Research Guides: AMA Writing Guide: AMA Style Formatting

Writing Resources

Writing Center Resources
Jerry Falwell Library Resources

The Liberty University Writing Center is available to provide writing coaching to students. Residential students should contact the On-Campus Writing Center for assistance. Online students should contact the Online Writing Center for assistance.

The Jerry Falwell Library has a physical and eBook edition of the AMA Manual of Style: A Guide for Authors and Editors. The AMA Manual contains exhaustive guidance for students needing more detailed information about ethical and legal considerations, correct and preferred usage, abbreviations, nomenclature, units of measure, numbers and percentages, study design and statistics, and mathematical composition,

AMA MANUAL of STYLE, 11th EDITION The AMA Manual of Style is a must-have resource for anyone involved in medical, health, and scientific publishing. Written by an expert committee of JAMA Network editors, this latest edition addresses issues that face authors, editors, and publishers in the digital age. Extensive updates are included in the References chapter, with examples of how to cite digital publications, preprints, databases, data repositories, podcasts, apps and interactive games, and social media. Full-color examples grace the chapter on data display, with newer types of graphic presentations and updated guidance on formatting tables and figures. The manual thoroughly covers ethical and legal issues such as authorship, conflicts of interest, scientific misconduct, intellectual property, open access and public access, and corrections. The Usage chapter has been revised to bring the manual up-to-date on word choice, especially in writing about individuals with diseases or conditions and from various socioeconomic, racial/ethnic, and sexual orientation populations. Specific nomenclature entries in many disciplines are presented to guide users in issues of diction, formatting, and preferred terminology. Guidance on numbers, SI units, and math has been updated, and the section on statistics and study design has undergone a major expansion. In sum, the answer to nearly any issue facing a writer or editor in medicine, health care, and related disciplines can be found in the 11th edition of the AMA Manual of Style.
ISBN: 0190246553
Publication Date: 2020-03-02

If you need assistance in developing your qualitative or quantitative methodology, the SAGE Research Methods database provides resources for researchers conducting research in the social sciences.

General Rules

Liberty University Students will either write AMA 11 style papers using the Non-structured Abstract format, or using the Practicum Class or Other Papers Requiring Structured Abstract format. To assist you in formatting, Liberty University's Writing Center provides a template and a sample paper for each formatting style.

Papers with Non-Structured Abstract

Papers Using Structured Abstract

Additionally, the Writing Center also has a sample AMA 11 style annotated bibliography.

Here are a few things to keep in mind as you format your paper:

Title Page: The title page should include the report's title, student's name, and student ID number, date, and word count. A sample title page is found on the Liberty University's Writing Center's sample papers.

Margins/Alignment: Your papers should use 1-inch margins on standard-sized paper (8.5' X 11'). Make sure that you use Align left (CTRL + L) throughout the paper, except for the title page.

Spacing: The AMA does not have a standard for line spacing. Double-spaced lines are recommended throughout the body of your work, excluding block quotations. Block quotations are single-spaced, left-justified, with the entire left margin indented 1/2 inch.

Indentation: The first sentence in each new paragraph in the body of the paper should be indented 1/2 inch. AMA style references are listed in numerical order and do not receive any indentation.

Fonts: The AMA does not have a standard font or font size. Liberty University recommends that you write your papers in 12-point Times New Roman font for the body, and for all elements other than the title of the paper and headings.

Headings: The AMA Manual outlines four different heading levels. The title of your report and Level 1 headings must be in bold Arial 14-point font. Level 2 headings are in bold Arial 12-point font. Level 3 headings are in bold Arial 12-point font and underlined. Level 4 headings are in bold Arial 12-point font and italicized.

Headings

Level 1

Level 2

Level 3

Level 4

Tables and Figures: In AMA-style papers, tables and figures are included in the body of the report. Section 4.0 of the AMA Manual of Style outlines how to format tables, figures, and multimedia. Tables and figures are numbered consecutively: Figure 1, Figure 2, etc.

Formatting Your References: Section 3.0 of the AMA Manual of Style outlines how to cite sources in text and how to format the references list found at the end of the work. The AMA style uses an endnote citation system, with references being provided in order of first use.