ama style for dissertation

Citation guides

All you need to know about citations

How to cite a dissertation in AMA

To cite a dissertation in a reference entry in AMA style 11st edition include the following elements:

• Author(s) of the thesis: Give the last name, and initials of up to six authors (e.g. Watson J). For more authors only the first three are listed, followed by et al.
• Title of the dissertation: Italicize the title and capitalize the first letter of each major word.
• Location: Give the name of the city in which the publishing entity was located at the time of publication.
• Name of the degree awarding institution: Give the name of the institution.
• Year of publication: Give the year of publication.

Here is the basic format for a reference list entry of a dissertation in AMA style 11st edition:

Author(s) of the thesis . Title of the dissertation . [Dissertation]. Location : Name of the degree awarding institution ; Year of publication .

Take a look at our reference list examples that demonstrate the AMA style guidelines in action:

A doctoral dissertation with one author

Guo J . Trust-based Service Management of Internet of Things Systems and Its Applications . [ Doctoral dissertation ]. Blacksburg, VA : Virginia Tech ; 2018 .

Neel BL . Three Flute Chamber Works by Alberto Ginastera: Intertwining Elements of Art and Folk Music [ Doctoral dissertation ]. Lincoln, NE : University of Nebraska-Lincoln ; 2017 .

This citation style guide is based on the AMA Manual of Style (11 th edition).

More useful guides

• Citation Help for AMA: Master's Thesis or Project
• AMA Manual of Style: Theses and Dissertations

More great BibGuru guides

• AMA: how to cite a master's thesis
• AMA: how to cite websites
• MLA: how to cite an undergraduate thesis

Automatic citations in seconds

Citation generators

Alternative to.

• NoodleTools
• Getting started

From our blog

• 📚 How to write a book report
• 📝 APA Running Head
• 📑 How to study for a test

• Joyner Library
• Laupus Health Sciences Library
• Music Library
• Digital Collections
• Special Collections
• North Carolina Collection
• Teaching Resources
• The ScholarShip Institutional Repository
• Country Doctor Museum

AMA Citation Style 11th Edition Guide

• 10th vs. 11th AMA Editions
• In-Text Citation/Reference List
• Book With Author/Editor
• Chapter in Book
• Electronic Books
• Journal articles
• Pre-Print/Repository
• Common Drug/Medical Databases
• Clinical Trial Registries
• Package Inserts
• Government Publications
• Social Media
• Software packages/Data sets
• Thesis and Dissertation
• Conference Proceedings
• Getting Help

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 

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.

• << Previous: Other Sources
• Next: Conference Proceedings >>
• Last Updated: Mar 20, 2023 8:11 AM
• URL: https://libguides.ecu.edu/ama11

AMA 11th Referencing Guide

• AMA: Getting Started
• Authors - numbers, rules and formatting
• Boxes, Tables and Figures
• Sample reference list
• Journal article
• Cochrane Review
• Conference paper
• Book chapter
• Pharmacopoeia, encyclopedia & dictionary entries

Theses and dissertations

• Lecture notes and class handouts
• Pharmacopoeia, encyclopedia & dictionary entries
• ABS and AIHW
• Drug Databases, etc
• Images, figures, tables
• Legislation
• Software and AI
• Long quote?
• I need to use page numbers?
• There is more than one author
• The article is "in press"?
• I don't know the journal abbreviation?
• The URL is really long. Can I shorten it?
• No volume or issue number?
• Other Guides
• AMA and EndNote
• Help and Training

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/
• << Previous: Pharmacopoeia, encyclopedia & dictionary entries
• Next: Lecture notes and class handouts >>
• Last Updated: Apr 2, 2024 11:56 AM
• URL: https://libguides.jcu.edu.au/ama

AMA Style - 11th Edition

• AMA: Getting Started
• Title Page & Formatting
• Authors - numbers, rules and formatting
• Sample reference list
• In-Text Citations
• How Do I Cite...
• Additional Resources

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)

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

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

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

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 shows multiple adhesive dressings used together. Own work.

Pharmacopoeia, Encyclopedias & Dictionary Entries

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

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.
• << Previous: In-Text Citations
• Next: RefWorks >>
• Last Updated: Mar 11, 2024 2:19 PM
• URL: https://libguides.unco.edu/ama11

• UNC Libraries
• HSL Academic Process
• AMA Style Guide

AMA Style Guide: Home

Created by health science librarians.

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:

• 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:

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:

• 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:

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:

• 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:

• 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:

• 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:

• 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:

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:

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:

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:

Formatted mobile app reference example:.

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

Drug Database Reference Components:

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:

Formatted package insert example:.

Lamictal. Package insert. GlaxoSmithKline; 2009.

Conference Presentation Reference Components:

• 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:

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:

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.

• Next: Reference Managers >>
• Last Updated: Mar 28, 2024 1:02 PM
• URL: https://guides.lib.unc.edu/AMA

Search & Find

• E-Research by Discipline
• More Search & Find

Places & Spaces

• Places to Study
• Book a Study Room
• Printers, Scanners, & Computers
• More Places & Spaces
• Borrowing & Circulation
• Request a Title for Purchase
• Schedule Instruction Session
• More Services

Support & Guides

• Course Reserves
• Research Guides
• Citing & Writing
• More Support & Guides
• Mission Statement
• Diversity Statement
• Staff Directory
• Job Opportunities
• Give to the Libraries
• News & Exhibits
• Reckoning Initiative
• More About Us

• Search This Site
• Privacy Policy
• Accessibility
• Give Us Your Feedback
• 208 Raleigh Street CB #3916
• Chapel Hill, NC 27515-8890
• 919-962-1053

Purdue Online Writing Lab Purdue OWL® College of Liberal Arts

Welcome to the Purdue OWL

This page is brought to you by the OWL at Purdue University. When printing this page, you must include the entire legal notice.

Copyright ©1995-2018 by The Writing Lab & The OWL at Purdue and Purdue University. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, reproduced, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our terms and conditions of fair use.

These resources provide guidance on how to cite sources in the text and on a reference list using American Medical Association (AMA) Manual of Style, 11th Ed., including examples for print and electronic sources. AMA was developed by the American Medical Association for the purpose of writing medical research.

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.

• How to Use AMA Style
• Web & Social Media
• Other Source Types
• Using Zotero for Citing & References
• Books at Milner
• Why Cite Overview
• Looking for APA, MLA, etc.?

Guidelines for the American Medical Association (AMA) Style

We use citations and reference lists to guide the reader/viewer/audience to the sources used to create our paper, video, presentation, etc. It is common for individuals who want to learn more about a topic to use the sources in a reference list. Citing is a recognition of other people's work.

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 and related health science fields.

Basic Reference Structure

AMA Style references should contain at least these four base elements:

• author/creator name (who wrote, made, produced, filmed, etc.)
• title of the work
• date of publication (when was the item published, made, produced, filmed, etc.)
• publication information (publishing company information, edition, volume and issue numbers, online location)

The source format and type impacts what is and isn't included in the reference. Consult the Example pages for specific formatting of in-text citations and references.

Formatting Your Paper

Using a specific style is not just in-text citing and a list of references. It also includes the formatting of your paper. While AMA does not provide a specific paper formatting structure, use these general guidelines as a starting point. If you are formatting your thesis or dissertation, contact the Graduate School to discuss alternative's to the School's required templates .

• 1-inch margins on all sides
• Double spacing of all text on all pages, including the References list.
• Each paragraph begins with a First Line indent of .5 inches.
• References are a numbered list in the order they were cited. Do not use a Hanging indent.
• Font should be a serif font like Times New Roman, and set to 12pt.
• Page numbers in the upper right corner on each page, accompanied by your last name.

Note: If your professor provides alternative formatting, follow their guidelines.

