AMA citation style is the numbered system from the AMA Manual of Style, now in its 11th edition. It is standard in medicine, nursing, pharmacy and many biomedical science courses.
This page shows how AMA in-text citations work, the reference formats you will use most, how AMA differs from Vancouver, and a short worked example. Check your module handbook too, since some departments adapt the rules.
AMA Style in Four Rules
- Cite sources with superscript Arabic numerals, numbered in the order they first appear in the text.
- Reuse a source's original number every time you cite it again.
- List references numerically, not alphabetically, under the heading "References".
- Abbreviate and italicize journal names, and end journal references with the DOI when there is one.
In-Text Citations
Each source gets a number the first time you cite it, and keeps that number throughout the paper. The numbers appear as superscripts.
- Place superscripts outside full stops and commas, and inside colons and semicolons.
- Cite several sources with commas and no spaces, such as 1,4,7.
- Use a hyphen for a run of three or more consecutive sources, such as 2-5.
- To cite a specific page, put it in parentheses within the superscript, such as 3(p12).
Regular aerobic exercise lowers resting blood pressure in adults with hypertension.1
Several trials reported similar effects,2-4 although adherence varied widely.3,5
Smith and colleagues6 found the effect was larger in older participants.
When you name authors in the sentence, use the surname for one or two authors and "et al" or "and colleagues" for three or more, followed by the superscript number.
Journal Articles
Journal articles are the source type you will cite most often. Follow this pattern exactly, including punctuation.
Author AA, Author BB, Author CC. Title of article in sentence case. Abbreviated Journal Name. Year;Volume(Issue):pages. doi:xx.xxxx
- Give surnames and initials with no full stops or spaces between initials.
- List all authors if there are six or fewer. For seven or more, list the first three followed by "et al".
- Write the article title in sentence case, without italics.
- Italicize the journal name and abbreviate it using the NLM catalog abbreviation.
- Write "doi:" in lower case, with no space after the colon and no full stop at the end.
1. Patel R, Okafor N, Lind S. Effect of a home walking program on resting blood pressure. J Hypertens Res. 2023;15(2):101-109. doi:10.1000/jhr.2023.0142
2. Moreno L, Chen Y, Hart D, et al. Adherence to exercise prescriptions in primary care. Br J Gen Pract Stud. 2022;8(4):233-240. doi:10.1000/bjgps.2022.088
These examples use invented authors, journals and DOIs, so the format is clear without pointing to a real paper. Always copy the real details from the article itself.
Books and Chapters
The 11th edition dropped the publisher's location. Give the publisher name and year only.
Book: Author AA, Author BB. Book Title in Title Case. Edition. Publisher; Year. Chapter in an edited book: Author AA. Chapter title in sentence case. In: Editor AA, Editor BB, eds. Book Title in Title Case. Edition. Publisher; Year:pages.
3. Grant H, Ellis M. Clinical Pharmacology for Nurses. 4th ed. Northfield Press; 2021.
4. Osei K. Renal handling of drugs. In: Ward T, Bell A, eds. Principles of Clinical Pharmacology. 2nd ed. Northfield Press; 2020:145-168.
Omit the edition for a first edition. Write later editions as "2nd ed", "3rd ed" and so on.
Websites and Online Resources
Web references need enough detail for a reader to find the page and to know when you saw it. Include the accessed date, because web content changes.
Author AA (or Organization). Title of page. Name of website. Published Month Day, Year. Updated Month Day, Year. Accessed Month Day, Year. URL
5. Northfield Health Trust. Managing high blood pressure at home. Northfield Health Trust website. Published May 4, 2024. Accessed October 2, 2026. https://www.example.org/blood-pressure
Leave out any element the page does not provide, such as an updated date. If there is no individual author, start with the organization's name.
AMA Versus Vancouver
AMA and Vancouver are both numbered styles used in medicine, and they look similar. The differences are small but markers notice them.
| Feature | AMA 11th edition | Vancouver (NLM) |
|---|---|---|
| In-text numbers | Superscript | Superscript or in brackets, depending on the institution |
| Journal name | Abbreviated and italic | Abbreviated, not italic |
| Many authors | Up to six listed; seven or more: first three, then et al | Up to six listed; more than six: first six, then et al. |
| Page ranges | Written in full, such as 101-109 | Often shortened, such as 101-9 |
| Book titles | Italic, title case | Not italic |
If your brief just says "numbered style", ask which one. Switching between them halfway through a paper is a common reason for lost marks.
A Worked Example
Text. Home walking programs have lowered resting systolic pressure in controlled trials,1 but adherence remains the main obstacle.2 Drug therapy is still needed for many patients,3 and renal function affects dosing.4 Patient education materials now encourage regular home monitoring.5 As Patel et al1 noted, combining exercise with medication may work best.
References.
1. Patel R, Okafor N, Lind S. Effect of a home walking program on resting blood pressure. J Hypertens Res. 2023;15(2):101-109. doi:10.1000/jhr.2023.0142
2. Moreno L, Chen Y, Hart D, et al. Adherence to exercise prescriptions in primary care. Br J Gen Pract Stud. 2022;8(4):233-240. doi:10.1000/bjgps.2022.088
3. Grant H, Ellis M. Clinical Pharmacology for Nurses. 4th ed. Northfield Press; 2021.
4. Osei K. Renal handling of drugs. In: Ward T, Bell A, eds. Principles of Clinical Pharmacology. 2nd ed. Northfield Press; 2020:145-168.
5. Northfield Health Trust. Managing high blood pressure at home. Northfield Health Trust website. Published May 4, 2024. Accessed October 2, 2026. https://www.example.org/blood-pressure
Note how Patel's study keeps the number 1 when cited again, and how "et al" carries no full stop in AMA.
Tips for AMA in Assignments
- Use reference management software, such as Zotero, EndNote or Mendeley, with the AMA 11th edition style selected, then check the output by hand.
- Look up each journal's official abbreviation rather than guessing it.
- Prefer primary research and current clinical guidelines over general websites.
- Keep the reference list single-spaced within entries, unless your course asks otherwise.
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Frequently Asked Questions
The 11th edition of the AMA Manual of Style, published in 2020. It dropped publisher locations for books and recommends DOIs for journal articles.
After. Superscript numbers go outside full stops and commas, and inside colons and semicolons.
Use its original number again. Each source has one number for the whole paper.
List all authors when there are six or fewer. When there are seven or more, list the first three and then "et al".
No. It is numbered in the order sources are first cited in the text.
Yes. AMA asks for the date you accessed online content, because web pages can change.