This guide offers general guidelines and select examples of AMA citing and reference style. It is NOT a substitute for the AMA Manual. It is strongly recommended that you use EndNote, or other citation management tool to aid in organizing and citing references.
What is the difference between a citation and a reference?
What does a cited reference look like?
Different publication styles call for citation and reference information to be written in a very a specific order, and can have differing rules regarding capitalization, and punctuation. In general the minimum information needed for a cited reference is an:
See section 3.6 Citation for more information and specific examples
Deciding how to cite an item can be difficult. Is this a website or a journal article, or is it government publication? When in doubt how to cite an item ask yourself these questions:
Consult section 3.0 References of the AMA Manual and try to see where the item best fits. If you are still unsure consult with your professor or contact a librarian for help.
See section 3.2 Reference List for more information
Cite original, or primary, sources. For example, A website makes reference to an article published in a medical journal, and you want to include the article's conclusions in your work. You must retrieve and cite the medical article in your work. You can’t cite the article’s conclusions as coming from the website. You need to give credit to the original author(s) and source.
See section 3.0 References for more information.