The AMA style of referencing is compiled by the editors of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Network journals. The latest update to the style can be found in the AMA Manual of Style: A guide for authors and editors 11th edition.
The AMA referencing style is a number-author system where the in-text citation is denoted by a number which is chronologically assigned according to the appearance of a citation. It should be noted that once a number is allocated, it should be utilized whenever the source is acknowledged again in the text.
The entire reference of the citation source is given in the reference list at the conclusion of the work, and the in-text citation number corresponds to that reference.
AMA referencing rules to be aware of:
Journal titles are abbreviated in the reference. Journal abbreviations can be found at the National Library of Medicine website.
Only provide the date and URL where a piece was accessed online if it doesn't have a DOI.
Start the reference with the article's title if there are no authors listed for it.
If there are more than six writers, the first three authors should be listed followed by "et al," otherwise all of the authors' names should be provided in the reference.
If a reference element is unavailable, leave it out of the reference and just include the elements you have.
Books
Book reference information sequence
Citation number. Author(s) of the book, surname followed by intial(s). Title of the book. Edition number ed. Publisher; Year of publication.
Book reference example
14. Storey KB, ed. Functional Metabolism: Regulation and Adaptation. Wiley & Sons; 2004.
15. Murray PR, Rosenthal KS, Kobyashi GS, et al. Medical Microbiology. 4th ed. Mosby; 2002.
Book reference with editors example
10. Gilstrap LC, Cunningham FG, Van Dorsten JP, eds. Operative Obstetrics. 2nd ed. McGraw-Hill; 2002.
Book chapter reference information sequence
Citation number. Author(s) of the chapter, surname followed by intial(s). Title of the chapter. In: Editor AA, Editor BB, eds. Title of Book. Edition if higher than the first. Publisher; Year: Chapter number or pages if available. Accessed Month DD, YYYY. URL
Book chapter in edited book reference example
12. Coombes Y. Evaluating according to purpose and resources: strengthening the evidence base incrementally. In: Thorogood M, Coombes Y, eds. Evaluating Health Promotion: Practice and Methods. 2nd ed. Oxford University Press; 2004:27-40.
Ebook reference example
21. Bezuidenhout RM, Davis C, Du Plooy-Cilliers F. Research Matters. Juta and Company [Pty] Ltd; 2014. Accessed October 4, 2022. https://search-ebscohost-com.ezproxy.cput.ac.za/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=746917&site=ehost-live
Journal Articles
Journal reference information sequence
Citation number. Author(s) of the article. Title of the article. abbreviated journal title. Year of publication; Volume number (Issue number): Page numbers. DOI or accessed month dd, YYYYY. URL
Journal article reference example
24. Çallı E, Sogancioglu E, van Ginneken B, van Leeuwen KG, Murphy K. Deep learning for chest X-ray analysis: A survey. Med Image Anal. 2021;72(102125):1-29. doi:10.1016/j.media.2021.102125
Conference paper
Conference paper reference information sequence
Citation number. Author(s) surname followed by intial(s). Title of Paper/Poster. Paper/Poster presented at: Name of Conference; Month Dates, Year; City, State. URL [link]. Accessed Month Day, Year.
Conference paper reference example
13. Cloherty S, Dokos S, Lovell N. Qualitative support for the gradient model of cardiac pacemaker heterogeneity. Conf Proc IEEE Eng Med Biol Soc. 2005;2006:133-136. doi:10.1109/IEMBS.2005.1616360
Dictionary
Dictionary reference information sequence
Citation number. Term. In: Editor(s) surname and intial, ed(s). Dictionary title. Publisher; Date published:page number.
Dictionary entry reference example
11. Ametropia. In: Efron N, ed. Optometry A-Z. Elsevier Butterworth-Heinemann; 2007:9.
Thesis
Thesis reference information sequence
Citation number. Author surname and intial(s). Title. Thesis type. Institution. Year of publication. Accessed date- Month DD, YYYY. URL
Thesis reference example
5. Aheto SP. Patterns of the use of technology by students in higher education. PhD thesis. Cape Peninsula University of Technology; 2017. Accessed September 28, 2022. https://etd.cput.ac.za/handle/20.500.11838/2541
YouTube Video
YouTube video reference example
2. Strong Medicine YouTube page. How to Interpret a Chest X-Ray (Lesson 2 - A Systematic Method and Anatomy). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6bnD2wOEmg. Published 2014. Accessed October 2, 2022.
Websites
Website reference information sequence
Citation number. Author(s) surname followed by intial(s). Title of specific item cited or name of organisation if no title is given. Name of Website. Updated Month DD, YYYY. Accessed Month DD, YYYY. URL
Website reference example
4. X-ray. NHS. Updated April 20, 2022. Accessed October , 2022. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/x- ray/