AMA – The Citation of Medically Related Essays

It is well known that almost every publisher and major academic group has their own opinions and expectations when it comes to referencing, citations, and format guidelines. The American Medical Association is no exception. The AMA citation guidelines are used primarily in the medical industry and related fields, education and training courses. They are very similar to the MLA guidelines with several specific exceptions.

AMA Citation Standards

The AMA has established specific guidelines covering virtually every possible major reference source. An important note regarding name notations is that the name notation uses no periods between initials, uses only initials for first and middle name, the last name is noted first, and no comma is used separating the first name from the initials.

Books

The citation of books is familiar to anyone who knows other citation styles. Name, title, edition, location, publisher, and then date cite books. A comma separates multiple authors. For books with editors instead of authors, the name of the editor or editors is used first with the notation of “eds.” at the end.

If the writer is citing a specific chapter or article within a given book, there are a couple of unique requirements. First, after the article title the name of the editor or editors is noted, followed by the name of the source book. Notation of the publishing city and agency are then added as usual, along with the date of publication. The pages upon which the referenced materials are found are then listed after the publication date.

Journal Articles

Writers of medical and medically related materials will frequently find themselves citing materials from the Journal of the American Medical Association and other such scholarly sources. In building citations for these publications, the pattern is very simple. Following the same basic rules on name formats, the citation is built in the following order: name of author, title of article, title of publication, and the date of publication. The citation is finished off in a manner similar to citing a book chapter, but the volume of the publication cited is stated first, then the actual pages where the reader may find the article cited.

An additional rule should be noted regarding citing journal articles. All names should be noted when more than one author is involved, unless there is more than six authors. In that case, include only the first three authors followed by the notation “et al” to indicate additional authors were involved.

Monographic Series

The title of “monographic series” is sometimes misleading. Monographic series are a group of publications on a single topic or, on occasion, by a single author that are printed once a year or less often and are written as stand-alone books. The title is misleading because sometimes the “series” is actually a “serial” or continuations of prior titles in the series. The manner of citation for monographic series starts the same way citing a book is done, logical since they are books. The difference is at the end, prior to indicated specific page citations, the name of the monographic series and volume number is noted.

Online Resources

The development of the Internet over the past two decades has added an entirely new form of possible information resources, online journals. These materials are cited in a manner that dramatically shifts from the pattern of other AMA citations. Citing the author’s name and article title is unaffected, as are the exceptions of editor names. The difference begins in that the source journal is named next with a bracketed notation that the article is from the online version, usually the words “serial online.” The data of publication, volume and pages referenced are stated, followed by the publishing company or agency and their city location. Lastly, since online resources change so frequently, the date the writer accessed the website is noted.

When citing website materials (other than online journals), the name of the website followed by the publishing organization begins the citation. This is followed by the URL and the date accessed.

Databases

Online databases are another source for research materials and also have unique citation requirements. With online database articles, the name of the author is first, followed by the article title. The location the document was published from is noted, then the source document and publication date. Finally, the name of the database is listed along with the document identification within the database.

Final Thoughts

The citation of any written work, academic or professional, is important. Much of the medical and related industries centers around personal and professional respect. Giving proper credit to others for their research and hard work goes a long way in establishing this respectful environment, perhaps more so in the medical field than most. Additionally, proper citation assists those who come behind you will have a path of knowledge to follow, establishing the basis of their understanding and setting the stage for future research. The perception of usefulness regarding your work will depend heavily upon the image of integrity and professionalism you present in your articles and reports. Fail to present yourself appropriately and build an environment of credibility and your work, no matter how revealing, will be discounted by your peers.

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