel.com/article/2023/03/university-seed-library-launch-2023-kenan-science-library

Book Reference Components:

  Author Editor Book Title Volume Edition Format Publisher Year Accessed Date URL
General components Author AA. Editor AA, eds. Vol xx. xx ed. Format. Publisher; xxxx. Accessed Month Day, Year. xx.xx
Print book with edition example   Harvey RA, Ferrier DR, eds.   5th ed.   Wolters Kluwer Health; 2011.    
Print book with edition and volume example   Oberlander J, Buchbinder M, Churchill LR, et al, eds. Vol 1. 3rd ed.   Duke University Press; 2019.    
E-book with URL example   Oberlander J, Buchbinder M, Churchill LR, et al, eds. Vol 1. 3rd ed.   Duke University Press; 2019. Accessed March 8, 2024.

https://www-

jstor-org.libproxy

.lib.unc.edu/stable

/j.ctv1220m7g

Audiobook example Strom D.       Audiocassette tape. Fonograf Editions; 2020.    
  • Edition: do not include edition information in reference if first edition
  • Format: specify format if you need technology to access book, such as if the book is and audiobook on CD-ROM or Audiocassette tape
  • Accessed Date: only include the accessed date if you accessed the book online with a URL
  • Book Title: capitalize first letter of every word other than articles, prepositions and conjunctions

Formatted Book Examples:

Print book with edition:.

Harvey RA, Ferrier DR, eds.  Lippincott's Illustrated Reviews: Biochemistry.  5th ed. Wolters Kluwer Health; 2011.

Print book with volume and edition:

Oberlander J, Buchbinder M, Churchill LR, et al, eds. The Social Medicine Reader: Ethics and Cultures of Biomedicine.  Vol 1. 3rd ed. Duke University Press; 2019.

E-book with URL:

Oberlander J, Buchbinder M, Churchill LR, et al, eds. The Social Medicine Reader: Ethics and Cultures of Biomedicine.  Vol 1. 3rd ed. Duke University Press; 2019. Accessed March 8, 2024. https://www-jstor-org.libproxy.lib.unc.edu/stable/j.ctv1220m7g

Strom D.  Instrument . Audiocassette tape. Fonograf Editions; 2020.

Book Chapter Reference Components:

  Author Chapter Title Book Citation
Components Author AA. Title of Chapter. In: Book citation
Example Bloom A. Silver Water.

In: Oberlander J, Buchbinder M, Churchill LR, et al, eds.

 Vol 1. 3rd ed. Duke University Press; 2019.

Formatted Book Chapter Example:

Bloom A. Silver Water. In: Oberlander J, Buchbinder M, Churchill LR, et al, eds. The Social Medicine Reader: Ethics and Cultures of Biomedicine.  Vol 1. 3rd ed. Duke University Press; 2019.

Webpage Reference Components:

  Author Title Name of website Date Published Date Updated Date Accessed URL
Components Author AA. Title of article: Subtitle if applicable. Website Name. Month Day, Year. Updated Month Day, Year. Accessed Month Day, Year. xx.xx
Example   Symptoms of COVID-19. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.   Updated March 15, 2024. Accessed March 21, 2024.

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus

/2019-ncov/symptoms-testing/

symptoms.html

  • Title: include the title of the page cited, if given. Capitalize the first letter of the first word and proper nouns. When there is no title, put the name of the organization that created the website in place of the title.
  • Date Published and Date Updated: include information if present on the page

Formatted Webpage Example:

Symptoms of COVID-19. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Updated March 15, 2024. Accessed March 21, 2024. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/symptoms-testing/symptoms.html

Dissertation Reference Components:

  Author Dissertation Title Dissertation University or Institution Year Accessed Date URL
Components Author AA. Dissertation. Name of university or institution; xxxx. Accessed Month Day, Year. xx.xx
Example Sperger J. Dissertation. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; 2023. Accessed March 11, 2023.

https://cdr.lib.unc.edu/

concern/dissertations/mp

48sq25p?locale=en

  • Published Dissertation: if the dissertation has been published, it should be cited like a book.
  • Accessed Date: only include the accessed date if you accessed the dissertation online with a URL
  • Dissertation Title: capitalize first letter of every word other than articles, prepositions and conjunctions

Formatted Dissertation Example:

Sperger J. Experimental Designs for Precision Health & Medicine.  Dissertation. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; 2023. Accessed March 11, 2023. https://cdr.lib.unc.edu/concern/dissertations/mp48sq25p?locale=en

Thesis Reference Components:

  Author Thesis Title Thesis University or Institution Year Accessed Date URL
Components Author AA. Master's thesis. Name of university or institution; xxxx. Accessed Month Day, Year. xx.xx
Example Spielvogel E. Master's thesis. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; 2023. Accessed March 11, 2023.

https://cdr.lib.unc.edu/concern/

dissertations/mc87q272f?

locale=en

  • Published Thesis: if the dissertation has been published, it should be cited like a book.
  • Accessed Date: only include the accessed date if you accessed the thesis online with a URL
  • Thesis Title: capitalize first letter of every word other than articles, prepositions and conjunctions

Formatted Thesis Example:

Spielvogel E.  HIV-2 Envelope Entry Dynamics into Host Cell Types.  Master's thesis. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; 2023. Accessed March 11, 2023. https://cdr.lib.unc.edu/concern/dissertations/mc87q272f?locale=en

Report Reference Components:

  Author Report Title Department, Agency, Bureau, or Division Year Pages Publication Number Series Number Accessed Date URL
Components Author AA. Name of Department, Agency, Bureau, or Division; xxxx. xx-x. Publication name xx. Series name xx. Accessed Month Day, Year. xx.xx
Example   World Health Organization; 2023.       Accessed March 11, 2024.

https://www.who

.int/publications

/i/item/9789240

074323

  • Accessed Date: only include the accessed date if you accessed the report online with a URL
  • Report Title: capitalize first letter of every word other than articles, prepositions and conjunctions
  • Only include pages, publication number, and series number if specified

Formatted Report Example:

Example with URL:

World Health Statistics 2023: Monitoring Health for the SDGs, Sustainable Development Goals.  World Health Organization; 2023. Accessed March 11, 2024. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240074323

DVD Reference Components:

  Author or Host DVD Title DVD Publisher or Distributor Year
Components Author AA. DVD. Publisher or Distributor; xxxx.
Example Jenkins B, Hogan VK. DVD. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Public Health; 2004.

Formatted DVD Reference:

Jenkins B, Hogan VK.  Health Disparities: Why We Need New Approaches.  DVD. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Public Health; 2004.

YouTube Video Reference Components:

  Author (if clear) Video Title Youtube Date Accessed Date URL
Components Author AA. YouTube. Month Day, Year. Accessed Month Day, Year. xx.xx
Example   YouTube. April 5, 2022. Accessed March 22, 2024.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWsDzo11h78

Formatted YouTube Video Reference Example:

Citation Analysis Using Scopus.  YouTube. April 5, 2022. Accessed March 22, 2024. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWsDzo11h78

Podcast Reference Components with Example:

  Author or Creator Name of Podcast Title of Episode Date Accessed Date URL
Components Author AA.  Title of Episode. Month Day, Year. Accessed Month Day, Year. xx.xx
Example Glass I, Kestenbaum D, Ballout D. All the King's Horses. March 22, 2024. Accessed March 25, 2024.

https://www.thisamericanlife.

org/827/all-the-kings-horses

Formatted Podcast Reference Example:

Glass I, Kestenbaum D, Ballout D.  This American Life.  All the King's Horses. March 22, 2024. Accessed March 25, 2024. https://www.thisamericanlife.org/827/all-the-kings-horses

Mobile App Reference Components:

  Name of App Version Publisher Updated Date
Components Name of App. Version xx. Publisher. Updated Month Day, Year.
Example Micromedex Drug Interactions app. Version 3.0.4. Merative. Updated September 26, 2023.

Formatted Mobile App Reference Example:

Micromedex Drug Interactions app. Version 3.0.4. Merative. Updated September 26, 2023.

Drug Database Reference Components:

  Author Database Title Publisher or Database Owner/Host Year Updated Date Accessed Date URL
Components Author AA. Title of Database: Subtitle if Applicable. Publisher; xxxx. Updated Month Day, Year. Accessed Month Day, Year. xx.xx
Example   Facts and Comparisons: Drug Referential Resource. Wolters Kluwer; 2024.   Accessed March 25, 2024.

https://www.wolterskluwer.com

/en/solutions/uptodate/enterprise

/lexidrug-facts-and-comparisons

Formatted Drug Database Reference Example:

Facts and Comparisons: Drug Referential Resource. Wolters Kluwer; 2024. Accessed March 25, 2024. https://www.wolterskluwer.com/en/solutions/uptodate/enterprise/lexidrug-facts-and-comparisons

Package Insert Reference Components:

  Drug Name Package Insert Drug Manufacturer Year
Components Drug name. Package insert. Drug Manufacturer; xxxx.
Example Lamictal. Package insert. GlaxoSmithKline; 2009.

Formatted Package Insert Example:

Lamictal. Package insert. GlaxoSmithKline; 2009.

Conference Presentation Reference Components:

  Author Presentation Title Format Conference Name Date Location
Components Author AA. Title of presentation: Subtitle if applicable. Format presented at: Conference Name; Month Day-Day, Year; Location.
Example Moreton E, Ottosen T, Burrows H, Nachman S, Barron L, Jones E. Translation of systematic review LibGuide content using plain language and scientific writing best practices. Paper presented at: Medical Library Association Annual Conference; May 16-19, 2023; Detroit, MI.
  • Published Presentation: once the presentation has been published, you should cite the published material rather than the conference material (e.g. the published journal article or book)
  • Presentation Title: capitalize the first letter of the first word and proper nouns
  • Presentation Format: examples include abstract, paper, opening remarks, or poster
  • For more examples, including online conference proceedings and webinars, see sections 3.13.8 and 3.13.9 in the online AMA Manual of Style

Formatted Conference Presentation Example:

Moreton E, Ottosen T, Burrows H, Nachman S, Barron L, Jones E. Translation of systematic review LibGuide content using plain language and scientific writing best practices. Paper presented at: Medical Library Association Annual Conference; May 16-19, 2023; Detroit, MI.

Upcoming Publication Reference Components:

To format the citation, complete the citation as usual (e.g. book or article citation) and add 'Forthcoming' before the publication year.

You typically should not include journal articles that have not yet been published in your reference list. If you do so, you should ensure the article has been  accepted  rather than just  submitted .

Formatted Forthcoming Publication Example:

Harvey RA, Ferrier DR, eds.  Lippincott's Illustrated Reviews: Biochemistry.  5th ed. Wolters Kluwer Health; Forthcoming 2025.

Submitted Material Reference Components:

Material that has not yet been accepted should not be included in the list of references. You can reference it in the text as "unpublished data."

Examples of In-Text References to Submitted (not Accepted) Material:

Similar results have been found by E.P. Jones (unpublished data, 2024).

These results have been verified (E.P. Jones, unpublished data, February 2024).

Journal Article Comment Reference Components:

  Author Title Journal Section Journal Title Abbreviation Date Accessed Date URL
Components for comments without a title Author AA. Re: Title of article. Journal Section. Month Day, Year.  Accessed Month Day, Year. xx.xx
Example of comments without a title Quinn MJ. Re: Prevalence, awareness, treatment, and control of hypertension in China, 2004-18: findings from six rounds of national survey. Rapid Response. January 14, 2023. Accessed March 25, 2024.

https://www.bmj.com/

content/380/

bmj-2022-071952/rr

Components for comments with a title Author AA. Title of comment.   Month Day, Year. Accessed Month Day, Year. xx.xx
Example of comments with a title Quinn MJ. Lifelong hypertension in China?   January 14, 2023.  Accessed March 25, 2024.

https://www.bmj.com/

content/380/

bmj-2022-071952/rr

Formatted Journal Article Reference Example:

Comment without title:.

Quinn MJ. Re: Prevalence, awareness, treatment, and control of hypertension in China, 2004-18: findings from six rounds of national survey. Rapid Response.  BMJ.  January 14, 2023. Accessed March 25, 2024. https://www.bmj.com/content/380/bmj-2022-071952/rr

Comment with Title:

Quinn MJ. Lifelong hypertension in China?  BMJ.  January 14, 2023. Accessed March 25, 2024. https://www.bmj.com/content/380/bmj-2022-071952/rr

Dictionary Reference Components:

  Dictionary Name Edition Publisher Year URL
Components x ed. Name of Publisher; xxxx. xx.xx
Example 9th ed. Oxford University Press; 2015.

 

Formatted Dictionary Reference Example:

Concise Medical Dictionary.  9th ed. Oxford University Press; 2015.

There is a wide variation in references for legal documents depending on the type of document (e.g cases, statutes, regulations, or hearings). To cite legal documentation, you should refer to the online AMA Manual of Style .

For US Legal References see 3.16

For Non-US Legal References see 3.17

Personal Communication Reference Components:

You should not include personal communications in the reference list. However, you can reference personal communication in text.

Examples of In-Text References to Personal Communications:

Similar results have been found by E.P. Jones (email, 2024).

Similar results have been found by E.P. Jones (written communication, 2024).

It is recommended to find citations other than social media, as access to social media sites can vary, and the posts themselves are fluid. For some examples of how to cite social media posts, see section 3.15.4 in the online AMA Manual of Style .

See section 4.2 in the  online AMA Manual of Style  for information on how to format and organize figures in APA.

If you are reproducing or modifying a figure from another source, see section 4.2.9 in the  online AMA Manual of Style  for information on attributing the figure to another source.

See section 4.1 in the online AMA Manual of Style for information on how to format and organize tables in APA.

If you are reproducing or modifying a table from another source, you should indicate the source in a footnote below the table. See section 4.1.4.10 in the online AMA Manual of Style for more information on footnotes.

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Cite A Dissertation in AMA style

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  • Select style:
  • Archive material
  • Chapter of an edited book
  • Conference proceedings
  • Dictionary entry
  • Dissertation
  • DVD, video, or film
  • E-book or PDF
  • Edited book
  • Encyclopedia article
  • Government publication
  • Music or recording
  • Online image or video
  • Presentation
  • Press release
  • Religious text

Use the following template or our AMA Citation Generator to cite a dissertation. For help with other source types, like books, PDFs, or websites, check out our other guides. To have your reference list or bibliography automatically made for you, try our free citation generator .

Reference list

Place this part in your bibliography or reference list at the end of your assignment.

In-text citation

Place this part right after the quote or reference to the source in your assignment.

Popular AMA Citation Guides

  • How to cite a Book in AMA style
  • How to cite a Website in AMA style
  • How to cite a Journal in AMA style
  • How to cite a DVD, video, or film in AMA style
  • How to cite a Online image or video in AMA style

Other AMA Citation Guides

  • How to cite a Archive material in AMA style
  • How to cite a Artwork in AMA style
  • How to cite a Blog in AMA style
  • How to cite a Broadcast in AMA style
  • How to cite a Chapter of an edited book in AMA style
  • How to cite a Conference proceedings in AMA style
  • How to cite a Court case in AMA style
  • How to cite a Dictionary entry in AMA style
  • How to cite a Dissertation in AMA style
  • How to cite a E-book or PDF in AMA style
  • How to cite a Edited book in AMA style
  • How to cite a Email in AMA style
  • How to cite a Encyclopedia article in AMA style
  • How to cite a Government publication in AMA style
  • How to cite a Interview in AMA style
  • How to cite a Legislation in AMA style
  • How to cite a Magazine in AMA style
  • How to cite a Music or recording in AMA style
  • How to cite a Newspaper in AMA style
  • How to cite a Patent in AMA style
  • How to cite a Podcast in AMA style
  • How to cite a Presentation or lecture in AMA style
  • How to cite a Press release in AMA style
  • How to cite a Religious text in AMA style
  • How to cite a Report in AMA style
  • How to cite a Software in AMA style
  • Free Tools for Students
  • AMA Citation Generator

Free AMA Citation Generator

Generate accurate American Medical Association style citations quickly and automatically, with MyBib!

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😕 What is an AMA Citation Generator?

An AMA citation generator is a tool that creates citations in the American Medical Association citation style. It analyzes the details of an article or academic paper--such as author, title, and publish date--and creates a formatted citation with them automatically. The formatted citation can then be used to give credit to others whose work has been referenced in an academic work or paper.