Ask a Milner Librarian

• << Previous: Home
• Next: Examples >>
• Last Updated: Jul 18, 2023 2:24 PM
• URL: https://guides.library.illinoisstate.edu/ama

Additional Links

• Directions and Parking
• Accessibility Services
• Library Spaces
• Staff Directory

• Search Menu
• Institutional Purchasing
• Personal Subscription
• Purchase Print Copy
• Style Quizzes
• SI Conversion Calculator
• Journals on Oxford Academic
• Books on Oxford Academic

• < Previous chapter
• Next chapter >

3.0 References

• Published: February 2020
• Cite Icon Cite
• Permissions Icon Permissions

The References chapter of the 11th edition of the AMA Manual of Style contains detailed guidance on what should be included in a reference and how references should be styled and formatted. Sample references to both books and journals, in print and online, include formats for sometimes complex citations that include non-English words and phrases, names of organisms, discontinuous pagination, journals without volume or issue numbers, a special department of a journal, discussants, online comments, special collections, package inserts, patents, conference proceedings, personal communications, material submitted but not yet accepted or published, and transcripts. Many examples of how to cite social media and other electronic resources, including podcasts, apps and interactive games, preprints, databases, and data repositories, are included. New recommendations: a DOI should be included for journal references if available, and it is no longer necessary to include the publisher’s location in references to books.

Signed in as

Institutional accounts.

• GoogleCrawler [DO NOT DELETE]
• Google Scholar Indexing

Personal account

• Sign in with email/username & password
• Get email alerts
• Save searches
• Purchase content
• Activate your purchase/trial code

Institutional access

• Sign in with a library card Sign in with username/password Recommend to your librarian
• Institutional account management
• Get help with access

Access to content on Oxford Academic is often provided through institutional subscriptions and purchases. If you are a member of an institution with an active account, you may be able to access content in one of the following ways:

IP based access

Typically, access is provided across an institutional network to a range of IP addresses. This authentication occurs automatically, and it is not possible to sign out of an IP authenticated account.

Sign in through your institution

Choose this option to get remote access when outside your institution. Shibboleth/Open Athens technology is used to provide single sign-on between your institution’s website and Oxford Academic.

• Click Sign in through your institution.
• Select your institution from the list provided, which will take you to your institution's website to sign in.
• When on the institution site, please use the credentials provided by your institution. Do not use an Oxford Academic personal account.
• Following successful sign in, you will be returned to Oxford Academic.

If your institution is not listed or you cannot sign in to your institution’s website, please contact your librarian or administrator.

Sign in with a library card

Enter your library card number to sign in. If you cannot sign in, please contact your librarian.

Society Members

Society member access to a journal is achieved in one of the following ways:

Sign in through society site

Many societies offer single sign-on between the society website and Oxford Academic. If you see ‘Sign in through society site’ in the sign in pane within a journal:

• Click Sign in through society site.
• When on the society site, please use the credentials provided by that society. Do not use an Oxford Academic personal account.

If you do not have a society account or have forgotten your username or password, please contact your society.

Sign in using a personal account

Some societies use Oxford Academic personal accounts to provide access to their members. See below.

A personal account can be used to get email alerts, save searches, purchase content, and activate subscriptions.

Some societies use Oxford Academic personal accounts to provide access to their members.

Viewing your signed in accounts

Click the account icon in the top right to:

• View your signed in personal account and access account management features.
• View the institutional accounts that are providing access.

Signed in but can't access content

Oxford Academic is home to a wide variety of products. The institutional subscription may not cover the content that you are trying to access. If you believe you should have access to that content, please contact your librarian.

For librarians and administrators, your personal account also provides access to institutional account management. Here you will find options to view and activate subscriptions, manage institutional settings and access options, access usage statistics, and more.

Our books are available by subscription or purchase to libraries and institutions.

• Electronic References

Blog articles

• It's All About Access
• Resources for References
• Questions from Users of the Manual 5
• Where in the World Is the Publisher’s Location?
• Questions from Users of the Manual 14
• Citations a-Twitter
• Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs) for Electronic References
• Citing Electronic Editions, or Getting on the Same Page
• URLs Gone Bad: Fixing Broken Links
• Questions from Users of the Manual 4
• Questions from Users of the Manual 13
• About the Manual
• About the Authors
• Guide to Citing
• @AMAManual on Twitter
• AMA Style Insider Blog
• What's New in the 11th Edition
• Updates to the Manual
• JAMA Instructions for Authors

Affiliations

• Copyright © 2024 American Medical Association
• About Oxford Academic
• Publish journals with us
• University press partners
• What we publish
• New features  
• Open access
• Rights and permissions
• Accessibility
• Advertising
• Media enquiries
• Oxford University Press
• Oxford Languages
• University of Oxford

Oxford University Press is a department of the University of Oxford. It furthers the University's objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education by publishing worldwide

• Copyright © 2024 Oxford University Press
• Cookie settings
• Cookie policy
• Privacy policy
• Legal notice

This Feature Is Available To Subscribers Only

Sign In or Create an Account

This PDF is available to Subscribers Only

For full access to this pdf, sign in to an existing account, or purchase an annual subscription.

• USC Libraries
• Research Guides
• Health Sciences

AMA Style (11th ed): Citing Your Sources

• Reference List
• References Within Your Paper
• Manuscript styling
• Videos and tutorials

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

Citing and Writing handouts, AMA 11th

• Quick Citing Reference- AMA 11th ed 2 page handout covering the basics of using AMA style, 11th edition
• Using Review Articles Review this handout to make sure you're using review articles appropriately.
• Next: Reference List >>
• Last Updated: Apr 8, 2024 3:11 PM
• URL: https://libguides.usc.edu/ama11

Cite A Dissertation in AMA style

Powered by chegg.

• 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

AMA Style: AMA Citations and Writing

Guides online.

• AMA Style Insider - Official blog of the AMA Manual of Style
• Guide to Citing the AMA Manual of Style (Print and Online)

Connect with River Campus Libraries

Writing and Citing Help at UR

• Writing and Citing Guide Provides links to easy to use guides to citing in MLA, APA and other popular citation styles and resources to help you hone your writing skills.
• Writing Help from the Writing, Speaking and Argument Center The Writing, Speaking and Argument Center can help you at any stage of the writing process. Whether you need a quick help sheet, or an appointment with a writing consultant, there are many resources available at here.

What's a DOI Number?

A DOI (short for D igital O bject I dentifier) is a unique number assigned to any digital object like an article , a data set , image , etc.  The doi starts with the number 10 and might contain numbers, letters, and often slashes and periods.  

The doi number is 10.1037/0003-066x.55.1.68

How to cite an article with a DOI: AMA (American Psychological Association) Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being. Am. Psychol. 2000;55:1. doi:68-78. doi: 10.1037/0003-066x.55.1.68 ​

For more information on DOIs, visit  https://www.doi.org/ 

Annotated Bibliographies

• Developing a thesis statement (UW-Madison)
• Examples of Annotated Bibliography entries in APA citation style (UNC Chapel Hill)

Annotated bibliographies differ from abstracts or summaries of articles. Annotated bibliographies are a list of sources (journal or news articles, books, websites, datasets, etc.) on a particular topic. The list is usually in alphabetical order by author and employs a single citation style . The propose of an annotated bibliography is:

• To prove you have done some valid research to back up your argument and claims
• To explain the content of your sources, assess their usefulness, and share this information with others who may be less familiar with them

Some questions to help with your analysis of a source might include:

• What’s the main point or thesis of this source?
• Does the author seem to have particular biases or are they trying to reach a particular audience?
• How does this source relate to your own research and ideas?
• How does this source relate to other sources you have read? Do they have aspects of the same argument or opposing views?

Here are a few links to help you better understand and construct an annotated bibliography.

• Annotated Bibliography with examples (UW-Madison)
• How to Prepare an Annotated Bibliography (Cornell)

Graphic Organizers to help you build an annotated bibliography:

• Annotated Bibliography Note-taking Worksheet
• Making Connections - Web Organizer

AMA Citations*

• Basics of AMA
• Journal Articles
• Books & Ebooks
• Unpublished Material
• Other Formats
• Secondary Citations
• Images, Tables & Figures

In-text Citations

In-text citations are superscript and  numbered in consecutive order  in the text, tables, or figures of the work. If a reference is used multiple times in one paper, use the same number throughout. 

