AMA Style - Examples

All Types of Electronic Resources, &
Books, Government Publications,
Print Journals, Theses and Dissertations,
 & Videos

For more information, see the American Medical Association Manual of Style, 9th edition, which is
available at the Reference desk in the McNeese Library.

HYPERLINKED TABLE OF CONTENTS (click on each
part to go directly to the examples on this webpage):

ALL TYPES OF ELECTRONIC RESOURCES:
Article from a Journal in a Library Database
E-Book (Book Online)
Government Publication Online
Internet Site
Online Journal with a Volume Number
Online Journal without a Volume Number

BOOKS:
Book with an Editor
Book with More than One Editor
Book with More than Six Authors
Book with Two Authors
Chapter in a Book
Multivolume Book - Volumes Have Different Titles
Multivolume Book - Volumes Have the Same Title

GOVERNMENT PUBLICATIONS IN PRINT

PRINT JOURNALS/NEWSPAPERS:
Journal Indexed in Index Medicus
Journal Not Indexed in Index Medicus
Newspaper Article

THESES & DISSERTATIONS

VIDEOS

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All Types of Electronic Resources:

Article from a Journal in a Library Database:
Note: The 9th edition of the American Medical Association Manual of Style does not have an example of how to cite a journal article from a library database. The following example is a composite of suggested examples from other universities and of similar citations in the AMA Manual:

Toner C, Pitman S. Functional foods. Topics in Clinical Nutrition [serial online]. January-March  2004;19(1):71-78. Available from: Academic Search Premier (EBSCOhost). Accessed June 15, 2005.

E-Book (Book Online):
Note: The 9th edition of the American Medical Association Manual of Style does not have an example of how to cite an e-book. The following example is a composite of suggested examples from other universities and of similar citations in the AMA Manual:

Challem J. Feed Your Genes Right: Eat to Turn Off Disease-causing Genes and Slow Down Aging. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley; 2005. Available from: NetLibrary. Accessed June 17, 2005.

Government Publication Online (p. 45):
National Institute on Aging. Good nutrition: it's a way of life. Available at: http://www.niapublications.org/agepages/nutrition.asp. Accessed May 25, 2006.

Internet Site (p. 45):
American Dietetic Association. Position paper: vegetarian diets. Available at: http://www.eatright.org/Public/GovernmentAffairs/92_17084.cfm. Accessed June 20, 2005.

Online Journal with a Volume Number (p. 44):
Gerhard GT, Ahmann A, Meeuws K, McMurry MP, Duell PB, Conner WE. Effects of a low-fat diet compared with those of a high-monounsaturated fat diet on body weight, plasma lipids and lipoproteins, and glycemic control in type 2 diabetes. Am J Clin Nutr [serial online]. September 2004;80(3):668-673. Available from: American Society for Clinical Nutrition, Bethesda, Md. Accessed June 23, 2005.

Online Journal without a Volume Number (p. 44):
Harrison CL, Schmidt PQ, Jones JD. Aspirin compared with acetaminophen for relief of headache. Online J Curr Clin Trials [serial online]. January 2, 1992;doc 1.

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Books:

FORMAT: Author(s). Book Title. Place of Publication: Publisher; Year.

Note: Each author's last name is followed by his or her initials with no comma between the last name and initials and no period between the initials.   All authors up to six authors must be listed, with commas between authors' names.  If there are more than six authors, list the first three followed by "et al." The book's title is italicized.  There is a semicolon between the name of the book's publisher and the copyright date. 

Important note: Since the state abbreviations which are used for the Place of Publication do not follow a consistent pattern, here is the complete list of state abbreviations from the American Medical Association Manual of Style, 9th edition, pages 282-283:
 

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EXAMPLES:

Book with an Editor (p. 40):
Nix S, ed. Basic Nutrition and Diet Therapy. St. Louis, Mo: Mosby; 2005.

Book with More than One Editor (p. 40):
Coulston AM, Rock CL, Monsen ER, eds. Nutrition in the Prevention and Treatment of Disease. San Diego, Calif: Academic Press; 2001.

