The AMA Style Manual

The 11th edition of the AMA Style Manual published in 2020 is the most comprehensive resource, but to advance research in lifestyle medicine, some information is summarized below.

---

AMA Style Quick Tips: 

• Use the author’s surname followed by initials without periods or spaces. In listed references, the names of all authors should be given unless there are more than 6, in which case the names of the first 3 authors are used, followed by “et al.” Do not use “and” between names.
• Abbreviate and italicize names of journals. Use initial capital letters. Abbreviate according to the listing in the PubMed Journals database. All journal titles in PubMed are already listed as they should be abbreviated.
• In article titles, capitalize only the first letter of the first word, proper names, and abbreviations that are ordinarily capitalized.
• If you are using a bibliographic manager such as Endnote Basic, the formatting style may also be listed as JAMA.

Journal Articles
When the DOI is provided, it is preferable to cite it rather than the URL. Note: The DOI is provided immediately after “doi:” with no spaces. No accessed date is required for the DOI, making it the last item in the reference.

Abbreviate and italicize names of journals. Use initial capital letters. Abbreviate according to the listing in the PubMed Journals database. All journal titles in PubMed are already listed as they should be abbreviated.

Basic Format for articles accessed online:

Author(s). Title. Journal Name. Year;vol(issue No.):inclusive pages. DOI

Author(s). Title. Journal Name. Year;vol(issue No.):inclusive pages. Accessed Sat, 25 Mar 2023 04:12:42 +0000. URL.

Basic Format for articles in print:

Author(s). Title. Journal Name. Year;vol(issue No.):inclusive pages.

Examples:

Frank S, Jankovic J. Advances in the pharmacological management of Huntington’s disease. Drugs. 2010;70(5):561-571. doi:10.2165/11534430-000000000-00000.

Wheelis M. Investigating disease outbreaks under a protocol to the biological and toxin weapons convention. Emerg Infect Dis. 2000;6(6):595-600. Accessed October 26, 2010. http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/eid/vol6no6/wheelis.htm.

Print Book

Author(s). Book Title. Edition number (if it is the second edition or above). Publisher’s name; copyright year.

Example:

Anderson KM. Enhancing Resilience in Survivors of Family Violence. Springer; 2010.

E-book

Author(s). Book Title. Edition number (if it is the second edition or above). Publisher’s name; copyright year. Accessed Sat, 25 Mar 2023 04:12:42 +0000. URL.

Example:

Modell AH. Imagination and the Meaningful Brain. MIT Press; 2003. Accessed October 31, 2010. http://site.ebrary.com/lib/uic/docDetail.action?docID=10173553.

Part of a Book:

Author(s). Chapter title. In: Editor(s). Book Title. Edition number (if it is the second edition or above). Publisher’s name; copyright year:inclusive pages.

Example:

Sisk JE. Cardiac catheterization. In: Krapp K, ed. The Gale Encyclopedia of Nursing & Allied Health. Gale Group; 2002:407-412.

Web Site:

Author(s) (or, if no author is available, the name of the organization responsible for the site). Title (or, if no title is available, the name of the organization responsible for the site). Name of the Web site. [Date published]. Updated Sat, 25 Mar 2023 04:12:42 +0000. Accessed Sat, 25 Mar 2023 04:12:42 +0000. URL.

Example:

U.S. National Library of Medicine. Back Pain. MedlinePlus. Accessed October 31, 2010. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/backpain.html.