AMA Manual of Style, 11th ed.

AMA citation generator

Format AMA references from a URL, DOI or ISBN in the free web app, then check them against the AMA 11th edition rules and examples below.

Create AMA citations freeAll citation styles
  • Free account required
  • Auto-fill from URL, DOI or ISBN
  • 16 source types
Citation generator in the Plagiarism Checker Plus web app: auto-fill a source from a URL, DOI or ISBN, or pick one of 16 source types
The rules

How to cite in AMA style

AMA is a numbered style. Sources are numbered in the order you first cite them, and the reference list follows that same order.

In the text

  • Cite with superscript Arabic numerals, numbered in the order sources first appear.
  • Place the number outside periods and commas, and inside colons and semicolons.
  • Reuse a source’s original number every time you cite it again.
  • Separate several citations with commas and join ranges with a hyphen, with no spaces: 1,3-5
  • Add a page number in parentheses right after the number: 2(p14)

In the reference list

  • Title the list References and number it in citation order, not alphabetically.
  • Write authors as surname plus initials, with no periods: Hill AB. List up to six; for seven or more, list three, then “et al.”
  • Use sentence case for article titles, with no quotation marks. Italicize book titles in title case.
  • Abbreviate journal names as the NLM catalog does and italicize them: Br Med J.
  • Give the DOI as doi:10.xxxx with no period after it. Book references leave out the publisher’s city.

These rules follow the AMA Manual of Style, 11th edition (2020). If a journal’s instructions for authors differ, follow the journal.

Examples

AMA citation examples

The superscript in-text citation and the numbered reference entry for four common source types.

  • Journal article

    Doll and Hill, BMJ, 1950

    In-text
    Doll and Hill reported the association in 1950.1
    Reference
    1. Doll R, Hill AB. Smoking and carcinoma of the lung: preliminary report. Br Med J. 1950;2(4682):739-748. doi:10.1136/bmj.2.4682.739

  • Book

    Kuhn, 1962

    In-text
    Kuhn called these changes paradigm shifts.2(p52)
    Reference
    2. Kuhn TS. The Structure of Scientific Revolutions. University of Chicago Press; 1962.

  • Website

    Placeholder example

    In-text
    The guide explains serving sizes.3
    Reference
    3. Doe J. How to read a nutrition label. Example Health. Published March 3, 2024. Accessed March 10, 2026. https://www.example.org/nutrition-label

  • YouTube video

    Placeholder example

    In-text
    The video shows the measurement step by step.4
    Reference
    4. Example Health Channel. How blood pressure is measured. YouTube video. Published March 3, 2024. Accessed March 10, 2026. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID

The journal article and book are real sources; 52 is a sample page number. The website and video use placeholder names and example URLs to show the pattern.

Before you submit

Common AMA citation mistakes

Mistakes to check for

  • Putting the superscript number before a period or comma instead of after it.
  • Ordering references alphabetically instead of by first citation.
  • Adding periods or spaces to initials: Hill A. B. instead of Hill AB.
  • Writing article titles in title case or in quotation marks.
  • Spelling out journal names instead of using NLM abbreviations.
  • Listing every author when there are seven or more.
  • Adding the publisher’s city to a book reference.

When to use AMA style

AMA style comes from the American Medical Association and is used by JAMA Network journals. Many medical, nursing and health science programs require it for papers, posters and capstones.

  • Medicine and biomedical research
  • Nursing and allied health
  • Pharmacy and public health
  • Health science journals that follow AMA
In the app

Create AMA citations in three steps

The citation generator lives in the Plagiarism Checker Plus web app. It fills in the source details and formats the AMA reference for you.

  1. Create a free account

    Sign up for the web app. The citation generator needs a free account.

  2. Choose AMA

    Pick AMA, then paste a URL, DOI or ISBN, or fill in one of 16 source types.

  3. Check and copy

    Check author names and the journal abbreviation, then copy the entry into your reference list.

The app formats the reference entry; add the superscript numbers in your document as you write. The Chrome extension only cites in APA 7, MLA 9, Chicago and Harvard, so use the web app for AMA.

FAQ

AMA citation questions

Yes. The citation generator in the Plagiarism Checker Plus web app is free to use, but it needs a free account. Sign up, choose AMA and add a source by URL, DOI or ISBN, or enter the details by hand.

Build your AMA reference list

Sign up free, choose AMA and add your sources by URL, DOI or ISBN.