Skip to Main Content

AMA Writing Guide: Journal Articles

This research guide provides a brief introduction to the AMA 11th edition.

Citing Journal Articles

When citing articles, include as much information about the article as possible. Per section 3.11.1 of the AMA Manual, a complete AMA reference to a journal article must include the following: 

  • The authors' surnames and initials. The names of all authors should be given unless there are more than 6, in which case the names of the first 3 authors are used, followed by "et al." See section 3.11.1 of the AMA Manual for more information about authors' names. 
  • Title of article and subtitle, if any 
  • Year
  • Volume number
  • Issue number
  • Part or supplement number, when pertinent
  • Location (page[s] or e-locator)
  • DOI (if supplied) 

Journal Articles with One Author

Template: Author. Title of article in sentence case. Abbreviated Journal Title in Title Case. Year; Volume(Issue#):PP-PP. DOI

Example: Hahn, RA. Two paths to health in all policies: the traditional public health path and the path of social determinants. Am J Public Health. 2019;109(2):253-254. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2018.304884

Journal Articles with Multiple Authors 

Template: Authors, et al. Title of article in sentence case. Abbreviated Journal Title in Title Case. Year; Volume(Issue#):PP-PP. DOI

Example:  Vahedi A, Mohammad Mehdi SD, Douraghi M, et al. Isolation and identification of specific bacteriophage against enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) and in vitro and in vivo characterization of bacteriophage. FEMS Microbiol Lett. 2018;365(16). doi:10.1093/femsle/fny136

Citations from Databases & DOI Usage:

  • Many databases have AMA citation generators to help you create references. These citations are computer generated and need to be evaluated against the AMA Manual for accuracy. 
  • Some database citation generators will include the database's name and the proxy link to the article. When citing articles found in databases, do not include the database's name or proxy link (permanent link). Instead, provide a digital object identifier (DOI) for the article.
  • Do not include a period (.) at the end of the DOI, and present all DOIs as metadata, not hyperlinks. Section 3.15.1 of the AMA Manual outlines how to use a DOI. 

Example: Mhlongo NT, Tekere M, Sibanda T. Prevalence and public health implications of mycotoxigenic fungi in treated drinking water systems. J Water Health. 2019;17(4):517-531. doi:10.2166/wh.2019.122

  • When citing an article from the JFL databases, use the DOI whenever provided. If a DOI is not provided, do not include a link to the article.