👩‍🎓 Who uses an AMA Citation Generator?

The AMA citation style is a variation of the Vancouver style, adapted by the American Medical Association, and is used in their publications:

  • JAMA Network Open
  • JAMA Cardiology
  • JAMA Dermatology
  • JAMA Health Forum
  • JAMA Internal Medicine
  • JAMA Neurology
  • JAMA Oncology
  • JAMA Ophthalmology
  • JAMA Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery
  • JAMA Pediatrics
  • JAMA Psychiatry
  • JAMA Surgery

Source: https://jamanetwork.com/

If you are writing to be published in an AMA journal, or if you are a student in a health or medical field, then you will likely need to use AMA style citations to reference others' work within yours.

🙌 Why should I use a Citation Generator?

Every academic field, not just medical, will recommend using a tool to record references to others' work in your writing. A citation generator like MyBib can record this data, and can also automatically create an accurate reference list from it, with the necessary in-text citations too.

⚙️ How do I use MyBib's AMA Citation Generator?

MyBib's AMA citation generator was designed to be fast and easy to use. Follow these steps:

  • Search for the article, website, or document you want to cite using the search box at the top of the page.
  • Look through the list of results found and choose the one that you referenced in your work.
  • Make sure the details are all correct, an change any that aren't. Then click Cite!

The generator will produce a formatted AMA citation that can be copied and pasted directly into your document, or saved to MyBib as part of your overall bibliography (which can be downloaded fully later!).

MyBib supports the following for AMA style:

⚙️ StylesAMA
📚 SourcesWebsites, books, journals, newspapers
🔎 AutociteYes
📥 Download toMicrosoft Word, Google Docs

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Daniel is a qualified librarian, former teacher, and citation expert. He has been contributing to MyBib since 2018.

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University Libraries

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Citation Styles

  • Citation Styles: Home
  • Zotero - How To
  • Identifying Parts of a Citation Activity
  • Citation Value Tutorial (APA)
  • Citing Government Resources
  • Citing Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Using Zotero?

Adding AMA style into Zotero

  • Go to the Zotero Style Repository and search for: American Medical Association
  • Click and Install
  • Go to your Zotero window and click on Actions and then Preferences
  • Ensure that in your Export, American Medical Association is selected as your Default Output Format
  • Click OK and you are all set!

What is AMA Style?

This style primarily used in medical and healthcare-related fields.

In Text Citation and Style Notes

  • Your references are listed as they are cited in your work (1, 2, 3, etc.)
  • You make note of your references in-text by using a superscript at the end of your sentence or quote
  • When expressing value, all numbers should be in # form unless: the number is the first word of a sentence or less than 10
  • For information about proper quoting and paraphrasing, see the Plagiarism Information & Tutorial Page

Reference Lists

  • If you have more than six authors, you include the first three authors in your reference followed by et al.
  • Always include the DOI number of the article, if available; you can also include the PubMed Identification number (PMID) instead or the URL
  • NLM Journal Abbreviation Search
  • Fact Sheet: Construction of the NLM Title Abbreviations
  • List of Journal Abbreviations, Outside of NLM
  • AMA Manual of Style (Ohio U Login Required) An complete online version of the manual - 11th edition
  • AMA Manual of Style Website Includes a blog with lots of useful tips
  • Style Quiz From the AMA Manual of Style Website
  • SI Conversion Calculator From the AMA Manual of Style Website
  • @AMAManual on Twitter

Some Examples

  • Book, Chapter, and eBook
  • Dissertation / Thesis
  • Journal or Magazine Article (online)
  • Newspaper Article (online)
  • Video (online)

Gutierrez K. A Quick, No-Nonsense Guide to Basic Instructional Design Theory [internet]. Shift Disruptive Elearning . May 15, 2014. Available at: http://info.shiftelearning.com/blog/bid/345615/A-Quick-No-Nonsense-Guide-to-Basic-Instructional-Design-Theory/. Accessed June 28, 2016.

Note: Include the writer’s name, title/subject of the post, title of the blog, date of post, “Available at:” URL; followed by “Accessed” and the date you looked at it.

Physical Book

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

Book Chapter

Solensky R. 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.

Note: Begin with the chapter author name, not with the name of the author of the entire book. Then give the title of the chapter; followed by “in” then name of the author/editor of the entire book; followed by “ed.” for Edited by; the title of the book; the publication information; year of publication; and the inclusive page numbers of the chapter.

Fatemi SH, Clayton PJ, eds. The Medical Basis of Psychiatry . 3rd ed. Totowa ,NJ: Humana Press, 2008. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/ebooks/ebc/9781597452526. Accessed June 28, 2016.

Fenster SD. Cloning and Characterization of Piccolo, a Novel Component of the Presynaptic Cytoskeletal Matrix [dissertation]. Birmingham: University of Alabama; 2000.

Si L, Zhuang X, Xing W, Guo W. The cultivation of scientific data specialists: Development of LIS education oriented to e-science service requirements. Greenberg, Library Hi Tech . 2013;31(4):700-724. doi:10.1108/LHT-06-2013-0070.

Note : If there is no DOI, list the URL and when you accessed the article.

Si L, Zhuang X, Xing W, Guo W. The cultivation of scientific data specialists: Development of LIS education oriented to e-science service requirements. Greenberg, Library Hi Tech . 2013;31(4):700-724. http://www.emeraldinsight.com/doi/full/10.1108/LHT-06-2013-0070/. Accessed June 28, 2016.

