LibGuides: Citation Styles &amp; Evaluation Guides: AMA 11 (AMA Manual of Style)

AMA 11 Updates & Video

Updates

The Reference List

AMA Citation uses a NUMBERED Reference List
The Reference List is NOT Alphabetized
References are numbered consecutively in the order that they are cited in the text of the paper
- For example, the first item in the Reference List should be 1. This should also be the first item cited in the paper.

AMA 11 How to...

General Guidelines for an AMA Paper

The AMA Manual of Style provides no specific preferences for font style or size; however, the following are good standards for a college-level paper
Font: 12-Point Times New Roman is mentioned for easy readability
Double spaced
1" margins
Title Page:
In center: Title of Paper, Name, College, Course # and Name, Instructor, Due Date
Page numbers in upper right corner
Section headings
References List (numbered, not alphabetical)
NOTE: A DOI (digital object identifier) is preferred over URL. If you use the DOI, you should NOT include the URL or date accessed.
NOTE: If there is no date, put "date unknown" in place of the year
NOTE: To ensure you are following assignment guidelines, check with your professor.

The abstract and 3-10 key words should be included on the title page following the title, author and institution information.

Most often, you will be writing a literature review or reporting original data, and therefore will use a structured abstract, limited to 250 words, that uses predetermined headings.

The AMA handbook recommends use of the following:

Context
Evidence acquisition
Results
Conclusions

However, this is a common variation asked for by professors:

Objectives
Methodology and/or Research Design
Results (often reported quantitatively when appropriate)
Conclusions

Example:

Objective: To investigate the effect of music therapy on overall recovery time in pediatric patients post-operation. Methods: We used data collected from previous literature to compare recovery times in the population of interest. Results: Review of literature revealed a weak, negative correlation between exposure to music therapy and length of stay in recovery. Conclusion: While there appears to be a correlation between specialist administered music therapy and shorter recovery times in post-operation patients, more research is needed to objectively define any benefits such therapy can have in a pediatric population.

Key Words: music therapy, auditory therapy, pediatrics, post-operation recovery, length of stay.

Headings

AMA does not outline specifics requirements for typeface (e.g. boldface, italicized) or alignment (e.g centered, left-justified) of headings; as long as they are consistent within the paper and distinguishable from each other they will be acceptable.

Therefore:

Level 1 headings
- May be centered or left-justified on the line above the text
- May be bolded or not
Level 2 headings
- Left-justified above the text or at the beginning of the text on the same line
- May be bolded, italicized, or not
Level 3 headings
- Left-justified above the text or at the beginning of the text on the same line
- May be bolded, italicized, or not

Text

The main sections in an AMA literature review are often the same as those found in an APA paper (Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion, etc.).

Introduction

This is where your background information goes. After informing the reader about your topic, this section should also present your research question and reason for your research. Include information about why this research is important and/or why it’s a problem, as well as how it ties to previous research in the field.

Methods

This section details how you conducted your research. You should outline databases (e.g., Ebsco Host, PubMed, etc.) filters (e.g., academic/peer-reviewed sources, date limitations, etc.), and keywords used in your searches and describe trends in the outcomes of these searches. This is also the section in which you should describe and justify your inclusion and exclusion criteria – i.e., the details of a study’s publication, design, or population that either allow it to be included or excluded from your research (e.g., “only studies published after 2005 were included” or “studies including participants over the age of 16 years were not considered”).

Results

In a report of original data, this section will most often summarize the collected data and include tables and figures used to analyze the results. If you are reporting on original research or quantitative data, this section will not provide any commentary or analysis of the results’ significance. In a literature review, this section will summarize and synthesize the major results and conclusions of the reviewed literature. It will often be structured with subheadings that organize your analysis by topic (e.g. “Music Therapy in Neurosurgery Recovery” or “Music Therapy in Addition to Pain Management via Pharmaceuticals”).

Discussion

The interpretation of your results goes here. Possible biases and/or weaknesses of the study or studies may be discussed, such as how sample demographics, study design, or reporting methods may have biased the results to a particular conclusion. You should also identify any gaps in the literature that may lead to potential for future research. In addition to this, your discussion section should describe the significance of your research to the greater body of knowledge or its role in solving the presented problem.

References

The heading for this section should be “References,” bolded and left-justified at the top of the next page. The references should then be numbered down the page in the order they appear in the text. References should not be double-spaced.

