AMA 11th Edition Citation Style: Detailed Guide

Introduction

AMA (American Medical Association) style is widely used in medical and scientific publishing. It provides clear guidelines for citing sources and formatting manuscripts, ensuring consistency and accuracy in medical literature. This document offers a concise overview of AMA 11th Edition formatting, aiming to simplify the process of understanding and applying its rules.

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 and is internationally recognized and 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).

In-Text Citations

AMA style uses a numerical system for in-text citations. References are numbered consecutively in the order they are first mentioned in the text. The corresponding number is placed as a superscript Arabic numeral.

• Basic Format: Superscript number after the cited material.

  Example: …as demonstrated in a recent study.¹

• Multiple Citations: Use hyphens for consecutive numbers and commas for non-consecutive numbers.

  Example: …several studies have shown this.^2-4,7

• Author Named in Text: If the author’s name is mentioned in the text, the superscript number follows the author’s name.

  Example: Smith⁵ reported that…

• Direct Quotations: Page numbers are included in parentheses after the superscript number.

  Example: …"the results were significant"^6(p23).

Reference List

The reference list, titled "References," appears at the end of the document. Entries are listed numerically in the order they were cited in the text. Each entry corresponds to an in-text citation.

General Format for Reference List Entries

Author AA, Author BB, Author CC. Title of article. Abbreviated Journal Title. Year;volume(issue):pages. DOI (if available).

Publication Types and Formatting

Journal Articles

Standard Journal Article:

Author AA, Author BB. Title of article. Abbreviated Journal Title. Year;volume(issue):pages.

Example:

1. Smith J, Jones K. The effects of exercise on mental health. J Health Psychol. 2023;28(5):600-610.

Journal Article with DOI:

Author AA, Author BB. Title of article. Abbreviated Journal Title. Year;volume(issue):pages. doi:XXX.

Example:

2. Lee M, Chen L. Advances in cancer research. Oncol Rev. 2022;15(2):120-135. doi:10.1002/onco.12345

Journal Article with More Than 6 Authors: List the first 6 authors followed by "et al."

Example:

3. Brown A, White B, Green C, et al. A new approach to diabetes management. Diabetes Care. 2021;44(1):10-20.

Books

Standard Book:

Author AA, Author BB. Title of Book. Edition number (if beyond first). Publisher; Year.

Example:

4. Johnson R, Williams S. Medical Terminology. 3rd ed. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2020.

Chapter in an Edited Book:

Author AA. Chapter title. In: Editor AA, Editor BB, eds. Title of Book. Edition number (if beyond first). Publisher; Year:pages.

Example:

5. Davis P. The immune system. In: Adams J, Baker L, eds. Human Physiology. 2nd ed. Elsevier; 2022:150-170.

Online Book/Ebook:

Author AA. Title of Book. Publisher; Year. URL.

Example:

6. Miller T. Clinical Pharmacology. McGraw-Hill; 2021. https://www.accessmedicine.com/book/miller-clinical-pharmacology

Webpages and Websites

Standard Webpage:

Author AA (if available). Title of webpage. Website Name. Published Month Day, Year. Updated Month Day, Year (if applicable). Accessed Month Day, Year. URL.

Example:

7. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About heart disease. CDC. Published May 15, 2023. Accessed July 1, 2025. https://www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/about.htm

Other Common Source Types

Conference Proceedings:

Author AA, Author BB. Title of paper. In: Title of Conference Proceedings; Month Day-Day, Year; City, State. Publisher; Year:pages.

Example:

8. Chen H, Wang Q. A novel algorithm for image processing. In: Proceedings of the International Conference on Medical Imaging; June 10-12, 2024; Boston, MA. IEEE; 2024:50-55.

Thesis/Dissertation:

Author AA. Title of thesis/dissertation [type of publication]. University Name; Year.

Example:

9. Green L. The role of genetics in neurological disorders [dissertation]. University of California, San Francisco; 2023.

Newspaper Article:

Author AA. Title of article. Newspaper Name. Month Day, Year:pages.

Example:

10. White S. New drug shows promise in clinical trials. New York Times. July 5, 2025:A1, A12.

Online Newspaper Article:

Author AA. Title of article. Newspaper Name. Month Day, Year. URL.

Example:

11. Black J. The future of healthcare. The Guardian. July 8, 2025. https://www.theguardian.com/healthcare/future

Government Publication:

Authoring Agency. Title of Publication. Publication No. City, State: Publisher; Year.

Example:

12. National Institutes of Health. Understanding Cancer. NIH Publication No. 23-CA-1234. Bethesda, MD: National Cancer Institute; 2023.

Online Government Publication:

Authoring Agency. Title of Publication. Publication No. Year. URL.

Example:

13. World Health Organization. Global Health Estimates 2022. 2022. https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/themes/global-health-estimates

This guide provides a concise overview of AMA 11th Edition citation style. For more detailed information and specific examples, always consult the official AMA Manual of Style.