The Superscript number is inserted:

• Immediately next to the fact, idea or quotation being cited.    Ex. This drug is used to treat hepatitis. 1
• Outside periods and commas.   Ex. Storing latex at high heat may cause degradation,  2,3-5,7   but it is difficult to keep materials cool in a desert environment.
• Inside colons and semi-colons.  Ex. Some physicians choose to store prescription pads in locked cabinets  8 ; others keep them in their coats at all times.  9
• When more than 2 references are cited at a given place in the manuscript, use hyphens to join the first and last numbers of a closed series; use commas without space to separate other parts of a multiple citation.    Ex. As reported previously, 1,4-7,19,24

You may use author names in your text, as long as these mentions are accompanied by numbered citations. Use last names only.  For items with one or two authors, include both names. For items with 3 or more authors, include the first author's surname and then 'et al' or 'and colleagues'. 

• Ex. Smith and Jones 2  reported on the questionnaire. Ex. Hammersmith et al 3  reported on the survey.

Reference List

At the end of the document, include a reference list with full citations to each item. Name it References. Order citations as they appear in your paper (not alphabetically!). The following tabs in this guide provide formatting information for common reference types.

*  Adapted from https://guides.lib.uw.edu/hsl/ama and AMA Manual of Style

How to Format References from Journal Articles

• The title of the journal article is in sentence case (only the first letter is capitalized).
• Abbreviate and italicize names of journals according to the listing in the  National Library of Medicine database . 
• References that have six authors or less should include all authors names (last name, initial(s). References with more than 7 authors should include the first three authors followed by "et al."
• Provide the DOI   for online journal articles. If there is no DOI listed, include the most direct url possible and the date the article was accessed. It is not necessary to include the access date if the article has a DOI.

Author AA. Title of journal article. Abbreviated Name of Journal . Year;Volume(Issue):Page Information. DOI (or URL & Accessed Date if no DOI is assigned.)

Ex.  Online journal without volume and page information (and with DOI)

Mast CT,  DeMuro-Mercon  C, Kelly CM, Floyd LE,  Ealter  EB. The impact of rotavirus gastroenteritis on the family.  BMC Pediatrics . 2009;9:11. doi:10.1186/1471-2431-9-11

Ex.  O nline journals with volume and page information (and without DOI, but with URL & accessed date)

Kapur  VK,  Obstructive sleep apnea: diagnosis, epidemiology, and economics.  Respir Care . 2010;55(9):1155-1167.  Accessed Nove mber 8, 2011.  http://www.rcjo urnal.com/co ntents/09.10/09.10.1155.pdf

Ex. Print journal

Raux H, Coulon P, Lafay F, Flamand A. Monoclonal antibodies which recognize the acidic configuration of the rabies glycoprotein at the surface of the virion can be neutralizing.  Virology.  1995;210(2):400-408.

How to Format Reference from Books and Ebooks

• The title of a  book is capitalized per  title case rules 
• The title of a  book chapter (if applicable) is in   sentence case   (only the first letter is capitalized)
• References that have  six authors or less  should include all authors names (last name, initial(s). References with  more than 7  authors should include the first three authors followed by "et al."
• For ebooks,  include the most direct url possible and the date the article was accessed

Basic Format - General

Author AA. Title of Book. Edition number. Location: Publisher; Year published. 

Basic Format - Edited Book (chapters with different authors)

Author AA. Chapter title. Editor, AA. Title of Book . Place of publication: Publisher; Year published: Page numbers.

Ex. Single Author Print Book

Herr J. Creative Resources for the Early Childhood Classroom. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth & Cengage Learning; 2013.

Ex. Chapter in a Print Book

Yagyu S, Iehara T. MYCN nonamplified neuroblastoma: Detection of tumor-derived cell-free DNA in serum for predicting prognosis of neuroblastoma. In Hayat MA, ed.  Pediatric Cancer Diagnosis, Therapy, and Prognosis . Dordrecht, NY: Springer; 2013:11-17.

Ex. Part of a Monographic Series Print Book

Davidoff RA.  Migraine: Manifestations, Pathogenesis, and Management . Philadelphia, Pa: FA Davis; 1995. Contemporary Neurology Series; No 42.

Ex. Online Book

Neinstein L, ed.  Adolescent Health Care . 5th ed. Philadelphia: Lippincott W&W; 2008.  Accessed November 9, 2011. http://www.r2library.com/marc_frame.aspx?ResourceID=931

Ex. Chapter in an Online Book

Kohn LT. Creating safety systems in health care organizations. In: Kohn, LT, Corrigan, JM, and Donaldson MS, eds.  To Err is Human: Building a Safer Health System . Washington, DC: Committee on Quality of Health Care in America, Institute of Medicine; 2000. Accessed November 1, 2011. http://www.nap.edu/openbook.ptp?record_id=9728&page=155

Personal Communication -  References to material not yet accepted for publication or to personal communications (oral, written, and electronic) are not acceptable as listed references and instead should be included parenthetically in the text. The author should provide the date of the communication, as well as the form (oral or written). Highest academic degree to date should also be mentioned. 

Ex.  In a conversation with Bart Simpson, Ph.D., (November 2004)...

Ex.  According to an e-mail from Bull Winkle, Esq, (B. Winkle [[email protected]], e-mail, November 6, 2004)... 

Preprint (Ahead of Print)

Ex. van der Hoek L, Pyrc K, Jebbink MF, et al. Identification of a new human coronavirus [published online ahead of print March 21, 2004]. Nat Med

Material accepted for publication but not yet published

Ex . Carrau RI. The impact of laryngopharyngeal reflux on patient-reported QOL. Laryngoscope . In press. 

Theses or Dissertations

Ex.  MacKenzie MA.  Comparing Heart Failure and Cancer Caregiver Satisfaction with Hospice Care.  [dissertation]. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania; 2014.

Government or Agency Bulletins - References to bulletins 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) place of publication; (4) name of issuing bureau, agency, department, or other governmental division (not that in this position, Department should be abbreviated Dept; also not that if an author supplies US Government Printing Office as the publisher, it would be preferable to obtain the name of the issuing bureau, agency, or department, if possible); (5) date of publication; (6) page numbers, if specified; (7) publication number, if any; and (8) series number if given.

Ex.  American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.  ACOG Practice Bulletin No. 75: Management of alloimmunization during pregnancy . Bethesda, MD: The National Center for Biotechnology Information; 2006. 457-464.

Online Reference 

Ex. Amoxicillin. In: DRUGDEX System  (Micromedex 2.0). Greenwood Village, CO: Truven Health Analytics; c1974-2013. Accessed October 22, 2013. http://www.micromedexsolutions.com/micromedex2/librarian#

Package Inserts -  Package inserts (the printed material about the use and effects of the product contained in the package) may be cited as follows:

Ex.  BioThrax [package insert]. Lansing, MI: Emergent BioSolutions; 2012

Ex. MacKenzie MA.  Comparing Heart Failure and Cancer Caregiver Satisfaction with Hospice Care.  [dissertation]. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania; 2014.

Websites -  When citing data from a Website, include the following elements, if available, in the order shown below:

Author(s), if given (often, no authors are given). Title of the specific item cited (if none is given, use the name of the organization responsible for the site). Name of the Website. Published [date]. Updated [date]. Accessed [date]. URL [provide URL and verify that the link still works as close as possible to publication]

Ex. Living With Type 1 Diabetes. Diabetes.org. Published February 9, 2015. Accessed April 7, 2015. http://www.diabetes.org/living-with-diabetes/recently-diagnosed/living-with-type-1-diabetes.html

Secondary Citations:

 The AMA Manual. section 3.13.10 Secondary citations, states:  Reference may be made to one author’s citation of, or quotation from, another’s work. Distinguish between citation and quotation (ie, between work mentioned and words actually quoted). In the text, the name of the original author, rather than the secondary source, should be mentioned. (See also 3.11.12, References to Print Journals, Discussants.) As with citation of an abstract of an article rather than citation of the original document (see 3.11.9, References to Print Journals, Abstracts and Other Material Taken From Another Source), citation of the original document is preferred unless it is not readily available.  Only items actually consulted should be listed.      Ex.  Cauley JA, Lui L-Y, Ensrud KE, et al. Osteoporosis and fracture risk in women of different ethnic groups. JAMA. 2005;293(17):2102-2108. Cited by: Acheson LS. Bone density and the risk of fractures: should treatment thresholds vary by race [editorial]? JAMA. 2005;293(17):2151-2154.