AMA 11 Citation Examples

Basic Format Use Superscript numbers to show which Reference source is used. Superscript numbers go AFTER periods and commas. Superscript numbers go BEFORE colons and semicolons. Example with a period: Citing sources is difficult.¹ Example with a semicolon: Citing sources is difficult¹; if you follow the rules, it is easier.
Citing Two or More Sources Sequentially If using two or more sources that are sequential in reference number, type the range with a hyphen between the numbers. Example: It should be noted that proper usage of citations is crucial.^1-3
Citing Two or More Sources Non-Sequentially If using two or more sources that are non-sequential in reference number, place a comma without spaces between each number. Example: It should be noted that proper usage of citations is crucial and helpful to the reader.^1-3,5
Citing Within a Sentence If citing within a sentence, type the superscript number(s) after the word you wish to cite. Use the rules listed above for typing superscript numbers. Example: Citations are academically honest² and useful when proving^3-4 your point.
Citing an Author or Multiple Authors If citing one author, only use the last name followed by the superscript Example: Jones¹stated that citation is necessary for publication. If citing two authors, use the last names of both authors and place the superscript at the end of the second author's name Example: Jones and Smith² reported that publishing academic papers is difficult. If citing more than two authors, use the first author's last name and "et al." The superscript goes at the end of et al Example: Jones et al³ noted that sometimes three can be a crowd.
Citing the Same Source with Different Page If you need to cite the same source but using different pages throughout the paper, use the original Reference List number superscript with page number(s) listed in the superscript Examples: Original source 1: Winters¹ Original source 1 using page 21: Winters^1(p21) Original source 1 using page numbers 21-24: Winters^1(pp21-24) Original source 1 using page numbers 21-24 AND sources 9 and 10 from the Reference List: Winters^{1(pp21-24),9,10}

Minimal Acceptable Data for References AMA has different citation templates for different formats of References Journal Article vs. Book vs. Website AMA calls these templates "Minimal Acceptable Data for References" Journal Articles Print Author(s). Article title. Abbreviated Journal Name. Year;volume(Issue number):inclusive pages. DOI (if provided) Online Author(s). Article title. Abbreviated Journal Name. Publication date. DOI (if provided) Books Print Author(s). Book Title. Edition number (if it is the second edition or later). Publisher's name; copyright year. Online (eBook) Author(s). Book Title. Edition number (if it is the second edition or later). Publisher's name; copyright year. Accessed [date]. URL. (or DOI, if provided). Website Author (if no author is available, use the name of the organization responsible for the site). Title (if no title is available, the name of the organization responsible for the site). Name of the website. Published [date]. Updated [date]. Accessed [date]. URL. *A DOI is always preferred if provided. Do not use a period after a DOI (this might alter the accuracy of the DOI)
Authors Authors are listed by Last Name First Initial There are no commas between Last Name and First Initial John Smith would be written as Smith J. For 2-6 authors, list all authors as above without using "and" in the string of names and placing a comma between authors For more than 6 authors, list the first 3 authors and follow with "et al" (not in quotations) For example, here is an article with 8 authors, list the authors as: Smith J, Michaels M, Jones P, et al. If no author is listed, use the article title or book title as the author
Reference Item Titles (Article titles and Book chapters) For Journal Article titles: Do not italicize or place in quotations Only capitalize the first letter of the first word and any words that are normally capitalized Also capitalize the first letter of the first word of a subtitle Example: Anatomy of the arm shows little ability to survive extreme cold: A literature review. The "A" in Anatomy and the "A" of the subtitle are capitalized For Book Chapter titles: Use the same rules as Journal Article titles above
Reference Format Titles (Journal Titles and Book Titles) Reference format titles, such as the title of an academic journal, are treated differently in AMA than other citation styles Academic Journals: Capitalize the first letter of each word EXCEPT: articles, prepositions of 3 or fewer letters (as, of, per) Abbreviate the Journal Title This National Center for Biotechnology Information NLM Catalog database provides official journal abbreviations Books, Government Bulletins, Documents, and Pamphlets: Capitalize the first letter of each major word EXCEPT: articles, prepositions of 3 or fewer letters (as, of, per) The title is in italics

