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Citation Guides

NOTE: The AMA Manual of Style does not have specific formatting required for font type and size, margins, etc. The guidelines presented here are as provided in the University of Mary Department of Physical Therapy Research Handbook, supplemented with best practices from the APA, Chicago, and MLA styles. Because the AMA guidelines are not standardized, be sure and check with your instructor to learn if they require any specific formatting.

Overall Formatting

  • Margins should be 1" on the top, bottom, and right edges. The left edge should have a 1.5" margin. (This does not include any running headers or page numbers.)
  • Page Numbers should be used in the running header in the upper right-hand corner. The title page is page number 1.
  • Typeface must be easy to read. Recommended type options are Times New Roman, Arial, and Calibri.
  • Font size must be between 11-13pt. Most professors will prefer 12pt font.

Title Page

  • Center the title page. Use the same font and sizing as the rest of the paper.
  • Position the title a few lines down from the top of the page.

Reference Page

  • Center the heading "References" at the top of the reference list.
  • Start entries on the next double-spaced line (meaning there is no extra spacing between the title and the references).
  • End each citation entry with a period (.).

In-Text Citations

  • Use superscript numbers to cite material, e.g.,1
  • The superscript number is inserted into the document immediately next to the concept, fact, or quotation being cited.
  • If a reference is used more than once in one paper, use the same number throughout. (The superscript number should correspond to the place of its reference in the reference list.)
  • See the In-Text Citations tab for more information.

References

  • Number references consecutively with Arabic numerals in the order in which they are cited in the text (note that this is unlike APA, Chicago, or MLA style, all of which order the reference list alphabetically).
  • If the citation extends to a second line, do NOT use a hanging indent (note that this is unlike in APA, Chicago, or MLA, all of which use hanging indents).
  • Journal titles are abbreviated and in italics.
    • Use PubMed abbreviations for journal titles. An easy way to find a specific abbreviation is searching for the journal in the National Library of Medicine Catalog and look for the "NLM Title Abbreviation" in the search result.
    • Single word journal titles, such as Pediatrics, are not abbreviated.
    • In journal titles, capitalize all major words. Do not capitalize articles, prepositions, or conjunctions (a, an, the, in, for, or but, etc.) unless this word begins the title.
    • If no PubMed journal abbreviation exists, use standard abbreviations in the AMA Manual of Style to construct an abbreviated title 
  • Title of journal article: capitalize only the first word, proper names, names of clinical trials or study groups, and abbreviations that are usually capitalized (DNA, RNA, etc.).
  • Journal page numbers and dates: Provide the following details in arabic numerals and without spaces between them.
    • Year, followed by a semicolon
    • Volume number
    • Issue number (in parentheses), followed by a colon
    • Initial page number, a hyphen, and the final page number, followed by a period

Example: Khatri A, Naeger Murphy N, Wiest P, et al. Community-acquired pyelonephritis in pregnancy caused by KPC-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2015;59(8):4375-4378. doi:10.1128/AAC.00553-15

  • Citing online journals: The DOI number is preferred over the URL link whenever available.
  • Books:
    • In Book Titles, capitalize all major words (Do not capitalize the, an, a, in, for, or but, unless this word begins the title.) and put in italics.
    • Cite a specific chapter from within a book as you would a journal article.

Beyond the visual formatting of your paper, it is also important to follow the stylistic matters laid out in the AMA Manual of Style. This includes such factors as using headings and capitalizing them appropriately and other text style issues (such as using 'one' vs. '1', or using AM, a.m., or A.M.), placement of page numbers, etc. This is a basic guide on manuscript style, but it is not extensive. See the AMA Manual of Style for more information.

Keep in mind that these guidelines apply to your own writing and in paraphrasing from sources. When you are directly quoting a source, you should follow the formatting used in the original.

Acronyms, Abbreviations, Initialisms:

Acronyms, abbreviations, and initialisms are discouraged from use, except for well-known and accepted units of measurement and some well-recognized terms.

  • If used, spell out at the first use, even if the acronym or initialism is well-known. Do not place periods between the letters of an acronym, abbreviation or initialism.
  • State names should always appear as full names in the text of a manuscript. If included in reference, use the two-letter abbreviation.

Numbers:

Numerals (1,2,3, etc.) should always be used rather than spelling numbers out, except when:

  • The number begins the sentence or title
  • Common fractions
  • Ordinals: first through ninth
  • Number spelled out in quotations or titles of works cited.
  • One number may be spelled out, if the sentence requires multiple numbers to be placed next to each other.
    For example:
         WRONG - " If 12 16-year-olds had this reaction..."
         RIGHT - "If twelve 16-year-olds had this reaction..."

Time:

  • To indicate a time of day, use AM or PM in small capitals. "Small capitals" mean the letters take the shape of a capital letter, but are closer to the actual size of a lowercase letter. For greater detail, refer to section 21.9.5 in the AMA Manual of Style.
  • Conventional 12-hour clock time is preferred. However, 24 hour or military time convention can also be used to convey precise timing when needed, such as when describing drug dosage regimens.

Dates:

  • When dates are provided in the text, use numerals for day and year, and write out the month, e.g., April 2, 2010.
  • If using dates in a table, you may use numerals for the month (e.g., 4/2/2010).

Measurements:

  • Use SI (Le Système International d'Unitiés) standards for writing measurements. Numbers are always written in plain text, there is a space after the number and prior to the unit, and never a period after the unit (unless it ends a sentence).
  • Do not include commas in longer numbers (e.g., 1600 km, not 1,600 km).