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AMA Style Guide

This guide is intended to introduce you to the basics of citation formatting as outlined in the 11th edition of the AMA Manual of Style

References to an Entire Book

Six (or fewer) authors or editors

Book with multiple editions: do not include first edition

Author AA, Author BB. Title. Edition. Publisher; Year.
  1. Patterson JW. Weedon’s Skin Pathology. 4th ed. Churchill Livingstone; 2016.

Book with no named authors in a series: include the volume number after the series information.

Editor AA, Editor BB, eds. Title of Book. Publisher; Year. Series Editor, ed. Series Title; volume.
  1. Eagle KA, Baliga RR, Isselbacher EM, Nienaber CA, eds. Aortic Dissection and Related Syndromes. Springer; 2007. Developments in Cardiovascular Medicine; vol 260.
  2. Kaufman HL, Mehnert JM, eds. Melanoma. Springer; 2016. Rosen ST, ed. Cancer Treatment and Research; vol 167.

Monograph from a series: a monograph is a detailed scholarly work written on a single subject by a person who is an expert in that field, they don't always have to be part of a series.

Author AA. Title. Series Name. Publisher; Year.
  1. de Pina-Cabral J. World: An Anthropological Examination. Malinowski Monographs. Hau Books; 2016.

Book with translator-editor: use the abbreviation "trans-ed" after their name.

Author AA. Title. Editor AA, trans-ed. Publisher; Year.
  1. Plato. The Laws. Taylor EA, trans-ed. JM Dent & Sons Ltd; 1934.
Greater than six authors or editors
Author AA, Author BB, Author CC, et al. Title. Volume. Edition. Publisher; Year.
Editor AA, Editor BB, Editor CC, et al, eds. Title. Volume. Edition. Publisher; Year.

Book with a group author

Group Name. Title. Edition. Publisher; Year.
  1. Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI). The Australian Immunisation Handbook. 10th ed. Australian Government Dept of Health; 2015.
  2. American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. 5th ed. American Psychiatric Association; 2013.
Book volume that is part of a series

Always use Arabic numbers (1, 2, 3, etc.) for the volume number.

Book volume without a unique title: use the series title after the authors' names and before the volume information

Author AA, Author BB. Series Title. Volume. Publisher; Year.
  1. Kasper DL, Fauci AS, Hauser S, Longo D, Jameson JL, Loscalzo J. Harrison’s Principles of Internal Medicine. Vol 2. McGraw-Hill Professional; 2015.

Book volume with a unique title and a series editor: include the series information after the publication year of the book

Editor AA, Editor BB, eds. Book Title. Publisher; Year. Series Editor, ed. Series Title; volume.
  1. Christiansen H, Christiansen NM, eds. Progressive Neuroblastoma: Innovation and Novel Therapeutic Strategies. Karger; 2015. Kiess W, ed. Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine; vol 20.

Book with the volume information in the title: do not repeat

Author AA, Author BB. Title. Publisher; Year.
  1. Riley-Tillman TC, Burns MK, Gibbons K. RTI Applications, Volume 2: Assessment, Analysis, and Decision Making. Guilford Press; 2013.
Books with different editions

Don't indicate the first edition and always use Arabic numbers (2, 3, 4, etc.) for the edition number.

Book with edition number and author

Author AA, Author BB. Title. Edition. Publisher; Year.
  1. Lareau A. Unequal Childhoods: Class, Race, and Family Life, With an Update a Decade Later. 2nd ed. University of California Press; 2011.

Book with edition number and editors

Editor AA, Editor BB, eds. Title. Edition. Publisher; Year.
  1. Braverman LE, Cooper D, eds. Werner and Ingbar’s The Thyroid: A Fundamental and Clinical Text. 10th ed. Lippencott Williams & Wilkins; 2012.

Book with a revised edition: use the abbreviation "rev ed."  If it is a new revised edition use "new rev ed."

Author AA, Author BB. Title. Edition. Publisher; Year.
  1. Katz JR, Carter CJ, Lyman Kravits S, Bishop J, Block J. Keys to Nursing Success. 3rd rev ed. Prentice Hall; 2009.

Book with an American edition: use abbreviation "American ed," if British, use "British ed."

Author AA, Author BB. Title. Edition. Publisher; Year.
  1. Smeltzer SC, Bare BG, Hinkle JL, Cheever KH. Brunner & Suddarth’s Textbook of Medical-Surgical Nursing. American ed. Wolters Kluwer/Lippencott Williams & Wilkins; 2009.
Books with joint imprints

A joint imprint is when a book is published by two different publishers. 

Author AA, Author BB. Title. Publisher 1/Publisher 2; Year.
  1. Taylor K. Philip Evergood: Never Separate From the Heart. Center Gallery, Bucknell University Press/Associated University Presses; 1987.

A joint imprint with an edition number

Author AA, Author BB. Title. Edition. Publisher 1/Publisher 2; Year.
  1. Green L. W. Barns-Graham: A Studio Life. 2nd ed. Lund Humphries/Ashgate Publishing; 2011.

A joint imprint authored by a committee

Committee Name. Title. Edition. Publisher 1/Publisher 2; Year.
  1. Style Manual Committee, Council of Science Editors. Scientific Style and Format: The CSE Manual for Authors, Editors, and Publishers. 8th ed. University of Chicago Press/Council of Science Editors; 2014.

References to Part of a Book

Book chapter

Note: there is no space between the colon after the publication year and the page numbers.

