Free AMA Citation Generator

What is AMA Citation Style?

The American Medical Association (AMA) citation style is the standard referencing format used across medical, health, and biological sciences publications. Developed by the AMA, this style is used by many prestigious journals including JAMA, The New England Journal of Medicine, and hundreds of other medical and scientific publications.

AMA style uses a numbered citation system rather than the author-date format common in social sciences. This approach keeps the text clean and easy to read—particularly important in clinical and scientific writing where precision and readability are paramount.

AMA In-Text Citation Basics

AMA in-text citations use superscript Arabic numerals placed after the relevant text, typically after punctuation marks. Each number corresponds to a full reference entry in your numbered reference list. Sources are numbered in the order they first appear in the text.

Basic Format:

...as demonstrated in recent studies.¹

Examples:

• Single source: ...as shown previously.¹
• Multiple sources: ...confirmed by several studies.^1-3
• Non-consecutive: ...reported in the literature.^1,3,7
• With page number: ...according to Smith^1(p42)

When citing the same source again later in the text, reuse the original number assigned to it. Do not assign a new number. If you need to cite a specific page, include it in parentheses after the superscript number.

AMA Reference List Formatting

The AMA reference list appears at the end of your paper and is organized numerically—not alphabetically. Each entry is numbered to correspond with the superscript citations in your text. This makes it easy for readers to quickly locate the full reference for any citation.

Key Formatting Rules:

• Number references in the order they first appear in the text
• List all authors when there are 6 or fewer; for 7 or more, list the first 3 followed by "et al"
• Do not use periods after author initials (e.g., Smith J, not Smith J.)
• Abbreviate journal names using standard Index Medicus abbreviations
• Use sentence case for article titles (capitalize only the first word and proper nouns)
• Italicize journal names, book titles, and volume numbers

Common Source Examples:

Common AMA Mistakes to Avoid

AMA citation style has several unique rules that differ from other formats. Here are the most common mistakes and how to avoid them:

Source-Specific Citation Guides

Need detailed guidance on how to cite a specific source type in AMA format? Our comprehensive guides walk you through each citation format with real examples: