Skip to Main Content

Norwalk Campus Library

AMA Guide

Journal Article Format

Author Last name First Initial Middle Initial. Article title in sentence case. Abbreviated Journal Title in Title Case. Year;volume(Issue#):PP-PP. doi: ##

If you are citing an online article, you should include the day and month of publication as well in the format of Month Day, Year.

  • Use PubMed abbreviations for journal titles. 
  • If no PubMed journal abbreviation exists, use standard abbreviations in the AMA Manual of Style. For further information on journal abbreviations, see section 13.10 of the AMA Manual. 

EXAMPLES:

1. Rainier S, Thomas D, Tokarz D, et al. Myofibrillogenesis regulator 1 gene mutations cause paroxysmal dystonic choreoathetosis. Arch Neurol. 2004;61(7):1025-1029.

2. Hyduk A, Croft JB, Ayala C, Zheng K, Zheng Z-J, Mensah GA. Pulmonary hypertension surveillance—United States, 1980–2002. MMWR Surveill Summ. 2005;54(5):1-28.

Printed Journal: 

Author/s Last Name/s, First initial, Middle initial. Title of article and subtitle. Journal Title Italicized and Abbreviated. Year;Volume(Issue):Initial Page #-Last Page #

Example:

  1. Pollart SM, Caelleigh AS. Changing conversations, changing culture: A medical education journal club. Med Educ. 2011;45(11):1134.

Electronic Journal Article with DOI: 

Author/s Last Name/s, First initial, Middle initial. Title of article and subtitle. Journal Title Italicized and Abbreviated. Year;Volume(Issue):Initial Page #-Last Page #. DOI

Example:

  1. Zellers JA, Baxter JR, Silbernagel KG. Functional ankle range of motion but not peak Achilles tendon force diminished with heel-rise and jumping tasks after Achilles tendon repair. Am J Sports Med. 2021;49(9):2439-2446. doi:10.1177/03635465211019436

 

Electronic Journal Article without DOI:

Author/s Last Name/s, First initial, Middle initial. Title of article and subtitle. Journal Title Italicized and Abbreviated. Year;Volume(Issue):Initial Page #-Last Page #. Accessed Date. URL

Example:

  1. Sener T, Sozbir K, Karli U. Acute effects of plyometric warm-up with different box heights on spring and agility performance in national level field hockey athletes. Isokinet & Exerc Sci. 2021;29(1):1-9. Accessed August 1, 2021. http://search.ebscohost.com.library.sheridanc.on.ca /login.aspx?direct=true&db=s3h&AN=148453290&site=ehostlive&scope=site

More Specific Journal Examples

Journal Article - Single Author

  1. Weinzirl J. The cause of explosion in chocolate candies. J Bacteriol. 1922;7(6):599-604.
  2. Lippi D. Chocolate and medicine: dangerous liaisons? Nutrition. 2009;25(11-12):1100-3.
  3. Verna R. The history and science of chocolate. Malays J Pathol. 2013;35(2):111-121.

Journal Article - More than one Author

If you have 6 or less authors, you must list all of the authors in the reference.  

  1. McShea A, Ramiro-Puig E, Munro SB, Casadesus G, Castell M, Smith MA. Clinical benefit and preservation of flavanols in dark chocolate manufacturing. Nutr Rev. 2008;66(11):630-41.

If you have more than 6 authors, list the first three followed by ', et al.'

  1. Pucciarelli DL, Grivetti LE. The medicinal use of chocolate in early North America. Mol Nutr Food Res. 2008;52(10):1215-27.
  2. Stahl L, Miller KB, Apgar J, et al. Preservation of cocoa antioxidant activity, total polyphenols, flavan-3-ols, and procyanidin content in foods prepared with cocoa powder. J Food Sci. 2009;74(6):C456-61.

Journals Without Volume or Issue Numbers

In references to journals that have no volume or issue numbers, use the issue date, as shown in example 1 below. If there is an issue number but no volume number, use the style shown in example 2 below.

1. Flyvholm MA, Susitaival P, Meding B, et al. Nordic occupational skin questionnaire—NOSQ-2002: Nordic questionnaire for surveying work-related skin diseases on hands and forearms and relevant exposure. TemaNord. April 2002:518.

2. Keppel K, Pamuk E, Lynch J, et al. Methodologic issues in measuring health disparities. Vital Health Stat 2. 2005;(141):1-16.

Journal Article With DOI

Author(s). Article title. Abbreviated Journal Title. Year published;volume number(issue number):page numbers. DOI.

1. Doss J. Obstetrical Boot Camp: preclinical preparation for undergraduate nursing students. J Nurs Educ. 2018;57(8):511. doi:10.3928/01484834-20180729-13.

Journal Article Without DOI

Author(s). Article title. Abbreviated Journal Title. Year published;volume number(issue number):page numbers. URL or permalink. Accessed Month day, year.

1. Cornish J, Jones A. Moving and handling and patient safety: analysis of clinical incidents. Br J Nurs. 2012;21(3):166-170. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=c8h&AN=108162708&site=ehost-live. Accessed June 15, 2019.