Chapter of a book with editors

Author AA, Author BB. Chapter title. In: Editor AA, Editor BB, eds. Book Title. Edition. Publisher; Year:page numbers.
  1. Prince M, Glozier N, Sousa R, Dewey M. Measuring disability across physical, mental, and cognitive disorders. In: Regier DA, Narrow WE, Kuhl EA, Kupfer DJ, eds. The Conceptual Evolution of DSM-5. American Psychiatric Publishing Inc; 2011:189-227.
  2. Boushey CJ. Application of research paradigms to nutrition practice. In: Coulston AM, Boushey CJ, Ferruzzi MG, eds. Nutrition in the Prevention and Treatment of Disease. 3rd ed. Academic Press; 2013:99-105.
  3. Rudolph KD, Flynn M. Depression in adolescents. In: Gottlib IH, Hammen CL, eds. Handbook of Depression. 3rd ed. Guilford Press; 2014:391-409.
  4. Harper RD. Preface. In: The Chicago Manual of Style. 16th ed. University of Chicago Press; 2010:xi-xiii.

Chapter of a book with editors and associate editors

Author AA, Author BB. Title of chapter. In: Editor AA, ed. Editor BB, Editor CC, associate eds. Book Title. Edition. Publisher; Year:pages.
  1. Blumenthal DK, Garrison JC. Pharmacodynamics: molecular mechanicsm of drug actions. In: Bunton LL, ed. Chabner BA, Knollman BC, associate eds. Goodman and Gilman’s The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics. 12th ed. McGraw-Hill Education; 2011: 41-72.

Chapter of a book that is part of a series

Author AA, Author BB. Title of chapter. In: Editor AA, Editor BB. Book Title. Publisher; Year:pages. Series title, volume.
  1. Kleinman K. Darwin and Spenser on the origin of music: is music the food of love? In: Altenmüller E, Finger S, Boller F, eds. Music, Neurology, and Neuroscience: Evolution, the Musical Brain, Medical Conditions, and Therapies. Elsevier; 2015:3-15. Progress in Brain Research, vol 217.

Chapter of a book that uses separate pagination for each chapter

Author AA, Author BB. Chapter title. In: Editor AA, Editor BB, eds. Book Title. Edition. Publisher; Year:chapter-first page - chapter-last page.
  1. Weil AA, Hyle EP, Basgoz N. Infectious diseases. In: Sabatine MS, ed. Pocket Medicine. 5th ed. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2013:6-1 – 6-22.

Chapter of a book that has no page numbers: use the chapter number with no space after the colon.

Author AA, Author BB. Chapter title. In: Editor AA, ed. Book Title. Edition. Publisher; Year:chapter
  1. Kwon DS, Walker BD. Immunology of human immunodeficiency virus infection. In: Paul WE, ed. Fundamental Immunology. 7th ed. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2012:chap 42.

Non-Print Books

eBooks

eBook with a group author: no period after URL

Group Name. Title. Publisher; Year. Accessed Month Day, Year. URL
  1. World Health Organization. Health Worker Roles in Providing Safe Abortion Care and Post-abortion Contraception. World Health Organization; 2015. Accessed August 15, 2016. https://srhr.org/safeabortion/
  2. Style Manual Committee, Council of Science Editors. Scientific Style and Format: The CSE Manual for Authors, Editors, and Publishers. 8th ed. University of Chicago Press/Council of Science Editors; 2014. Accessed June 18, 2019. https://www.scientificstyleandformat.org

eBook with an edition number and no author: include access date and URL - no period after URL.

Title. Edition. Publisher; Year. Accessed Month Day, Year. URL
  1. The Chicago Manual of Style: The Essential Guide for Writers, Editors, and Publishers. 17th ed. University of Chicago Press; 2017. Accessed January 25, 2019. https://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/

Chapter of an eBook

Author AA, Author BB. Chapter title. In: Editor AA, Editor BB, eds. Book Title. Edition. Publisher; Year:chapter. Accessed Month Day, Year. URL
  1. Sudarsky L. Gait and balance disorders. In: Kasper DL, Fauci AS, Longo DL, Hauser SL, Jameson JL, Loscalzo J, eds. Harrison’s Principles of Internal Medicine. 19th ed. McGraw-Hill; 2015:chap 32. Accessed February 10, 2016. http://www.harrisonsim.com/index.php

eBook that has been updated since original publication

Editor AA, Editor BB. Title. Edition. Publisher; Year-. Updated Month Day, Year. Accessed Month Day, Year. URL
  1. Patrias K, Wendling DL, ed. Citing Medicine: The NLM Style Guide for Authors, Editors, and Publishers. 2nd ed. National Library of Medicine; 2007-. Updated October 2, 2015. Accessed August 11, 2016. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/citingmedicine
Book on CD-ROM

Note: this refers to books that can be opened digitally and read on a screen, not audiobooks that are in a compact disc format. 

Book on CD-ROM

Author AA, Author BB. TItle. Edition. Format. Publisher; Year.
  1. Alberts B, Johnson A, Lewis J, Raff M, Roberts K, Walter P. Molecular Biology of the Cell. 5th ed. CD-ROM. Garland Science; 2007.

Chapter of a book on CD-ROM

Author AA. Chapter title. In: Editor AA, Editor BB, eds. Book Title. Edition. Format. Publisher; Year:chapter.
  1. O’Neill LAJ. The innate immune system. In: Paul WE, ed. Fundamental Immunology. 7th ed. CD-ROM. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2012:chap 15.
Audio

Audiobook

Author AA. Title. Format. Publisher; Year:chapter.
  1. Skloot R. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. Audiobook. Random House Audio; 2010:chap 31.

Book on audio CD

Author AA. Title. Format. Publisher; Year:chapter.
  1. Skloot R. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. Audio CD. Random House Audio; 2010:chap 31.