Learning guide
How to Cite Sources in AMA Style
AMA references are numbered in the order they appear and use compact author, title and publication details. Accuracy matters because a correctly formatted reference can still be wrong if the underlying metadata is incomplete.
Method
- Identify the source type before formatting the reference.
- For journal articles, verify author names, article title, PubMed/NLM journal abbreviation, year, volume, issue, pages or article number and DOI.
- List all authors when there are 6 or fewer; when there are more than 6, list the first 3 followed by et al.
- Prefer a DOI over a journal-article URL when a DOI is available, and verify every imported field against the source.
Worked example
Journal pattern: Author(s). Article title. Abbreviated Journal Name. Year;volume(issue):pages. doi:DOI
Book pattern: Author(s). Book Title. Edition when not first. Publisher; Year.
Notes
- JAMA instructions state that authors are responsible for reference accuracy and completeness.
- Journal names should use the PubMed/NLM abbreviation when available.
- DOI and URL strings do not receive a final period in the generated reference.
Continue with the related tools
This guide explains the method; use the calculator or tool pages for your own inputs and scenarios.
- MLA Citation Generator — Generate MLA Handbook 9th edition works-cited entries for journal articles, webpages, books and book chapters with DOI metadata import.
- APA Citation Generator — Generate APA Style 7th edition reference-list entries for journal articles, webpages, books and book chapters with DOI metadata import.
- IEEE Citation Generator — Generate numbered IEEE references for journal articles, webpages, books and book chapters using current IEEE reference-guide conventions.