Explicit instructions for paper format are not given in the AMA manual because publishers provide specific requirements for submitted manuscripts. These research paper format guidelines have been chosen by faculty for South College students, and can be found in the official South College AMA Style Guide.
Note: Your instructor may have specific or additional requirements not listed in this guide.
Single Author
Lastname InIn.
Multiple Authors, up to 6
Lastname InIn, Lastname InIn, Lastname InIn, Lastname InIn, Lastname InIn, Lastname InIn.
More than 6 Authors
Lastname InIn, Lastname InIn, Lastname InIn, et al.
Group Author
Group Name.
Author and a Group
Lastname InIn; Group Name.
More than 6 Authors and a Group
Lastname InIn, Lastname InIn, Lastname InIn, et al; Group Name.
Author punctuation: The only punctuation comes after the initials, a comma between author names and a period after the last author's initials or et al.
Book titles are italicized and written with the first letter of each major word capitalized. Articles (a, the), prepositions (at, by), and coordinating conjunctions (and, or, for) are not capitalized unless they are the first word of the title or subtitle.
Basic & Clinical Biostatistics.
Clinical Anatomy: A Case Study Approach.
Book chapters are written in lower case except for the first word and any proper nouns. The word "In" and a colon (:) are inserted before the book title.
Study designs in medical research. In: Basic & Clinical Biostatistics.
For example, the International Journal of Clinical Pharmacy is written as: Int J Clin Pharm.
Article titles are written in lower case except for the first word and proper nouns.
Terminology, the importance of defining. Int J Clin Pharm.
Citing the Whole Book
Author InIn. Title of Book. Edition number if 2nd edition or later. Publisher name; copyright year.
Oliver L. Delirium. Harper Collins; 2011.
Citing a Chapter in a Book
Author InIn. Chapter title. In: Title of Book. Edition number if 2nd edition or later. Publisher name; copyright year:page-page.
Pickar GD, Abernethy AP, eds. Fractions and decimals. In: Dosage Calculations: A Ratio-Proportion Approach. 4th ed. Cengage Learning; 2016:31-62.
Chapter in a Book Where Individual Chapters have Author/Editor(s) Separate from the Book Editor(s).
Chapter Author InIn. Chapter title. In: Book Editor InIn, ed. Title of Book. Edition number if 2nd edition or later. Publisher name; copyright year:page-page.
Sicat BL, Brophy GM, Kirkwood CK. Active learning strategies. In: Schwinghammer TL, Koehler JM, eds. Pharmacotherapy Casebook: A Patient-Focused Approach. 9th ed. McGraw-Hill; 2014:9-12.
Use the appropriate book citation format (whole book, book chapter, book chapter with different author) then include the accessed date and URL.
Author InIn. Book Title. Edition number. Publisher name; copyright year. Accessed [date]. URL
DiPiro JT, Talbert RL, Yee GC, Matzke GR, Wells BG, Posey LM. Pharmacotherapy: A Pathophysiologic Approach. 10th ed. McGraw-Hill; 2017. Accessed January 7, 2019. https://accesspharmacy.mhmedical.com/book.aspx?bookid=1861
Note: If the ebook version does not give page numbers for individual chapters, omit the page numbers from the citation.
Mayo Clinic Healthy Living Facebook page. Accessed February 10, 2016. https://www.facebook.com/mayoclinichealthylivingprogram/
@AMAManual. The human immunodeficiency virus is widely known by its abbreviation HIV, to the extent that AMA style no longer requires the expansion (especially true in the construction “HIV/AIDS”). October 12, 2018. Accessed October 27, 2018. https://twitter.com/AMAManual/status/1050763170825076737
Blog Entry
Antos D. The percolating proofreader. AMA Style Insider blog. January 14, 2016. Accessed February 10, 2018. http://blog.amamanualofstyle.com/2016/01/14/thepercolatingproofreader2/
References
The Digital Object Identifier (DOI) is a number or identifier assigned to an individual article for users to easily locate online.
The DOI is required when citing journal articles unless the article does not have an DOI.
If no DOI is available, the URL that will take the reader directly to the full text, such as the article page on publisher website, may be included. The URL is preceded by the date of publication, and/or the date last updated if given, and the date you first access the article.
The accessed date is not required when using the DOI because it is a permanent identifier.
A DOI or URL should be included for all journal articles, including articles found or accessed in print journal issues. If an article is read in a print journal, locate the DOI or URL online for the reference list.
Journal article with a DOI
Author InIn. Title of article. Journal Name Abbreviation. Year;vol(issue no.):inclusive pages. doi:10.XXX/XXXXXXXX
van Mil JW, Henman M. Terminology, the importance of defining. Int J Clin Pharm. 2016;38(3):709-713. doi:10.1007/s11096-016-0294-5
Journal article with a URL (no DOI given)
Author InIn. Title of article. Journal Name Abbreviation. Year;vol(issue no.):inclusive pages. Accessed [date]. http://www.completeurl.com
Rakel B, Barr JO. Physical modalities in chronic pain management. Nurs Clin North Am. 2003;38(3):477-494. Accessed January 9, 2018. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S002964650200097X?via%3Dihub
Accepted manuscript of a journal article published online by the author ahead of print
Author InIn. Title of article. Journal Name Abbreviation. Accepted manuscript. Published online month day, year. doi:10.XXX/XXXXXXXX
Najjar A, Karaman R. Successes, failures, and future prospects of prodrugs and their clinical impact. Expert Opin Drug Discov. Accepted manuscript. Published online February 4, 2019. doi:10.1080/17460441.2019.1567487
Journal article published online ahead of print (epub ahead of print)
Author InIn. Title of article. Journal Name Abbreviation. Published online month day, year. doi:10.XXX/XXXXXXXX
Najjar A, Karaman R. Successes, failures, and future prospects of prodrugs and their clinical impact. Expert Opin Drug Discov. Published online February 4, 2019. doi:10.1080/17460441.2019.1567487
AMA recommends citing the specific item or page on a website over citing the website as a whole.
Author InIn or Group or Organization (omit if none is given). Title of the item cited (if none is given, use the name of the organization responsible for the site). Name of the Website. [Date published]. Updated [date]. Accessed [date]. URL
Charlton G. Internal linking for SEO: examples and best practices. SearchEngineWatch. September 29, 2015. Accessed February 10, 2016. https://searchenginewatch.com/sew/how-to/2428041/internal-linking-for-seo-examples-and-best-practices
International Society for Infectious Diseases. ProMED-mail. Accessed February 10, 2016. http://www.promedmail.org
Note: Include the "[Date published]. Updated [date]." if these dates are available on the website.
Zika travel information. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. January 26, 2016. Updated August 11, 2016. Accessed November 6, 2017. https://www.cdc.gov/travel/page/zika-travel-information
Note: Some professors may require that you indicate no publication date is available with "n.d."
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Productive aging and work: a supportive work culture for multi-generational issues. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. n.d. Updated September 15, 2015. Accessed June 16, 2020. https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/productiveaging/supportiveculture.html
App
The JAMA Network Challenge app. Version 1.2. American Medical Association. Updated April 27, 2016.
Podcast Episode
Livingston EH. Editor’s audio summary. JAMA. March 26, 2014. Accessed October 4, 2016. http://jamanetwork.com/learning/audio-player/6514262