If you (student) are going to recreate/reproduce an image, table or figure from another source and insert it verbatim (exactly as is) into you assignment paper, you do not have to obtain copyright permission from the copyright holder; however, you still have to cite the source. If you are submitting the paper for publications and recreate/reproduce the table or figure, you would need to obtain copyright permissions first.

Images, tables or figures from books or journal articles: 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. See 3.11 References to Journal Articles in the AMA Style Guide and the AMA Style blog " How to cite a photograph or illustration ."

Ex. Table 14.14-12. Antigens and antibodies of hepatitis B virus. In: Christiansen S, Iverson C, Flanagin A, et al.  AMA Manual of Style: A Guide for Authors and Editors . 11th ed. Oxford University Press; 2020. Accessed August 20, 2020. https://www.amamanualofstyle.com/view/ 10.1093/jama/9780190246556.001.0001/med-9780190246556 -chapter-14-div2-2090

Images, tables or figures found online: cite them as 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. See 3.15.3 Websites in the AMA Style Guide.

If there is a credit for the image found online, 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.

Ex. AU Libraries. Data Life Cycle Models. Infographic. University of Alabama. Accessed September 29, 2021.  https://www.lib. ua.edu/wiki/sura/index.php/Data_Life_Cycle_Models

Citation Managers

Citation managers like RefWorks, EndNote, Mendeley and Zotero help you track and organize your citations, so that when you're writing your paper, you can easily cite your sources. Citation managers also help you insert citations, create endnotes and bibliographies. 

Helpful Research Guides in the Social Sciences

• Anthropology
• Brain & Cognitive Sciences
• Political science
• Public Health
• UR Research Guides by Subject (Complete list)
• Last Updated: Aug 29, 2023 3:30 PM
• URL: https://libguides.lib.rochester.edu/ama

info Welcome to the new library homepage for students who enrolled through Northcentral University. To access the old NCU library homepage, click here . If you enrolled through National University, click here . Please be aware that the NU and NCU students have access to all of the same resources, and we will be merging library homepages by next year.

notifications Welcome to the new library homepage! If you are looking for the old homepage, click here .

AMA Style Guide

• Getting Started
• Connect with AMA

AMA manual of style : a guide for authors and editors

What is AMA Format?

The American Medical Association (AMA), both a professional organization and a publisher, establishes citation style rules to encourage accuracy and consistency in scholarly communication. 

This guide was created as a supplement to the AMA Manual of Style (11th edition) for our students at National University and addresses the most common style questions and formatting issues. For more specific information, please refer to directly to your AMA Manual of Style. 

Changes from the 10th Edition

​Here are just a few of the changes made to new AMA guide:

e words and web words 

• In line with contemporary usage, they have removed the hyphen in email and now lowercase internet and website. 
• Grammar update: singular “they” permitted as a singular pronoun when rewriting the sentence as plural would be awkward or unclear.

References:

• Publisher location no longer required 
• DOI: When a DOI is included for journal references, no period follows
• URL will be the last item, following dates posted/updated/accessed. No period follows it. 

For more updates, please check out JAMA Network's  What's new in AMA style? 

AMA Style Guide RSS feed

• Next: Get Help >>
• Last Updated: Jun 27, 2023 4:36 PM
• URL: https://nu.libguides.com/amastyleguide

© Copyright 2024 National University. All Rights Reserved.

Privacy Policy | Consumer Information

AMA Citation Style Guide: AMA Examples - Online and Electronic

• In-text Citations
• AMA Examples - Print
• AMA Examples - Online and Electronic
• AMA Examples - Images, Video, and Audio
• Citation Resources and Guidelines

eBooks and Audiobooks

• Volume number is only needed if there is more than one volume. Additionally, the Edition number is only needed if it is not the first edition of the book. 
• The Accessed date is only needed if you are using a URL
• The Format is included for other book versions including e-readers, audiobooks, and books on CD.
• Vieira AR.  Genetic Basis of Oral Health Conditions.  Springer International Publishing; 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 August 12, 2020.  https://srhr.org/safeabortion/
• Skloot R.  The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.  Audiobook. Random House Audio; 2010.

AMA Manual, Section 3.12.11

• Chapter in an Edited Book
• Sudarsky L. Gait and balance disorders. In: Kasper DL, Fauci AS, Longo DL, Hauser SL, Jameson JL, Loscalzo J, eds.  Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine.  19th ed. McGraw-Hill; 2015;chap 32. Accessed February 10, 2016. http://www.harrisonsim.com/index.php
• Articles in Scholarly Journals

**Some online journals do not have page numbers. Use the article number instead. Reference 3 is an example. Examples:

• 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

AMA Manual, Section 3.11

• Theses and Dissertations

*If a thesis has been published, it should be written in the format of a book. 

• 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

AMA Manual, Section 3.13.4

Newspaper Articles/News Releases

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

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

AMA Manual, Sections 3.13.1 and 3.15.10

• Encyclopedia Entries

*If no author is available, start with the entry title. Only include edition and volume information within the citation if it is available. 

• Uretsky S. Antihistamines. In: Blanchfield DS, Longe JL, eds.  The Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine . Vol 1. 2nd ed. Gale; 2002. Accessed October 4, 2021. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX3405600130/GVRL?u=muohio_gvrl&sid=bookmark-GVRL&xid=2de5d5f0
• Government Reports
• National Cancer Institute. Taking time: Support for people with cancer.   U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health. 2019. NIH Publication 18-2059.  Accessed October 4, 2021. https://www.cancer.gov/publications/patient-education/takingtime.pdf

AMA Manual, Section 3.13.2

Creating a Reference List Page

In AMA style your bibliography should be called Reference List.

Within your Reference List, your references should be listed in numerical order (two references should not be combined under a single reference number) as opposed to alphabetically. The numerical order is based on the order in which the sources were first cited in the document.

Do not begin the reference list on a new page, but place it at the end of your document, after a space or a line. It follows any article information or acknowledgments. Put the word "References" in all caps, and in line with the left-hand margin. Format the numbers as per normal numbering style, single spaced.

Online vs Print References

In AMA style, online and print references are formatted largely the same. All references generally include the author, title, source, and date, with the source element showing the difference between online and print. Online source elements will include their corresponding DOI and URL when available. 

Reference Examples

• Newspaper Articles

Images, Video, and Audio

• Images/Visual Works
• YouTube or Streaming Video
• Podcasts and Other Audio
• Computer Software, Mobile Apps, and Equipment
• If no author is available, start with the title of the work.
• If an updated date is available, note it between the publication date and access date.
• International Society for Infectious Diseases. ProMED-mail. Accessed February 10, 2016. http://www.promedmail.org
• Charlton G. Internal linking for SEO: examples and best practices. SearchEngineWatch. Accessed February 10, 2016. https://searchenginewatch.com/sew/how-to/2428041/internal-linking-for-seo-examples-and-best-practices
• Zika travel information. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. January 26, 2016. Updated August 11, 2016. Accessed June 18, 2019. https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/page/zika-travel-information

AMA Manual, Section 3.15.3

Tweets and Facebook Updates

If the tweet or status update includes an image, a video, a poll, or a thumbnail image with a link, indicate that in brackets after the title: [Image attached], [Video attached], [Thumbnail with link attached].

Tweet  Example:

• @BarackObama. (2012, February 9). Today President Obama announced a landmark  foreclosure settlement with major banks to help struggling homeowners . February 9, 2012. Accessed February 15, 2012.  https://twitter.com/BarackObama/status/167690595870052352

Facebook Post  Example:

• Mayo Clinic Sports Medicine Facebook page. #RotatorCuff tears are among the most common shoulder injuries, particularly in individuals who engage in activities that require repetitive arm motions. Discover the possible treatment options for a torn rotator cuff: https://mayocl.in?2H6AR3P. Accessed March 4, 2019. https://facebook.com/mayoclinicsportsmedicine

AMA Manual, Section 3.15.4

Conference Sessions and Presentations

Type of contribution is flexible (e.g., “Conference session,” “Paper presentation,” “Poster session,” “Keynote address”) .

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 presentation 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/

AMA Manual, Sections 3.13.8 and 3.13.9

• Gray T. Advice after mischief is like medicine after death.  AMA Style Insider  blog. February 11, 2019. Accessed March 10, 2019. https://amastyleinsider.com/2019/02/11/advice-after-mischief-is-like-medicine-after-death/
• << Previous: AMA Examples - Print
• Next: AMA Examples - Images, Video, and Audio >>
• Last Updated: Oct 15, 2021 2:04 PM
• URL: https://libguides.lib.miamioh.edu/AMA_Citation

•   LibGuides
•   A-Z List
•   Help

Citations & Plagiarism

• APA 7th Edition

INTRODUCTION

Ama by format, other ama guides, ama style insider.

• images & media
• Legal Citations
• Government Documents
• Annotated Bibliographies
• Citation Managers This link opens in a new window
• Plagiarism Prevention This link opens in a new window
• Plagiarism & Citing AI
• Need More Help?

AMA (American Medical Association) style is generally used in the health sciences and medicine. See the 11th edition of the publication manual for more information.

• AMA Manual of Style The new online home of the AMA Manual of Style.
• Theses & Dissertations
• Section 3.12: Print Books

"A complete reference to a print book includes the following: 1. Authors' surnames and first and middle initials 2. Chapter title (when cited) 3. Surname and first and middle initials of book authors or editors (or translator, if any) 4. Title of book and subtitle, if any 5. Volume number and volume title, when there is more than 1 volume 6. Edition number (do not indicate first edition) 7. Place of publication (see , Abbreviations, Cities, States, Counties, Territories, Possessions; Provinces; Countries) 8. Name of publisher 9. Year of copyright 10. Page numbers, when specific pages are cited."

"The basic format for reference to an Internet-based book is as follows. Note: If the reference is to the entire book, the information about chapter title and inclusive pages is not included.Author(s). Chapter title. In: Editor(s). Book Title. [Edition number, if it is the second edition or above; mention of first edition is not necessary] ed. City, State (or country) of publisher: Publisher’s name; copyright year:inclusive pages. URL: [provide URL and verify that the link still works as close as possible to the time of publication]. Accessed [date]."

Cartwright RD. The Twenty-Four Hour Mind: The Role of Sleep and Dreaming in Our Emotional Lives. New York: Oxford University Press; 2010.

Hendrickx S. The Adolescent and Adult Neuro-Diversity Handbook: Asperger's Syndrome, ADHD, Dyslexia, Dyspraxia and Related Conditions. Philadelphia: Jessica Kingsley Publishers; 2010.

Hoffman R, Gerber M. The Mediterranean Diet: Health and Science. Ames, Iowa: Wiley-Blackwell; 2012.

• Section 3.11: Print Journals
• Section 3.15.1: Online Journals

"A complete print journal reference includes the following: ▪ Authors' surnames and initials ▪ Title of article and subtitle, if any ▪ Abbreviated name of journal ▪ Year ▪ Volume number ▪ Issue number ▪ Part or supplement number, when pertinent ▪ Inclusive page numbers."

"The basic format for reference to an article in an online journal is as follows: Author(s). Title. Journal Name [using National Library of Medicine abbreviations see , Abbreviations, Names of Journals]. Year;vol(issue No.):inclusive pages. URL [provide the URL in this field; no need to use “URL:” preceding it]. Published [date]. Updated [date]. Accessed [date]."

Donelan K, Buerhaus P, DesRoches C, Dittus R, Dutwin D. Public perceptions of nursing careers: The influence of the media and nursing shortages. Nurs Econ . 2008;26(3):143-50, 165.

Lin L, Cherng R, Chen Y, Chen Y, Yang H. Effects of television exposure on developmental skills among young children. Infant Behav Dev . 2015;38:20-26.

Sydenham E, Dangour AD, Lim W. Omega 3 fatty acid for the prevention of cognitive decline and dementia. Cochrane Database Syst Rev . 2012;6:CD005379.

• Section 3.15.3: Websites

"In citing data from a website, include the following elements, if available, in the order shown: Author(s), if given (often, no authors are given). Title of the specific item cited (if none is given, use the name of the organization responsible for the site). Name of the website. URL [provide URL and verify that the link still works as close as possible to publication]. Published [date]. Updated [date]. Accessed [date]."

Drinking water. MedlinePlus. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/drinkingwater.html. Updated February 26, 2015. Accessed March 16, 2015.

Mayo Clinic Staff. Headache. The Mayo Clinic. http://www.mayoclinic.org/symptoms/headache/basics/definition/sym-20050800. Published June 4, 2013. Accessed March 16, 2015.

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Division of Applied Research and Technology. Buy quiet. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention . http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/buyquiet/default.html. Updated December 5, 2014. Accessed March 16, 2015.

• Section 3.13.4: Theses and 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."

Custer SLA. Using Music Therapy in a Clinical Setting to Lower the Levels of Anxiety and Stress [dissertation]. Kingsville: Texas A&M University; 1996.

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

Whittle CH. On Learning Science and Pseudoscience from Prime-Time Television Programming [dissertation]. Albuquerque: The University of New Mexico; 2003.

See the full AMA Manual of Style (box on top) or other AMA guides (box on the left) for information on how to cite other types of sources in AMA style.

• AMA Citation Style Purdue OWL AMA Guide
• AMA Citation Style (PDF) Guide by the James Madison University Libraries.
• AMA Citation Style Guide by Gisela Butera of the Himmelfarb Health Sciences Library at the George Washington University.
• << Previous: Turabian
• Next: RefWorks >>
• Last Updated: Apr 5, 2024 8:52 AM
• URL: https://library.fiu.edu/citation

Information

Fiu libraries floorplans, green library, modesto a. maidique campus, hubert library, biscayne bay campus.

Directions: Green Library, MMC

Directions: Hubert Library, BBC

• Writing and Citation Style Guides and Tools
• East Tennessee State University
• AMA Manual of Style
• Starting Points
• Chicago Manual of Style
• MLA Handbook
• Academic Writer (APA Style)
• EndNote Basic
• ETSU Graduate Thesis & Dissertation Style by Department

Online AMA Manual of Style Resources

AMA Manual of Style Online

• The 11 th edition of the AMA Manual of Style brings this definitive manual into the 21 st century with a broadened international perspective and expanded electronic guidelines. Ethical and legal issues receive increased attention, with detailed guidelines on authorship, conflicts of interest, scientific misconduct, intellectual property, and the protection of individuals' rights in scientific research and publication.

Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL) AMA Style

• Brief information about AMA Style created at Purdue University.

Books on the AMA Manual of Style

• << Previous: Starting Points
• Next: APA Style >>

Call Local Call Toll-Free Text Email Research Help

Call Toll-Free

• Last Updated: Oct 9, 2023 7:07 AM
• URL: https://libraries.etsu.edu/research/writecite

Have a language expert improve your writing

Run a free plagiarism check in 10 minutes, generate accurate citations for free.

• Knowledge Base
• AMA In-Text Citation | Guidelines & Examples

AMA In-Text Citation | Guidelines & Examples

Published on September 9, 2022 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on June 1, 2023.

In AMA citation format , an in-text citation consists of a superscript number in the text that points the reader to the relevant reference on your numbered AMA reference page . You can also mention the author’s name in your sentence, but this is optional.

