ama-style

name	ama-style
category	publication
discipline	medical
description	AMA Manual of Style citation and formatting rules for medical journals

AMA Style (11th Edition)

Citation and formatting rules based on the AMA Manual of Style, 11th Edition. Used by JAMA, JAMA Network journals, and many other medical journals.

When to Use

• When the target journal specifies AMA citation style
• When submitting to JAMA or JAMA Network Open
• When the journal instructions reference "AMA Manual of Style"
• As the default style for medical manuscripts when no specific style is required

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Protocol

1. In-Text Citations

• Use superscript Arabic numerals placed after punctuation (periods, commas)
• Number references sequentially in the order they first appear in the text
• Place citation numbers outside periods and commas, inside colons and semicolons
• Multiple citations: use commas with no spaces (e.g., 1,2) or hyphens for ranges (e.g., 1-3)
• Do not use citation numbers as nouns (write "Smith et al1 reported" not "Reference 1 reported")

Examples:

Recent studies have demonstrated significant improvement in outcomes.1
Several trials have confirmed this finding.2-4
As reported by Smith et al,5 the intervention was effective.
These results are consistent with prior work1,3,7 in the field.

2. Reference List Format

References are listed numerically at the end of the manuscript in the order cited.

2.1 Author Names

• Format: Last name followed by initials (no periods, no spaces between initials)
• Multiple authors: separate with commas
• Up to 6 authors: list all
• 7 or more authors: list the first 3, then "et al"
• Do not use "and" before the last author

Examples:

Smith JA, Jones BR, Williams CD.
Smith JA, Jones BR, Williams CD, et al.

2.2 Journal Article

Format:

Author(s). Title of article. Abbreviated Journal Name. Year;Volume(Issue):Pages. doi:

Rules:

• Article title: sentence case (capitalize only the first word and proper nouns)
• Journal name: use NLM catalog abbreviations (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/nlmcatalog/)
• No italics for journal names
• Year, volume, issue, and pages follow specific punctuation
• Include DOI when available (no period after DOI)

Example -- fewer than 7 authors:

1. Yusuf S, Zhao F, Mehta SR, Chrolavicius S, Tognoni G, Fox KK. Effects of clopidogrel
   in addition to aspirin in patients with acute coronary syndromes without ST-segment
   elevation. N Engl J Med. 2001;345(7):494-502. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa010746

Example -- 7 or more authors:

2. Mozaffarian D, Benjamin EJ, Go AS, et al. Heart disease and stroke statistics--2015
   update: a report from the American Heart Association. Circulation. 2015;131(4):e29-e322.
   doi:10.1161/CIR.0000000000000152

Example -- online ahead of print:

3. Smith JA, Jones BR. Novel biomarker for early detection. JAMA Oncol. Published online
   March 15, 2024. doi:10.1001/jamaoncol.2024.0123

2.3 Book

Format:

Author(s). Title of Book. Edition [if not first]. Publisher; Year.

Example:

4. Kasper DL, Fauci AS, Hauser SL, Longo DL, Jameson JL, Loscalzo J. Harrison's
   Principles of Internal Medicine. 19th ed. McGraw-Hill Education; 2015.

2.4 Book Chapter

Format:

Author(s) of chapter. Title of chapter. In: Editor(s), ed(s). Title of Book. Edition.
Publisher; Year:Pages.

Example:

5. Blendon RJ, Benson JM. Public opinion and health policy. In: Mechanic D, Rogut LB,
   Colby DC, Knickman JR, eds. Policy Challenges in Modern Health Care. Rutgers University
   Press; 2005:45-54.

2.5 Website / Online Source

Format:

Author(s) or Organization. Title of page. Name of website. Published/Updated date.
Accessed date. URL

Example:

6. World Health Organization. WHO coronavirus (COVID-19) dashboard. World Health
   Organization. Accessed January 15, 2024. https://covid19.who.int/

Example -- no author:

7. Diabetes basics. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Updated November 3, 2023.
   Accessed January 10, 2024. https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/basics/

2.6 Preprint

Format:

Author(s). Title. Preprint. Posted date. Server Name. doi:

Example:

8. Doe JA, Smith BR. A novel approach to RNA sequencing analysis. Preprint. Posted
   June 12, 2024. medRxiv. doi:10.1101/2024.06.12.24308841

2.7 Government / Agency Report

Format:

Organization. Title of Report. Publication number (if applicable). Publisher; Year.

Example:

9. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. National Healthcare Quality and Disparities
   Report. AHRQ Publication No. 23-0054. US Department of Health and Human Services; 2023.

3. Journal Name Abbreviations

• Use the NLM (National Library of Medicine) catalog for official abbreviations
• Common abbreviations:

Full Name	Abbreviation
New England Journal of Medicine	N Engl J Med
Journal of the American Medical Association	JAMA
The Lancet	Lancet
British Medical Journal	BMJ
Annals of Internal Medicine	Ann Intern Med
Circulation	Circulation
The American Journal of Medicine	Am J Med
Archives of Internal Medicine	Arch Intern Med
Journal of Clinical Oncology	J Clin Oncol
Pediatrics	Pediatrics

• Look up abbreviations at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/nlmcatalog/

4. Tables and Figures

4.1 Tables

• Number consecutively: Table 1, Table 2, etc.
• Title: placed above the table, sentence case, concise
• Column headings: capitalize first word; include units in parentheses
• Use horizontal rules only (top, bottom, and below column headings)
• Abbreviations: define in footnotes below the table
• Footnote symbols: use superscript lowercase letters (a, b, c) in order
• P values: report exact values (P = .03), use "< .001" rather than "< .05"
• Data: align decimal points within columns

4.2 Figures

• Number consecutively: Figure 1, Figure 2, etc.
• Legend: placed below the figure, begins with "Figure N." in bold
• Define all abbreviations and symbols in the legend
• Indicate statistical significance in the legend
• Resolution: minimum 300 dpi for print
• Format: TIFF or EPS preferred; JPEG acceptable for photographs

5. Manuscript Formatting

• Numbers: spell out numbers zero through nine; use numerals for 10 and above (exceptions: measurements, statistics, and ages always use numerals)
• Abbreviations: define at first use; do not abbreviate in titles
• Drug names: use generic names (not brand names) in lowercase
• P values: use uppercase italic P (e.g., P = .03; P < .001); no leading zero
• Confidence intervals: "95% CI, 1.2-3.4" (use comma after CI, hyphen for range)
• Units: use SI units; include conventional units in parentheses if needed

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Checklist

Citations

• Superscript Arabic numerals used for in-text citations
• Citations numbered sequentially in order of first appearance
• Citation numbers placed after punctuation (except colons/semicolons)
• Multiple citations use commas (no spaces) or hyphens for ranges

References

• References numbered to match in-text citations
• Author names formatted correctly (LastName Initials, no periods)
• Three or fewer authors listed when seven or more exist, followed by "et al"
• Article titles in sentence case
• Journal names abbreviated per NLM catalog
• DOIs included for all references that have them
• No period after DOI
• All references cited in text; no orphan references

Formatting

• Tables numbered consecutively with titles above
• Figures numbered consecutively with legends below
• Abbreviations defined at first use
• P values formatted as uppercase italic P with no leading zero
• Generic drug names used throughout
• SI units used

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References

• Christiansen S, Iverson C, Flanagin A, et al. AMA Manual of Style: A Guide for Authors and Editors. 11th ed. Oxford University Press; 2020.
• National Library of Medicine. NLM Catalog. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/nlmcatalog/
• International Committee of Medical Journal Editors. Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing, and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals. Updated 2023. http://www.icmje.org/recommendations/