Book with More than Six Authors (pp. 32 & 33):
Bender JW, Johnson MA III, Robinson BL Jr, et al. Manual of Medical Nutrition. 9th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: WB Saunders; 2004.

Book with Two Authors (pp. 32 & 39):
Lutz CA, Przytulski KR.  Nutrition and Diet Therapy. 3rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa: FA Davis; 2001.

Chapter in a Book (p. 39):
Bogden JD, Louria DB. Nutrition and immunity in the elderly. In: Hughes DA, Darlington LG, Bendich A, eds. Diet and Human Immune Function. Totowa, NJ: Humana Press; 2004:79-104.


Multivolume Book - Volumes Have Different Titles (p. 40):
"If the volumes have separate titles, the title of the volume referred to should be given first, with the title of the overall series of which the volume is a part given in the final field, along with the name of the general editor and the volume number, if applicable."

Creager MA, ed. Vascular Disease. St. Louis, Mo: Mosby; 1996. Braunwald E, ed. Atlas of Heart Disease; vol 7.

Multivolume Book - Volumes Have the Same Title (p. 40):
"If the volumes have no separate titles, merely numbers, the number should be given after the general title."

Stolton S. Organically farmed food. In: Caballero B, Trugo LC, Finglas PM, eds. Encyclopedia of Food Sciences and Nutrition. Vol. 7. 2nd ed. San Diego, Calif: Academic; 2003:4272-4277.

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Government Publications in Print (p. 42):

"References to bulletins published by departments or agencies of the U.S. government should include the following information, in the order indicated: (1) name of the author (if given); (2) title of bulletin; (3) place of publication; (4) name of issuing bureau, agency, department, or other governmental division...(US Government Printing Office should be used only if the name of the issuing bureau, agency, or department cannot be obtained); (5) date of publication; (6) page numbers, if specified; (7) publication number, if any; (8) series number, if given.

How Much are You Eating?: Putting the Guidelines Into Practice. Washington, DC: Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, US Dept of Agriculture; 2002.


Print Journals/Newspapers:

Note: As with books,  all authors up to six authors must be listed, with commas between the authors' names.  If there are more than six authors, list the first three followed by "et al." 

Important note:  According to the 9th edition of the American Medical Association Manual of Style, journal (but not newspaper) names should be abbreviated "according to the listing in the current Index Medicus" (AMA Manual of Style, page 35).

To find the journal's Index Medicus abbreviation: On the library's website go to "Find Journal Articles, etc.," then "Alphabetical List," and then "Medline (EBSCOhost)." In Medline (EBSCOhost), click "Publications" on the menu at the top of the screen and type the journal name in the Browse box. Then click on the link with that journal name (if one comes up) and look next to "Journal Title Abbr." for the journal's Index Medicus abbreviation. 

If the journal in your research is not in Index Medicus, cite the full name of the journal rather than the abbreviation.

EXAMPLES:

Journal Indexed in Index Medicus (p. 35):
Bounds W, Skinner J, Carruth BR, Ziegler P. The relationship of dietary and lifestyle factors to bone mineral indexes in children. J Am Diet Assoc. May 2005;105(5):735-741.

Journal Not Indexed in Index Medicus
Ames BD, Farrell P. An ecological approach: a community-school strategy for health promotion. Journal of Family and Consumer Sciences. April 2005;97(2):29-34.

Newspaper Article (p. 42):
Brody JE. Preserving a delicate balance of potassium. New York Times. June 22, 2004:F7.


Theses  & Dissertations (p. 43):

Thesis:
Groves A. Growing Healthy Kids: Parents' of Preschoolers Perceptions Based on Hours Worked, Work Status, and Ethnicity [master's thesis]. Denton, Tex: Texas Woman's University; 2004.

Dissertation:
Fleischhacker SE. Fruits and Vegetables in an Inner-City Head Start Center [dissertation]. University Park, Pa: Pennsylvania State University; 2004.
                                                       

Videos (p. 43):

Bickford B. Nutrition [videotape]. Arlington, Va: Cerebellum Corp.; 2001.


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This page last updated on November 13, 2007 .

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