AMA references contain full information about each source, and they are numbered in the order you first cite them in the text. Each source has only one entry, so if you cite the same source repeatedly, you’ll use the same number each time.

Table of contents

Where to place ama in-text citations, page numbers in in-text citations, citing multiple sources in one place, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions.

In-text citations should be placed in the sentence where you refer to the source in question. They’re usually placed at the end of a clause or at the end of the whole sentence. They can also be placed directly after the author’s name or after a quotation if this is clearer in context.

The citation number should follow the preceding word or punctuation mark immediately, with no space in between. There are also specific rules about placing in-text citations relative to punctuation. A citation number appears:

• After a comma , period, question mark , exclamation mark, or quotation mark
• Before a colon , semicolon , em dash , or closing parenthesis (as long as the citation applies to something within the parentheses )

The only proofreading tool specialized in correcting academic writing - try for free!

The academic proofreading tool has been trained on 1000s of academic texts and by native English editors. Making it the most accurate and reliable proofreading tool for students.

Try for free

When you need to indicate a specific part of a source (e.g., when you quote or paraphrase a specific passage), include page numbers in parentheses directly after the citation number. These are also written in superscript and written without any spaces.

If you’re citing a single page, the page number is preceded by “p.”

If you’re citing multiple pages, they are preceded by “pp.” You can cite a range of consecutive pages using an en dash (–) or a list of non-consecutive pages using commas (also with no spaces). Or you can cite a combination of the two, as in the example below.

You may sometimes need to cite more than one source at the same point in the text—for example, when you’re summarizing the literature on a topic in a literature review or theoretical framework .

Multiple superscript in-text citations can be placed at the same point, separated by commas (with no spaces). To cite a range of three or more consecutively numbered sources, you can use an en dash (–).

If necessary, this can be combined with the inclusion of page numbers . Make sure the page numbers are enclosed in parentheses, the citation numbers and the commas separating them outside the parentheses.

If you want to know more about ChatGPT , AI tools , citation , and plagiarism , make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples.

• ChatGPT vs human editor
• ChatGPT citations
• Is ChatGPT trustworthy?
• Using ChatGPT for your studies
• What is ChatGPT?

 Working with sources

• Paraphrasing
• Critical thinking
• Boolean operators
• Synthesizing sources

 Plagiarism

• Types of plagiarism
• Self-plagiarism
• Avoiding plagiarism
• Academic integrity
• Consequences of plagiarism
• Common knowledge

An AMA in-text citation consists of the number of the relevant reference on your AMA reference page , written in superscript 1 at the point in the text where the source is used.

It may also include the page number or range of the relevant material in the source (e.g., the part you quoted 2(p46) ). Multiple sources can be cited at one point, presented as a range or list (with no spaces 3,5–9 ).

In AMA citation format , if you cite the same source more than once in your paper, it still only has one entry on your AMA reference page , numbered based on the first time you cite it.

This means you’ll always use the same number for the AMA in-text citation for that source, not a different number each time. You can add different page numbers to the citations to talk about specific parts of the source in each case, e.g. 1 (pp13–15)

An AMA in-text citation just consists of the number of the relevant entry on your AMA reference page , written in superscript at the point in the text where the source is referred to.

You don’t need to mention the author of the source in your sentence, but you can do so if you want. It’s not an official part of the citation, but it can be useful as part of a signal phrase introducing the source.

Cite this Scribbr article

If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the “Cite this Scribbr article” button to automatically add the citation to our free Citation Generator.

Caulfield, J. (2023, June 01). AMA In-Text Citation | Guidelines & Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved April 9, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/ama/ama-in-text-citation/

Is this article helpful?

Jack Caulfield

Unlimited academic ai-proofreading.

✔ Document error-free in 5minutes ✔ Unlimited document corrections ✔ Specialized in correcting academic texts

University Libraries

• Ohio University Libraries
• Library Guides

Citation Styles

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

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
• Journal titles should be abbreviated according to the National Library of Medicine (NLM)
• 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.

• << Previous: ACS
• Next: APA >>

• Dissertation
• PowerPoint Presentation
• Book Report/Review
• Research Proposal
• Math Problems
• Proofreading
• Movie Review
• Cover Letter Writing
• Personal Statement
• Nursing Paper
• Argumentative Essay
• Research Paper

Online Reference Generator to Ease Your Academic Burden

Citing a dissertation ama style: tips and tricks.

To some people, citing dissertations in the AMA format is very straightforward. However, some students still find it hard to cite such sources as is required in their papers. Among the major consequences of improper citations is that your work can appear as though it has been plagiarized. You definitely do not want this as it can lead to failure in your coursework or being forced to repeat the course by the administration. Due to these reasons, our company has established an online whereby students can seek help when they feel stranded to cite a dissertation in the AMA format.

Since putting citation is a common aspect of academics, let’s look at why it is important to do it appropriately.

• Citing acts as a tool to check whether the content is based on facts. When writing academic work, the ideas presented must be supported by facts to promote accuracy of the work. As such, when dissertations or any other sources are used, it is important to indicate that the information has been derived from there. The information presented in dissertations is usually fact-based and thus accurate to support ideas in an essay.
• Through citations, you can present comprehensive and in-depth information about the topic. Prior to citing a source, one must go through it thoroughly to blend its ideas with the subject of the paper. In the process, you gather research skills that are very important in academics. The presentation of comprehensive details in your assignment enables you to acquire high grades.
• Proper citations are indications of a competent student. A competent writer is one who can present compelling information to the readers. Through citing sources properly, they exhibit that they can think critically, present well-researched facts, avoid generalizing information and express that they are knowledgeable about the subject. Competent students often have smooth academic experience with the teachers.
• Citation promotes fast verification of work. If you are a student who might want their work to be published in credible journals, you have to cite properly. Many journal organizations are looking for writers who can make good attributions in their work. If your work is published for future reference, you can be viewed as a credible scholar in future.
• Lastly, proper citations prevent your work from being regarded as plagiarized. Apart from copying other people’s work word for word, plagiarism also occurs when the sources are not cited The consequences of plagiarism are bad as you can be asked to take a forced academic leave or repeat the course. For such reasons, it is important to investigate about a citation format and use it appropriately in your work.

Citing a dissertation in the AMA format tends to be challenging for many students. However, it is very easy. When providing such services, our company utilizes the strategies outlined below.

How to Write AMA Style Dissertations in a Professional Manner

The AMA referencing style for dissertation contains the author’s name, the title of the dissertation, the place of publication, the publishers and the date.  For instance, in the reference list, it can appear in the following manner; Fred, A. Internet Marketing . New York, NY: Sage Publishers; 2018 .

Remember, each source is usually assigned a number in the reference list. When putting an in-text citation, the information is usually followed by the number assigned to the source as a superscript. An example of an in-text citation is, “The report indicates that diabetes is on the rise 3 .”

There are several reasons to believe in us to provide quality AMA dissertation services. First, our services are very affordable. Many students have to concentrate on studies thus cannot have sufficient access to funds. Therefore, we charge our services at low rates. Interestingly, interacting with us for repeated times guarantees you discounts and bonuses. Another amazing aspect is that if you refer a friend to our company, you are awarded more offers.

Convenient processes in having the AMA dissertation services are a guarantee. All you need to do is log in to our website and create an account. Then submit the requirements of the paper. You will then be notified about the amount of money that you are supposed to pay. After this, the writers work on the paper and later inform you when it is done. Throughout this process, we maintain effective communication. In case you want to make important changes, we have a 24 hour support staff that is ready to assist you.

5 years’ experience has allowed us to bring together a strong team of experienced professionals. For one to be conversant with the AMA citation style, they must have high academic qualifications. This is the reason why we hire writers who have master’s and PhDs in their field. They are very knowledgeable about the AMA, and occasionally, they are trained about the same.

Timeliness and deadlines are a priority. In case, you are stuck with a long essay that requires the use of the AMA referencing, do not hesitate to consult us. Work begins immediately once you submit the requirements.  Additionally, urgent papers should not worry you. Experienced writers are available as, and when you need and even when the deadline is short, they still provide quality work.