Note: Sometimes there are no page numbers, volume numbers, etc. for online journal articles. If there are page numbers, list as seen below. If not, make note of how many pages the article makes up, so for this article it would look like–>  2013:e24.

Weis R. The promise of precision prescriptions. Washington Post . June 24, 2000:A1. http://www.washingtonpost.com. Accessed June 28, 2016.

Takayma-Ogawa J., Willette J. What is information literacy. [Video].  YouTube   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yeopJX5jJV8. Published March 14, 2007. Accessed April 30, 2010.

Note: If you are unsure, treat the citation as having no author.

Slingshot fun. [Video]. YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCmZYce0J2E. Published January 29, 2007. Accessed April 30, 2010.

Note: Provide the author/creator only if you are sure that person/account created the video. Do not list the person/account posting the video.

Areas with Zitka. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Web site. http://www.cdc.gov/zika/geo/index.html. Updated June 22, 2016. Accessed June 28, 2016.

Note: Not all websites are structured the same, so list as many of the following as possible: author; name of the webpage/web article; name of the whole website; URL; date published; date updated; and the date you accessed the content.

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  • Knowledge Base
  • Citing sources

Citation Styles Guide | Examples for All Major Styles

Published on June 24, 2022 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on November 7, 2022.

A citation style is a set of guidelines on how to cite sources in your academic writing . You always need a citation whenever you quote , paraphrase , or summarize a source to avoid plagiarism . How you present these citations depends on the style you follow. Scribbr’s citation generator can help!

Different styles are set by different universities, academic associations, and publishers, often published in an official handbook with in-depth instructions and examples.

There are many different citation styles, but they typically use one of three basic approaches: parenthetical citations , numerical citations, or note citations.

Parenthetical citations

  • Chicago (Turabian) author-date

CSE name-year

Numerical citations

CSE citation-name or citation-sequence

Note citations

  • Chicago (Turabian) notes and bibliography

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Table of contents

Types of citation: parenthetical, note, numerical, which citation style should i use, parenthetical citation styles, numerical citation styles, note citation styles, frequently asked questions about citation styles.

The clearest identifying characteristic of any citation style is how the citations in the text are presented. There are three main approaches:

  • Parenthetical citations: You include identifying details of the source in parentheses in the text—usually the author’s last name and the publication date, plus a page number if relevant ( author-date ). Sometimes the publication date is omitted ( author-page ).
  • Numerical citations: You include a number in brackets or in superscript, which corresponds to an entry in your numbered reference list.
  • Note citations: You include a full citation in a footnote or endnote, which is indicated in the text with a superscript number or symbol.

Citation styles also differ in terms of how you format the reference list or bibliography entries themselves (e.g., capitalization, order of information, use of italics). And many style guides also provide guidance on more general issues like text formatting, punctuation, and numbers.

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In most cases, your university, department, or instructor will tell you which citation style you need to follow in your writing. If you’re not sure, it’s best to consult your institution’s guidelines or ask someone. If you’re submitting to a journal, they will usually require a specific style.

Sometimes, the choice of citation style may be left up to you. In those cases, you can base your decision on which citation styles are commonly used in your field. Try reading other articles from your discipline to see how they cite their sources, or consult the table below.

Discipline Typical citation style(s)
Economics
Engineering & IT
Humanities ; ;
Law ;
Medicine ; ;
Political science
Psychology
Sciences ; ; ; ;
Social sciences ; ; ;

The American Anthropological Association (AAA) recommends citing your sources using Chicago author-date style . AAA style doesn’t have its own separate rules. This style is used in the field of anthropology.

AAA reference entry Clarke, Kamari M. 2013. “Notes on Cultural Citizenship in the Black Atlantic World.” 28, no. 3 (August): 464–474. https://www.jstor.org/stable/43898483.
AAA in-text citation (Clarke 2013)

APA Style is defined by the 7th edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association . It was designed for use in psychology, but today it’s widely used across various disciplines, especially in the social sciences.

Wagemann, J. & Weger, U. (2021). Perceiving the other self: An experimental first-person account of nonverbal social interaction. , (4), 441–461. https://doi.org/10.5406/amerjpsyc.134.4.0441
(Wagemann & Weger, 2021)

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The citation style of the American Political Science Association (APSA) is used mainly in the field of political science.

APSA reference entry Ward, Lee. 2020. “Equity and Political Economy in Thomas Hobbes.” , 64 (4): 823–35. doi: 10.1111/ajps.12507.
APSA in-text citation (Ward 2020)

The citation style of the American Sociological Association (ASA) is used primarily in the discipline of sociology.

ASA reference entry Kootstra, Anouk. 2016. “Deserving and Undeserving Welfare Claimants in Britain and the Netherlands: Examining the Role of Ethnicity and Migration Status Using a Vignette Experiment.” 32(3): 325–338. doi:10.1093/esr/jcw010.
ASA in-text citation (Kootstra 2016)

Chicago author-date

Chicago author-date style is one of the two citation styles presented in the Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition). It’s used mainly in the sciences and social sciences.

Encarnação, João, and Gonçalo Calado. 2018. “Effects of Recreational Diving on Early Colonization Stages of an Artificial Reef in North-East Atlantic.” 22, no. 6 (December): 1209–1216. https://www.jstor.org/stable/45380397.
(Encarnação and Calado 2018)

The citation style of the Council of Science Editors (CSE) is used in various scientific disciplines. It includes multiple options for citing your sources, including the name-year system.

