AMA Citation Format: Rules, Examples & In-Text Guide
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0 sourcesAMA Citation Format uses superscript numbers in the text, keyed to a reference list numbered in the order sources first appear. Each entry lists authors (last name plus initials), title, abbreviated journal, year, volume, pages, and DOI.
What does an AMA reference look like?
An AMA journal reference follows a fixed order: authors, article title (sentence case), abbreviated journal name in italics, year, volume, issue in parentheses, page range, then the DOI. Authors take last name plus initials with no periods between initials.
- Authors — last name + initials, no periods, commas between names
- Title — sentence case, only first word and proper nouns capitalised
- Journal — NLM-abbreviated, italicised, ending in a period
- Year;volume(issue):pages — no spaces, page range condensed
- DOI — lowercase
doi:prefix, no trailing period
How do AMA in-text citations work?
AMA uses superscript arabic numerals, not author-date parentheses. You number each source the first time it appears, then reuse that number throughout. The reference list stays in citation order — never alphabetised. Numbers sit outside periods and commas but inside colons and semicolons.
| Situation | How it looks |
|---|---|
| Single source | Recent trials confirmed the effect.1 |
| Two non-consecutive | Two cohorts reported gains.2,5 |
| A range of three or more | Several reviews agree.3-6 |
| Mixed list | Prior work supports this.1,4,7-9 |
| Naming an author | As Chen4 demonstrated, the dose matters. |
Separate individual numbers with commas and no spaces. Use a hyphen to compress three or more consecutive numbers. Cite the same reference number every time you return to that source.
How do you cite different sources in AMA?
Every source type keeps the same author-title-source order, but the details differ. Books drop the journal data and add publisher and edition; websites add an access date and URL. Below are copy-ready examples in current 11th-edition style.
Journal articleCoppola JA, Kernbach ME, Wong TT. Rapid antigen testing in emergency departments. JAMA. 2021;325(4):345-352. doi:10.1001/jama.2020.24865
Journal, 7+ authorsNakamura K, Ito Y, Sato H, et al. Long-term outcomes after cardiac ablation. Circulation. 2019;140(11):901-910. doi:10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.119.04021
Whole bookKasper DL, Fauci AS. Harrison’s Principles of Internal Medicine. 20th ed. McGraw-Hill Education; 2018.
Book chapterWeiss RB. Adverse drug reactions. In: Loscalzo J, ed. Clinical Pharmacology. 3rd ed. Elsevier; 2020:112-128.
WebsiteCenters for Disease Control and Prevention. Understanding how vaccines work. CDC. Updated November 22, 2021. Accessed December 1, 2021. https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/hcp/conversations/understanding-vacc-work.html
Online report / organizationWorld Health Organization. World Health Statistics 2023. WHO; 2023. Accessed March 4, 2024. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240074323
Key formatting rules apply across all types. Titles of articles, chapters, and web pages take sentence case, while journal and book titles are italicised. List up to 6 authors in full; with 7 or more, name the first 3 and add et al. Give the DOI whenever one exists — it is preferred over a URL for published articles.
Author formatting at a glance
| Author count | What you list |
|---|---|
| 1-6 authors | All names: Smith JA, Jones RB, Patel SK. |
| 7 or more | First 3 + et al: Smith JA, Jones RB, Patel SK, et al. |
| Group / organization | Spell out the full body name as the author |
| No author | Start the entry with the title |
How is AMA different from APA?
The biggest divergence is the citation system. AMA is numeric and citation-ordered; APA is author-date and alphabetised. AMA also abbreviates journal names and omits periods between author initials, both of which APA does not do.
| Feature | AMA (11th ed.) | APA (7th ed.) |
|---|---|---|
| In-text marker | Superscript number1 | (Author, Year) |
| List order | Order of appearance | Alphabetical |
| Journal names | Abbreviated (NLM) | Full title |
| Author initials | No periods (JA) | Periods (J. A.) |
| Article title case | Sentence case | Sentence case |
How accurate is this guide?
These rules reflect the AMA Manual of Style, 11th edition, the most current release. Automated generators — including ours — handle the common patterns above reliably, but a few areas still need a human check. Journal abbreviations must match the NLM Catalog exactly, since databases sometimes supply the full name.
- Verify DOIs resolve; a mistyped digit breaks the link entirely.
- Confirm sentence-case titles — imported metadata often arrives in title case.
- Check the author cutoff; some sources hide contributors past the first few.
- Individual journals may impose house rules that override the manual, so follow submission guidelines when they conflict.
Treat any generated reference as a strong draft, then proofread against the original source before submitting.
AMA citation format FAQ
Which edition of AMA style is current?
The 11th edition of the AMA Manual of Style, published in 2020, is the current standard. It introduced updated digital-source rules and remains the reference used by JAMA Network journals.
Does AMA use superscript numbers?
Yes. AMA places superscript arabic numerals in the text, assigned in the order sources first appear, and matches them to a numbered reference list rather than using author-date parentheses.
How many authors can you list before “et al”?
List up to 6 authors in full. When a source has 7 or more authors, name only the first 3 followed by et al, with no comma issues between the third name and et al beyond the standard comma.
Are journal names abbreviated in AMA?
Yes. AMA abbreviates journal titles using the NLM Catalog — for example, New England Journal of Medicine becomes N Engl J Med. Single-word titles like JAMA or Circulation stay unabbreviated.
Is the AMA reference list alphabetised?
No. AMA references are numbered and listed in the order they are first cited in the text, never alphabetically. Each source keeps the same number every time it is cited.
Does AMA require a DOI?
Include a DOI whenever one exists, formatted with a lowercase doi: prefix and no trailing period. DOIs are preferred over URLs for published journal articles because they remain stable.