AMA Citation Format: Rules and Examples

AMA style comes from the AMA Manual of Style, 11th edition, and is used in medicine, nursing, public health and many health-science journals. It is a numbered style with superscript citations.

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Updated 21 October 2026 · EssayWriting.com editorial team

Key takeaways
  • AMA style follows the AMA Manual of Style, 11th edition (2020).
  • Number sources with superscripts in the order you first cite them.
  • List all authors when there are six or fewer; with more, list three and add et al.

AMA at a glance

FeatureAMA rule
Used inMedicine, nursing, pharmacy, public health
In-textSuperscript Arabic numerals in order of first citation
PunctuationSuperscripts go outside full stops and commas, inside colons and semicolons
Author namesSurname and initials with no full stops: Smith JA
Many authorsList all authors if six or fewer; if more than six, list the first three followed by "et al"
Journal namesAbbreviated (NLM style) and italicised
List orderNumerical, matching first citation

AMA in-text citations

Cite with a superscript number: Hypertension affects many adults.1 Several sources: 2,5; a range: 3-6. A source keeps its number each time it is cited.

AMA reference examples

Journal article
1. Author AA, Author BB. Title of article. Abbrev Journal Name. Year;Vol(Issue):pages. doi:xxxx

Book
2. Author AA. Title of Book. xth ed. Publisher; Year.

Website
3. Author or Organisation. Title of page. Site Name. Published Month Day, Year. Updated Month Day, Year. Accessed Month Day, Year. URL

Words in capitals or x's show where your details go.

Common AMA mistakes

Other citation styles

AMA worked examples by source type

All sources in these worked examples are fictional and were created to illustrate the format. Replace them with your real sources.

Journal article

1. Shah P, Kim D. Sleep and memory in first-year students. J Stud Health. 2023;18(2):101-118. doi:10.1234/jsh.2023.018

In-text: 1

Journal article, more than 6 authors

2. Rivera A, Osei K, Lind M, et al. Example outcomes in a fictional cohort. J Example Med. 2022;7(1):55-63.

In-text: 2

Book

3. Lopez M. The Quiet Coast. 2nd ed. Harbor Press; 2021.

In-text: 3

Chapter in an edited book

4. Okoro J. Tides and trade. In: Berg A, ed. Coastal Histories. Northfield University Press; 2019:45-62.

In-text: 4

Web page

5. Healthy sleep habits. Sleep Facts Network. Published June 10, 2023. Accessed October 20, 2026. https://www.sleepfacts.example/habits

In-text: 5

Government or organisation report

6. National Education Agency. Annual Literacy Report 2023. National Education Agency; 2023.

In-text: 6

Dissertation

7. Ahmed S. Harbour Towns and Migration, 1850-1900. Dissertation. Northfield University; 2020.

In-text: 7

How to build any AMA reference, step by step

  1. Number sources in order of first citation and use superscripts in the text.
  2. Write authors as Surname Initials with no full stops; list up to six, otherwise three plus et al.
  3. Write the article title in sentence case.
  4. Abbreviate and italicise the journal name, followed by a full stop.
  5. Add Year;Volume(Issue):pages with no spaces.
  6. Finish with the DOI (doi:xxxx), without a final full stop.

Sample AMA reference list

Here are the worked examples above assembled into a list the way they would appear at the end of an essay (numbered in order of first citation).

1. Shah P, Kim D. Sleep and memory in first-year students. J Stud Health. 2023;18(2):101-118. doi:10.1234/jsh.2023.018

2. Rivera A, Osei K, Lind M, et al. Example outcomes in a fictional cohort. J Example Med. 2022;7(1):55-63.

3. Lopez M. The Quiet Coast. 2nd ed. Harbor Press; 2021.

4. Okoro J. Tides and trade. In: Berg A, ed. Coastal Histories. Northfield University Press; 2019:45-62.

5. Healthy sleep habits. Sleep Facts Network. Published June 10, 2023. Accessed October 20, 2026. https://www.sleepfacts.example/habits

6. National Education Agency. Annual Literacy Report 2023. National Education Agency; 2023.

7. Ahmed S. Harbour Towns and Migration, 1850-1900. Dissertation. Northfield University; 2020.

AMA pre-submission checklist

Citing in tables and figures

If you cite a source in a table or figure, number it according to where the table or figure is first mentioned in the text, so the numbering stays sequential.

Finding journal abbreviations

AMA uses the National Library of Medicine (NLM) journal abbreviations. Search the NLM Catalog for the journal and copy the abbreviation, which uses no full stops (for example, a journal named Journal of Example Medicine would appear in the abbreviated form NLM assigns, without full stops).

AMA in nursing and health assignments

Many nursing programmes use APA rather than AMA, so check your course handbook. If you use AMA, cite clinical guidelines and drug information sources as carefully as journal articles, including the organisation, title, update date and access date for online material.

Quick answers to common questions

Does AMA use a title page?

AMA governs citations and manuscript style; student paper layout usually follows your course instructions.

Is AMA author-date?

No. AMA is a numbered style using superscripts.

Frequently asked questions

What edition of AMA style is current?

The AMA Manual of Style, 11th edition, published in 2020.

How many authors do I list in AMA?

All authors if there are six or fewer. For more than six, list the first three and then et al.

Where does the superscript go in AMA?

Outside full stops and commas, inside colons and semicolons.

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