CSE name-year reference entry Graham JR. 2019. The structure and stratigraphical relations of the Lough Nafooey Group, South Mayo. Irish Journal of Earth Sciences. 37: 1–18.
CSE name-year citation (Graham 2019)

Harvard style is often used in the field of economics. It is also very widely used across disciplines in UK universities. There are various versions of Harvard style defined by different universities—it’s not a style with one definitive style guide.

Hoffmann, M. (2016) ‘How is information valued? Evidence from framed field experiments’, , 126(595), pp. 1884–1911. doi:10.1111/ecoj.12401.
(Hoffmann, 2016)

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MLA style is the official style of the Modern Language Association, defined in the MLA Handbook (9th edition). It’s widely used across various humanities disciplines. Unlike most parenthetical citation styles, it’s author-page rather than author-date.

Davidson, Clare. “Reading in Bed with .” , vol. 55, no. 2, Apr. 2020, pp. 147–170. https://doi.org/10.5325/chaucerrev.55.2.0147.
(Davidson 155)

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The American Chemical Society (ACS) provides guidelines for a citation style using numbers in superscript or italics in the text, corresponding to entries in a numbered reference list at the end. It is used in chemistry.

ACS reference entry 1. Hutchinson, G.; Alamillo-Ferrer, C.; Fernández-Pascual, M.; Burés, J. Organocatalytic Enantioselective α-Bromination of Aldehydes with -Bromosuccinimide. , 87,   7968–7974.

The American Medical Association ( AMA ) provides guidelines for a numerical citation style using superscript numbers in the text, which correspond to entries in a numbered reference list. It is used in the field of medicine.

1. Jabro JD. Predicting saturated hydraulic conductivity from percolation test results in layered silt loam soils. . 2009;72(5):22–27.

CSE style includes multiple options for citing your sources, including the citation-name and citation-sequence systems. Your references are listed alphabetically in the citation-name system; in the citation-sequence system, they appear in the order in which you cited them.

CSE citation-sequence or citation-name reference entry 1. Nell CS, Mooney KA. Plant structural complexity mediates trade-off in direct and indirect plant defense by birds. Ecology. 2019;100(10):1–7.

The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers ( IEEE ) provides guidelines for citing your sources with IEEE in-text citations that consist of numbers enclosed in brackets, corresponding to entries in a numbered reference list. This style is used in various engineering and IT disciplines.

IEEE reference entry 1. J. Ive, A. Max, and F. Yvon, “Reassessing the proper place of man and machine in translation: A pre-translation scenario,” , vol. 32, no. 4, pp. 279–308, Dec. 2018, doi: 10.1007/s10590-018-9223-9.

The National Library of Medicine (NLM) citation style is defined in Citing Medicine: The NLM Style Guide for Authors, Editors, and Publishers (2nd edition).

NLM reference entry 1. Hage J, Valadez JJ. Institutionalizing and sustaining social change in health systems: the case of Uganda. Health Policy Plan. 2017 Nov;32(9):1248–55. doi:10.1093/heapol/czx066.

Vancouver style is also used in various medical disciplines. As with Harvard style, a lot of institutions and publications have their own versions of Vancouver—it doesn’t have one fixed style guide.

Vancouver reference entry 1. Bute M. A backstage sociologist: Autoethnography and a populist vision. Am Soc. 2016 Mar 23; 47(4):499–515. Available from: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12108-016-9307-z doi:10.1007/s12108-016-9307-z

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The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation is the main style guide for legal citations in the US. It’s widely used in law, and also when legal materials need to be cited in other disciplines.

Bluebook footnote citation David E. Pozen, , 165, U. P🇦​​​​​. L. R🇪🇻​​​​​​​​​​. 1097, 1115 (2017).

Chicago notes and bibliography

Chicago notes and bibliography is one of the two citation styles presented in the Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition). It’s used mainly in the humanities.

Best, Jeremy. “Godly, International, and Independent: German Protestant Missionary Loyalties before World War I.” 47, no. 3 (September 2014): 585–611. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0008938914001654.
1. Jeremy Best, “Godly, International, and Independent: German Protestant Missionary Loyalties before World War I,” 47, no. 3 (September 2014): 599. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0008938914001654.

The Oxford University Standard for the Citation of Legal Authorities ( OSCOLA ) is the main legal citation style in the UK (similar to Bluebook for the US).

OSCOLA footnote citation 1. Chris Thornhill, ‘The Mutation of International Law in Contemporary Constitutions: Thinking Sociologically about Political Constitutionalism’ [2016] MLR 207.

There are many different citation styles used across different academic disciplines, but they fall into three basic approaches to citation:

  • Parenthetical citations : Including identifying details of the source in parentheses —usually the author’s last name and the publication date, plus a page number if available ( author-date ). The publication date is occasionally omitted ( author-page ).
  • Numerical citations: Including a number in brackets or superscript, corresponding to an entry in your numbered reference list.
  • Note citations: Including a full citation in a footnote or endnote , which is indicated in the text with a superscript number or symbol.

Check if your university or course guidelines specify which citation style to use. If the choice is left up to you, consider which style is most commonly used in your field.

  • APA Style is the most popular citation style, widely used in the social and behavioral sciences.
  • MLA style is the second most popular, used mainly in the humanities.
  • Chicago notes and bibliography style is also popular in the humanities, especially history.
  • Chicago author-date style tends to be used in the sciences.

Other more specialized styles exist for certain fields, such as Bluebook and OSCOLA for law.

The most important thing is to choose one style and use it consistently throughout your text.