AMA dissertation services are offered in very many areas such as religion, marketing, business, technology, engineering, medicine and biology among other disciplines. The services are for high school, undergraduate as well as post graduate courses.

The writers’ strict adherence to correct formatting also enforces the production of unique and quality AMA formatted papers. Prior to hiring, our writers have to go through several tests to determine their capability of providing quality papers.

Reach out to us today for help in citing dissertations in the AMA styles through our website. All you have to do is simply call and ask to have your dissertation written by professionals!

• +44 7897 053596
• [email protected]

Get an experienced writer start working

Review our examples before placing an order, learn how to draft academic papers, ama citation: a comprehensive guide to citing sources in ama style.

Vancouver Referencing: A Concise Overview and Practical Examples

How to Write a Description? | A Comprehensive Guide 

When citing sources in academic papers and publications, the AMA (American Medical Association) citation style is usually employed in all academic and scientific writing. It follows specific guidelines for proper citation and source acknowledgment. 

Learn How to Write Citation: A Practical Guide

Implementing the AMA citation style is crucial in academic writing for students and professionals. This comprehensive instruction will provide you with guidelines and instructions required for referencing sources.

Also, you may review our other citing posts that our qualified writers prepared;

How to Cite in IEEE Format?

3-Step  Dissertation Process!

Get 3+ Topics

Dissertation Proposal

Get Final Dissertation

Basic elements of ama citation.

In research publications and academic papers, AMA  citation style is used for referencing different kinds of sources. AMA citation style contains visible rules and instructions. The fundamental parts of AMA citation are as under:

• AUTHOR(s): List author(s) by name, initials with no spaces and periods. If there are more than six writers, list first three writers followed by “et al”
• TITLE: The first word of title, proper noun and also the first word of any subtitle must be capitalized. Italicize the title source of the book and article.
• JOURNAL TITLE (for journal articles): Shorten the italicize journal title by using Journal’s official abbreviation in National library of medicine’s PubMed database.Write the journal title exact if it isn’t abbreviated in PubMed.
• Publishing Date: Provide date in Parenthesis. Mention year of publication with semicolon followed by month abbreviation and day if necessary. For example, (2023; sep 19).
• VOLUME AND ISSUE (for journal articles): In Parenthesis, provide volume number and also provide issue number if applicable followed by colon. For example, 29(5).
• PAGE NUMBER (for journal articles): Provide range of the pages, distinct them by en dash (-). For example, (120-128).
• URL (for online source): Add URL at the end of the citation and enclose the URL in angle brackets (<>). Provide a stable and straight link of the source.
• DOI(Digital object Identifier): DOI is preferred over URL if available as DOI is a permanent link to the source. Use the citation style “doi:10 xxxx/xxxxx”.

In-text Citations

In-text citations play an obligatory role in AMA style. Bold numerals are used while referencing another source of information within a text. AMA citation is a superscript number (like this: 4). The number appears at the point where another source is used for the information. The number always appears after the author's name or quotation at the end. 

Here is an example of an in-text reference formatted in AMA style:

• Citation Number: In AMA citation style, the purpose of including superscript Arabic  numbers is to provide a source of information to the readers. If you include a source (author name) in your text, place the citation number after the author’s name. For example: “According to Bob^1 The Best Life Guide to Managing Diabetes and Pre-Diabetes”.
• Multiple Citations: If there are multiple citations inside the same phrase, use commas to separate the number and for a range of consecutive citation numbers use dash. For example, “^1,3,5-7”
• Citations that are Reused: While referencing the same source multiple times in an article, use the same citation number as it was cited before.
• Secondary Sources: When a source that you want to cite is in another source i-e secondary source, use shortened form(abbreviation) “cited in” and give the real source number. For example:” ‘John’s^2 research cited in watson’s^1”.
• Direct Quotes: While quoting directly from a specific source, provide page number after the citation number for easy access to the source. For example, “According to john’s^3 (p.55)”.
• No Author: If there is no author of the source mentioned which you are citing, provide the title or shortened version of title instead author name. For example: "According to recent studies, the prevalence of cardiovascular diseases has increased globally^[2^]."
• Citing single authors: In AMA citation style, citing a source with a single author, you should provide the author's last name followed by citation number in text.It will always come after commas, periods, and quotation marks. For example: “According to WHO^1 cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the leading cause of death globally”.
• Citing multiple authors: When citing a source with up to three authors. Provide the names of all three authors according to the order they appear on the source. Use the word “and” before the last author’s name. Place the superscript Arabic numeral after the last author's name written. For example: “John, Watson and Brown^1 found that….”.For citing more than three authors, name the first author name and then “et al.” which shows there are other authors beyond the first followed by citation number. For example: John et al.^2 When there is a direct quote from the source add a page number to it. For example: John et al.^2 (p.45).

How Does It Work ?

Fill the Form

Please fill the free topic form and share your requirements

Writer Starts Working

The writer starts to find a topic for you (based on your requirements)

3+ Topics Emailed!

The writer shared custom topics with you within 24 hours

Reference List

In AMA citation style, all the information and data of the sources used in the page are located at the end of the page in the reference page. The sequence of the references is organized as they are cited in the text. Some sources are used more than once, however, the reference page listed each source once in the list.

How to Write a Reference List?

A reference list includes precise information of the sources cited in the text, allowing readers to identify and locate the cited sources. It generally contains the author's last name and initials, the source title, details about the publisher or larger publication it was included in, and the publication date.

 The specific information and format vary depending on the type of source, as shown in the following tabs.

AMA Book Citation Format

Author Last Name Initials. Book Title: Subtitle. Publisher; Year.

AMA Reference

Conrad P, Gallagher EB. Health and Health Care in Developing Countries: Sociological Perspectives. Temple University Press; 1993.

AMA Journal Citation Format

 Author Last Name Initials. Article Title. Journal Name. Year; Volume(Issue): Page range. DOI or URL.

Blood fatty acid composition and eating behaviors are related to the risk of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in cholecystectomy patients, according to Shim P, Choi D, and Park Y. 2017;70(4):303–311. doi:10.1159/000475605; Ann Nutr Metab.

  AMA Website Citation Format

Author Last Name Initials. Page Title. Website Name. Published Month, Day, Year. Accessed Month Day, Year. URL.

Variations in AMA Citation:

In AMA citation style, citing a variety of sources, there are variations depending on the type of source, whether the source is online or print. Some common variations to apply guidelines in AMA citation are as under:

Citing Print vs Online sources:  When referencing print books, Journals, and Newspaper articles in AMA style, use standard book citation structure. Provide author(s) name, title, edition, place of publishing, publisher, and year of publication. There is no need to provide a URL or DOI for print books, Journals, and articles.

 Meanwhile for online books, Journals, and websites, include the author(s) name, title, publication date, and year and provide the URL or DOI for the source.

Government Publications: Referencing government publications in AMA citation style, include the author of the government publication or the government agency, if the agency name is long use abbreviations, provide a title, publication date and year, documentation number, and URL or DOI of the source to access others to locate the source.

Conference Proceedings: The citing paper that is presented at a conference includes the conference name, author name, title of the paper, year and date of conference, and location.

Dissertations and Theses: Citing a dissertation or thesis in text requires including details about the author, title, publication date and year, academic institution, and location if necessary.

AMA Style for Different Source Types

AMA citation style includes specific guidelines for different types of sources. Citing different sources in AMA style is as under:

Citation for journal articles: Provide the name of author(s), Title of the article, abbreviated journal title, date and year, and volume(page range).

Referencing for Books and eBooks: Provide the author(s) name if there are multiple authors, separate their names with commas, and add “AND” before the last name mentioned. If there are up to six authors, mention the first three authors followed by “et al”, title of the book, edition, place of publication, and year. If the source is present online, provide a URL or DOI if available.

Online source and webpages: Provide author(s), the page's title, web address, URL or DOI, date of publication, date of Last Update (if any). 