Entire Print Book Necessary information (supply what is listed and appropriate for your paper): Chapter authors' last names and first initial. Chapter title (when cited). Book authors' and/or editors' names. Title of book and subtitle, if any. Volume number and volume title when there is more than 1 volume. Edition number (do not include first edition). Name of Publisher. Year of Copyright. Page numbers, when specific page numbers are cited. Example: Smith J, Johnson C. Pediatric Health. American Academy of Pediatrics; 2020. Example: Jones P, ed. Principles of Allergy Awareness: A New Theory. International Academy of Allergy Specialists; 2019.
Chapter in a Print Book Necessary information: Chapter authors' last names and first names. Chapter title (capitalize only first letter of first word and any word normally capitalized). In: Authors' or Editors' last names and first names. Book Title in Italics (capitalize first letter of each major word). Publisher; Year Published:Chapter pages (no space between colon:pages). Example: King J, Rowan K, Desmond T, et al. Measuring acute disorders within a parrot's feather. In: Philop J, Romand R, Jacob T, eds. The Accounting of Parrot Disorders. American Parrot Society Publishing; 2020:189-222. Note: King, Rowan, Desmond et al wrote the chapter Measuring acute disorders within a parrot's feather that is in the larger work The Accounting of Parrot Disorders edited by Philop and Romand.
Print Book With Editors and/or Translators Example: Plato. The Laws. Taylor EA, trans-ed. JM Dent & Sons Ltd; 1934:104-105. Note: Plato is the original author, Taylor is the translator and editor of this work. Example: Bluementer R. Photodynamics of a light emission in space. In: Johnson L, ed. Chadmore K, Knoll B, associate eds. The Way of Light in the Universe. 10th ed. McGraw-Hill Education; 2021:44-89. Note: Bluementer is the author of the chapter in the book The Way of Light in the Universe that was edited by Johnson with associate editors Chadmore and Knoll.
Ebook Necessary Information: Authors' Surnames and initials. Chapter title (if only citing chapter, if entire book, do not include chapter information), In: Editor's. Book title (in italics). Edition number (if not 1st edition). Book medium (format). Publisher's name; Copyright year or publication date: Chapter number (or inclusive pages used). Accessed (date). URL. Example: McDonald R. Gait and balance disorders. In: Kasper D, Fauci M, Losin R, eds. Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine, 19th ed. McGraw-Hill; 2015: chap 32. Accessed February 10, 2022, http://scienceisawesome.gov.
Ebook for E-readers and Audiobooks E-reader Example: Skloot R. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. Kindle e-book. Random House; 2010: chap 31. Audiobook Example: Skloot R. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. Audiobook. Random House Audio; 2010: chap 31.

Journal Article (Print or Digital from a Database) Necessary Information: Last name First initial. Title of article and subtitle. Abbreviated name of journal. Year OR month day, year. Volume number. Issue number. Location (pages or e-locator). DOI (if supplied). Example: Roksa J. What can you do with that degree? College major and occupational status of college graduates over time. JAMA Pediatr. 2019;89(2):389-415. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1353/sof.2019.0085 Note: Only the journal title is italicized. There are no spaces between the year;volume(issue):page numbers. Note: If the article has a DOI, add the DOI to the end of the citation. Note: List all authors (up to 6) in your citation. See example below.
Journal Article (Print or Digital from a Database) with No Author Necessary Information: Title of article and subtitle. Abbreviated name of journal. Year OR month day, year. Volume number. Issue number. Location (pages or e-locator). DOI (if supplied). Example: What can you do with that degree? College major and occupational status of college graduates over time. JAMA Pediatr. 2019;89(2):389-415. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1353/sof.2019.0085
Journal Article (Print or Digital from a Database) with 2-6 (or more) Authors Necessary Information: Last name First initial, second author last name second author first initial. Title of article and subtitle. Abbreviated name of journal. Year OR month day, year. Volume number. Issue number. Location (pages or e-locator). DOI (if supplied). Example for 2-6 authors (3 authors in this example): Roksa J, Smith R, Jones P. What can you do with that degree? College major and occupational status of college graduates over time. JAMA Pediatr. 2019;89(2):389-415. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1353/sof.2019.0085 Note: If 2-6 authors, list all authors without using "and" in the string of author names. Example for 6 or more authors: Roksa J, Smith R, Jones P, et al. What can you do with that degree? College major and occupational status of college graduates over time. JAMA Pediatr. 2019;89(2):389-415. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1353/sof.2019.0085 Note: If more than 6 authors, list the first 3 authors followed by "et al" (not in quotations).

Website Necessary Information: Author's surname and initials. Title of specific item cited (if none provided, use the name of the organization responsible for the site). Name of the website. Date published. Updated date. Accessed date. URL. Example: Zika travel information. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. January 26, 2016. Updated December 3, 2021. Accessed January 16, 2022. https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/pages/zika-travel-information
Blog Post Example: Gray T. Advice after mischief is like medicine after death. AMA Style Insider blog. February 11, 2022. Accessed March 18, 2022. https://amastyleinsider.com/2022/02/11/advice-after-mischielf-is-like-medicine-after-death/
Film or Video Example of online video: Smith R. Evidence-Based Medicine: An Oral History. The JAMA Network and the BMJ. 2018. Accessed January 22, 2022. https://ebm.jamanetwork.com Example of video on DVD: Moyers B. On Our Own Terms: Moyers on Dying. DVD Thirteen/WNET; 2000. https:billmoyers.com/series/on-our-own-terms-moyers-on-dying/
YouTube VIdeo Example: Khan Academy health and medicine YouTube page. Accessed February 10, 2022. https://www.youtube.com/user/khanacademymedicine

Photograph Author(s). Title of specific item cited (or, if unavailable, give the name of the organization responsible for the site). Name of Web Site. URL. Publication date. Updated date. Accessed date. Example: Smith D. Arizona Community College Library. Arizona Community College. Published February 2, 2019. Accessed March 4, 2022. http://edu/library. *Note: You will cite a photograph like a website.
PowerPoint Slides Example: Vasquez A. Why students should care about research. PowerPoint presented at: class session; March 10, 2022; Arizona Community College, Phoenix, AZ.