A scientific citation style is a system of source citation that is used in scientific disciplines. Some commonly used scientific citation styles are:

  • Chicago author-date , CSE , and Harvard , used across various sciences
  • ACS , used in chemistry
  • AMA , NLM , and Vancouver , used in medicine and related disciplines
  • AAA , APA , and ASA , commonly used in the social sciences

APA format is widely used by professionals, researchers, and students in the social and behavioral sciences, including fields like education, psychology, and business.

Be sure to check the guidelines of your university or the journal you want to be published in to double-check which style you should be using.

MLA Style  is the second most used citation style (after APA ). It is mainly used by students and researchers in humanities fields such as literature, languages, and philosophy.

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Caulfield, J. (2022, November 07). Citation Styles Guide | Examples for All Major Styles. Scribbr. Retrieved July 5, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/citing-sources/citation-styles/

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AMA citation generator

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Why do I have to cite?

How do i cite in ama, reference list, citation examples, additional formatting rules for specific elements in text and in the reference list.

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The ultimate guide to citing in AMA

AMA is a popular citation style. AMA stands for American Medical Association. The AMA Manual of Style is the official style guide defining the citation rules of AMA. It was first published in 1962 and specifies the writing and citation rules for use in the journals published by the American Medical Association. The AMA Manual of Style is written by the editors of JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association) and the JAMA Network journals, and is most recently published by Oxford University Press in its 11th edition.

The AMA style is widely used, not just by authors and editors in medicine and related health fields, but also by hundreds of other scientific journals, in many textbooks, and in academia. Together with APA and CSE style, it is one of the most common citation styles.

If you are not sure which citation style to use in your paper, ask your instructor. There are many different citation styles and using the style your instructor or institution has established correctly can have a positive impact on your grade.

The AMA Manual of Style has more than 1000 pages and is very complex. We have created the BibGuru AMA citation generator to help you focus on the content of your work instead of worrying about how to get your reference list done correctly. We believe that students should not waste their time entering data manually or lose points on incorrect bibliographies.

The AMA Manual of Style (11th edition) is the basis of this guide. Our AMA citation guides can help you with more specific citation examples for many different source types.

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I want to cite a ...

According to the AMA Manual of Style, references serve three primary purposes: documentation, acknowledgment, and directing the reader to additional resources.

  • Acknowledgment: The broad scientific knowledge we have today is the accomplishment of many researchers over time. To put your own contribution in context, it is important to cite the work of the researchers who influenced you. They might provide key background information, support or dispute your thesis, or offer important definitions and data.
  • Documentation: In addition to crediting the ideas of others that you used to build your own argument, you need to provide documentation for all facts and figures that were created by others and are not common knowledge. Common knowledge is knowledge that is known by everyone, or nearly everyone, and can basically concern any subject.
  • Directing the reader to additional sources: By referencing works in your paper, you can direct readers to more detailed, or additional, sources about a specific topic.

The AMA style uses superscript arabic numerals for in-text citations, e.g. 1 . References are numbered in consecutive order. The superscript number is inserted into the document immediately after the part being cited. If more than one reference is cited at the same point, separate the numbers with commas, but without spaces in between. Insert the superscript number:

EXAMPLE Immediately next to the fact, idea, or quotation being cited

The study included 20 patients. 1

EXAMPLE Outside periods and commas

While this was observed on multiple occasions, 2,3,4 it cannot be said with certainty that it is true.

EXAMPLE Inside colons and semi-colons

Study A pointed to no correlation 5 ; study B reframed the whole concept. 6

When you cite more than 2 references at a given place in your paper, use hyphens to join the first and last numbers of a closed series and use commas without spaces to separate other parts of a multi-part citation:

EXAMPLE Multiple references at a given place

As indicated previously, 1,5-8,20,23

Include a reference list (named “References”) with full citations at the end of your document. Your reference list must be in numerical order to reflect the order of your in-text citations. The general citation order in AMA for your reference list is:

  • Author's last name,
  • Author's first & middle initials.
  • Title in sentence case. Journal Title in Title Case.
  • Year; volume(Issue#): PP-PP.

AMA explainer image

An example of an AMA reference page made with BibGuru's AMA citation generator :

ama page example image

  • Journal Articles

A complete reference of a journal article would look like this:

  • Author’s surnames and initials
  • Title of article and subtitle, if any
  • Abbreviated name of journal (italicized)
  • Year (or online publication date [month and day, year] if article is published online first and has not appeared in a paginated issue yet or is published in an online-only journal)
  • Volume number
  • Issue number (in parentheses)
  • Part or supplement number, if relevant
  • Location (page[s] or e-locator)
  • DOI (if available)

Examples of Journal article citations:

EXAMPLE Journal article with a DOI

1. Warren R, Price J, Graham E, Forstenhaeusler N, VanDerWal J. The projected effect on insects, vertebrates, and plants of limiting global warming to 1.5°C rather than 2°C. Science . 2018;360(6390):791-795. doi:10.1126/science.aar3646

EXAMPLE Journal article with a DOI, 21 or more authors

2. Lindblad-Toh K, Garber M, Zuk O, et al. A high-resolution map of human evolutionary constraint using 29 mammals. Nature . 2011;478(7370):476-482. doi:10.1038/nature10530

A complete reference of a book would look like this:

  • Chapter authors’ surnames and initials
  • Chapter title (when cited)
  • Book authors’ and/or editors’ (and translator, if any) surnames and initials
  • Title of book and subtitle, if any
  • Volume number and volume title, when there is more than 1 volume
  • Edition number (do not indicate first edition)
  • Name of publisher
  • Year of copyright
  • Page numbers, when specific pages are cited

Examples of book citations:

EXAMPLE Entire book

Gabriele M, Perry DM. The Bright Ages: A New History of Medieval Europe . Harper; 2022.