Tips For Accurate citation

In AMA citation style, accurate citation is essential for academic writing. It is important to provide proper access to the source of information. Here are some tips for ensuring accurate citations.

Double check Information: Verify the provided details such as; author name, publication date, and page numbers if necessary are accurate. Also, verify the in-text citations used to match the corresponding entries in the reference list.

Handling missing information: Maintaining accurate citation it is important to handle missing information correctly. If the author(s) name is missing, use an “anonymous” instead of the author(s) name. If the source title is not given, provide a summary in brackets. For example, [Untitled book review].

Proper use of italics and abbreviations: When following AMA citation, italics and abbreviations are essential in academic writing. Italicize titles of books, journals, scientific names, species names, statistical symbols, and variables, and other major works when citing them in your text. For example: principle of anatomy and homo sapiens.

Examples of AMA citations:

Following are some examples of AMA style citations for various type of sources;

Journal article with single author: In AMA citation style, citing a source with a single author, you should provide the author's last name followed by a year of publication, J Cardiol. abbreviated journal title, and at last volume and issue number followed by page number.. For example: Smith AB. The Impact of Exercise on Cardiovascular Health. J Cardiol. 2022;30(2):123-135.

Book with multiple authors: When citing a source with up to three authors. Provide the names of all three authors according to the order they appear on the source. Use the word “and” before the last author’s name. Place the superscript Arabic numeral after the last author's name written. For example: “John, Watson and Brown^1 found that….”.

For citing more than three authors, name the first author name and then “et al.” which shows there are other authors beyond the first followed by citation number. For example: John et al.^2

When there is a direct quote from the source add a page number to it. For example: John et al.^2 (p.45).

Website with no author: When there is no author on the website, follow a standard format of AMA citation style. Place the title of the webpage within double quotation work followed by a year of publication, provide the URL, and mention the access date of the webpage. For example: Healthy Eating Guidelines. National Institute of Health . Published 2021. Accessed September 19, 2023.

Plagiarism and Citation

Plagiarism and citation are closely connected to each other. To maintain academic integrity and prevent plagiarism, it is important to understand the differences between plagiarism and citation.

Plagiarism: Act of claiming data, ideas or opinions of other sources without giving credit and attribute to the source of the material. Whether it is intentional or unintentional, plagiarism is unfair and unethical. For example: copying and pasting data from another source without quotation marks or citations.

Citation: Citation is the way you use other sources of information in your text and give credit and attribution to the original source. Citation is an ethical way of writing, which allows the use of other sources for information by giving them proper credit and acknowledgment. For example: In-text citation.

How to cite sources to avoid Plagiarism?

In short, plagiarism involves using other sources of information without mentioning the original source. While citation includes attribution and proper credit given to the original source.

How does proper citation prevent plagiarism?

Proper citation is an essential aspect of preventing plagiarism in academic writing. By choosing recognized citation styles (e.g. APA, MLA, Chicago, AMA) plagiarism can be prevented. Through these methods of citations, you can ensure acknowledgment of sources, showing credibility of work by allowing readers to trace the sources and distinguish between your work and others. Hence proper citation works as a shield against plagiarism in responsible scholarly writing.

AMA citation style vs other styles

AMA citation style is different in several ways from other citation styles( APA, MLA, and Chicago). Some of the distinctions between AMA citation styles.

Types of Citation Styles

Contrasting AMA with APA, MLA, and Chicago styles

Author date and superscript numbers in AMA citation style vs APA and MLA: In AMA citation style, superscript numbers are used when sources are cited. References are listed following the sequence as they are listed in the text. Whereas APA and MLA include the author's last name followed by publication date, with corresponding entries in the list.

Abbreviations in AMA vs other APA, MLA and Chicago : Abbreviations are used for Journal titles, standard educational terms, and unit measurements, and the number is included within parenthesis. Whereas APA, MLA, and Chicago style do not have the same level of standardization as AMA in the educational field.

Multiple authors in AMA vs APA, MLA and Chicago:  In AMA citation style, if there are up to six authors “et al” " is used after naming the first three authors. While in APA, MLA, and Chicago style, multiple authors are listed as “et al” after the first author.

Online source in AMA vs APA, MLA and Chicago: In AMA citation style, URLs and DOIs are included for citing online sources. Whereas APA AMA and Chicago style also use URLs and DOIs for citing with variations in format.

When to use AMA citation?

AMA citation style is widely used in research and scientific disciplines. AMA is considered for writing papers, articles, reports, and research.

•  Writing in scientific fields: AMA citation style is commonly used in writing papers, journals, articles, reports, and for publishing other scholarly writing in scientific fields.
• Coursework and Research: AMA style is generally used by students conducting research, coursework, papers, thesis, and dissertations.
• Preventing Plagiarism:  To prevent plagiarism and acknowledgment of the sources including books, journal articles, and websites, AMA provides proper guidelines for the citation of the source.
• Presentations and conferences:   AMA citation style is adopted when preparing presentations, posters, and conference materials.
• Thesis and Dissertation: AMA citation style is used by the students for citing their thesis and dissertations.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is ama citation format.

The AMA citation Style is comprehensively used in academic and scientific disciplines, assuring consistency, accuracy, and proper attribution and acknowledgment of sources. Which is a proper guideline established by the American Medical Association.

How do I cite multiple authors in AMA?

For citing more than three authors, name the first author name and then “et al.” which shows there are other authors beyond the first followed by citation number. For example: John et al.^2.

What if the source lacks certain information?

For instance, if there is no author on the website, follow a standard format of AMA citation style. Provide the title of the webpage within double quotation work followed by a year of publication, include the URL, and mention the access date of the webpage. For example: Healthy Eating Guidelines. National Institute of Health. Published 2021. Accessed September 19, 2023.

Get an Immediate Response

Discuss your requirements with our writers

WhatsApp Us Email Us Chat with Us

How to Cite in AMA Style| Step-by-Step Guide to Follow

For the proper navigation of AMA citations, here is a step-by-step guide:

Step 1: Understand the Source Types

It’s necessary to be aware of several sources according to what is said in different reference list instances, including books, websites, journal papers, and more. 

Step 2: Gather the Necessary Information

Obtain all the necessary details, including author names, titles, publication dates, page numbers, and URLs, for each source you desire to cite.

Step 3: Follow the AMA Format Guideline

Consult the ama manual of style for more information on how to properly cite various source categories. be very careful with the punctuation, capitalization, and formatting., step 4: organize your reference list.

Organize a reference list in numerical order, and verify that every citation is accurate and comprehensive. Check out the formatting again and make the required changes.

Step 5: Proofread and Verify

To ensure accuracy and consistency, in depth edit your citations before submitting your work. Check that each citation corresponds to an appropriate in-text reference.

Tips for AMA Style Referencing for Your Paper

Here are the key points to understand ama reference style;.

• Font: Use a common typeface like Times New Roman in size 12.
• Page Numbers: Starting with the title page, place page numbers in the top right corner of each page.
• Margins and Indentation: Retain one-inch margins, and indent paragraphs' starting lines by a half-inch.
• Line Spacing: Do not single-space any of the text.
• Heading Styles: For each level of heading in the text, use constant styling ( like bolding, centering, or a distinct font).
• Acronyms: When using acronyms for the first time, spell them out.

These recommendations aid in making sure that your research paper and reference page are formatted and presented by AMA standards.

Learning AMA citations is necessary for academics and professionals in the professional field. Precise citation is a key element of academic writing. You may reference sources in AMA style with confidence and efficiency by following the recommendations provided in this detailed tutorial. Always remember that precise citations strengthen the authenticity and dependability of your work in addition to serving as a sign of academic honesty.

Get 3+ Free   Dissertation Topics within 24 hours?

Your Number

Academic Level Select Academic Level Undergraduate Masters PhD

Area of Research

admin farhan

Related posts.

Understanding TOK Concepts: A Beginner’s Guide

Research Hypotheses: Directional vs. Non-Directional Hypotheses

Is AP Psychology Hard? Exploring the Challenges and Rewards

Comments are closed.