EXAMPLE A book with 4 editors

Higonnet MR, Jenson J, Michel S, Weitz MC, eds. Behind the Lines: Gender and the Two World Wars . New Haven, CT: Yale UP; 1987.

EXAMPLE A book with a volume number

Kasper DL, Fauci AS, Hauser S, Longo D, Jameson JL, Loscalzo J. Harrison’s Principles of Internal Medicine , Vol 2. McGraw-Hill Professional; 2015.

The following elements are included in a complete website reference:

  • Authors’ surnames and initials, if given
  • Title of the specific cited item (if none is given, use the name of the organization responsible for the site)
  • Name of the website
  • [Date published]
  • Updated [date]
  • Accessed [date]

EXAMPLE Website citation

5. France-Presse A. Child labour worldwide increases for first time in 20 years.  The Guardian . http://www.theguardian.com/law/2021/jun/10/child-labour-worldwide-increases-for-first-time-in-20-years. Published June 10, 2021. Accessed February 4, 2022.

A thesis reference should include the name of the institution and the year that the thesis was completed. If a thesis has been published, it should be treated as a book reference.

EXAMPLE Unpublished Master’s thesis

6. Eid H.  The anti-cancer effect of scorpion venom. Unpublished master’s thesis. Modern Sciences and Arts University; 2017.

EXAMPLE YouTube video

7. Bialik, M. The Life Changing Magic of Detective Pikachu . YouTube. 2019. Accessed August 5, 2019. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97KJhK-9yvc

The AMA Manual of Style provides examples for a multitude of reference types, including government or agency reports, patents, all kinds of electronic references, and multimedia. BibGuru’s free AMA citation generator helps you create the fastest and most accurate AMA citations possible for all kinds of source types. Try it out here and get your citation with just a few clicks.

How to use Bibguru for AMA citations

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When formatting the author element in the Reference list, the AMA Manual of Style provides the following guidelines:

  • use the author’s surname followed by initials without periods
  • the names of all authors should be given unless there are more than 6, in which case the names of the first 3 authors are used, followed by “et al.”
  • do not use and between names
Number of AuthorsCitation
1 AuthorHuber HC.
2 AuthorsHuber HC, Ryan G.
6 AuthorsHuber HC, Ryan G, Myer JL Jr, Jordan RT, James GT Sr, Kyle M.
>6 AuthorsHuber HC, Ryan G, Myer JL Jr, et al.
GroupMichigan Center Study Group.

When mentioned in the text, only surnames of authors are used. When referencing 2 authors, list both surnames. When referencing more than 2 authors, only list the first author’s surname followed by “et al,” “and coauthors”, or “and colleagues”.

EXAMPLE In-text citation with one author

Huber 5 reported on the survey.

EXAMPLE In-text citation with more than 2 authors

Huber et al 6 reported on the survey.

Titles of articles, books, and other material should always retain the spelling, abbreviations, and style for numbers used in the original. In journal articles and parts of books , capitalize only:

  • the first letter of the first word
  • proper names
  • names of clinical trials or study groups
  • abbreviations that are ordinarily capitalized (e.g. DNA)

When citing books, government bulletins, documents, and pamphlets , italicize their titles and capitalize the first letter of each major word.

Non-English language titles may be cited as they originally appeared, without translation.

EXAMPLE Example (German original language citation)

1. Hille-Rehfeld A. Körpereigenes Virostatikum mit archaischen Wurzeln: Molekularbiologie. Chem Unserer Zeit . 2021;55(4):222-223. doi:10.1002/ciuz.202110014

Citation format

Make sure to always include the last name and first and middle initial of the authors without punctuation. Use a comma to separate more than one author in a single bibliographic group (e.g. Silvera A, Albertalli B). Each reference is divided with periods into bibliographic groups. Each bibliographic group contains bibliographic elements, which may be separated using the following punctuation marks:

  • Comma: if the items are closely related or sub-elements of a bibliographic element (e.g. authors' names)
  • Semicolon: if the elements in the bibliographic group are different (e.g. between publisher's name and copyright year), before volume identification data, if there are multiple occurrences of logically related elements within a group
  • Colon: after a connective phrase, before the publisher's name, between title and subtitle

While all the specific rules of the AMA citation style might sound very complicated, you don't need to worry about getting them wrong with BibGuru. Use our AMA citation generator above to create the fastest and most accurate AMA citations possible. If you want to know more about AMA citations check out our AMA citation guides to get detailed information on the various publication types.

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University Guides on AMA styles

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  • University of New England
  • Medical College of Wisconsin

Yes, AMA style requires the use of the standard National Library of Medicine [NLM] abbreviations for all journal titles. All abbreviations for medical journals can be found in the NLM Catalog .

The 11th edition of the AMA Manual of style was released on March 2020. Therefore, this version is the most recent and updated version of AMA that can be used in 2022.

In our AMA citation style guide you can find reference examples of books, journal articles to patents and websites.

Honestly, the references section of the AMA Manual of Style is very complex. However, AMA style is easy to adopt with the help of BibGuru. Our simple and intuitive interface allows you to create references fast, without having to worry about making mistakes.

The JAMA network of editors are the creators of the official guidelines of AMA style. The About the Authors section of their website lists all names and descriptions of the manual's authors.

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    For additional information on AMA Style or for source types not included in this guide, you can look at the online AMA Manual of Style. In AMA, when you are referencing material in the body of your text: References should be cited using superscript Arabic numerals (e.g. 1) References should be cited in the order they appear in the text, figures ...

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