AMA Citation & Reference Style

Citation Tips

Citation Tips

Volume Number (see 3.12.6), Edition Number (see 3.12.7), and Page/Chapter Number (see 3.12.10): Use arabic numerals for volume numbers, even if the publisher used roman numerals.

  • Correct: Vol 2 and 2nd ed
  • Wrong: Vol II and Second edition

Publication Year (see 3.12.9): Do not abbreviate the year. Remember to always use the full year when citing.

  • Correct: 2004
  • Wrong: 04 or '04
  • References to Books (see 3.12)

AMA Citation Style for Books

Type of Entry

Reference List

Entire Book - Print

Author(s). Book Title. Edition number (if it is the second edition or above). Publisher's name; copyright year.

Riegelman RK, Kirkwood B. Public health 101: Healthy people--healthy populations. 2nd ed. Jones & Bartlett Learning; 2015.
Entire Book - eBook Online

Author(s). Book Title. Edition number (if it is the second edition or above). Publisher's name; copyright year. Updated [date] (if applicable). Accessed [date]. URL

Patrias K, Wendling DL, ed. Citing Medicine: The NLM Style Guide for Authors, Editors, and Publishers. 2nd ed. National Library of Medicine; 2007-. Updated October 2, 2015. Accessed August 11, 2016. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/citingmedicine
Entire Book - more than one author/editor

Author(s). Book Title. Edition number (if it is the second edition or above). Publisher's name; copyright year.

Adkinson NF Jr, Bochner BS, Burks W, et al, eds. Middleton's Allergy: Principles and Practice. 8th ed. Saunders; 2014.
Monographs
de Pina-Cabral J. World: An Anthropological Exanimation. Malinowski Monographs. Hau Books; 2016.
Book on Tape or CD

Alberts B, Johnson A, Lewis J, Raff M, Roberts K, Walter P. Molecular Biology of the Cell. 5th ed. CD-ROM. Garland Science; 2007.

Reference to a Chapter in a Book

When citing a chapter of a book, capitalize as for a journal article title; do not use quotation marks. Inclusive page numbers of the chapter should be given.

Chapter in a Book

Author(s). Chapter Title. In: Editor(s), eds. Book Title. Edition number (if it is the second edition or above). Publisher's name; copyright year: page numbers of the chapter

Prince M, Glozier N, Sousa R, Dewey M. Measuring disability across physical, mental, and cognitive disorders. In: Regier DA, Narrow WE, Kuhl EA, Kupfer DJ, eds. The Conceptual Evolution of DSM-5. American Psychiatric Publishing Inc; 2011: 189-227.

NOTE: If the authors of a chapter are the same for the authors of the book you include the names in both places.

Chapter in a Book - other book versions (i.e. e-readers and audiobooks or books on CD)

Author(s). Book Title. Medium. Publisher's name; copyright year: chapter number

Skloot R. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. Kindle e-Book. Random House; 2010:chap 31.

Tip: What if the editor of the book is the same as the author of the chapter?

The rule applies if the authors of a particular chapter and the editors of the book are identical; you will need to include the same name in both places.

Chapter in a Book

Author(s). Chapter Title. In: Editor(s), eds. Book Title. Edition number (if it is the second edition or above). Publisher's name; copyright year: page numbers of the chapter/chapter number

Riegelman RK. Chapter 11: Meta-analysis. In: Riegelman RK, ed. Studying a Study and Testing a Test: How to Read the Medical Evidence. 5th ed. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2005:99-115.

Chapter in a Book - electronic resource

Author(s). Chapter Title. In: Editor(s), eds. Book Title. Edition number (if it is the second edition or above). Publisher's name; copyright year: page numbers of the chapter/chapter number

O'Neill LAJ. The innate system. In: Paul WE, ed. Fundamental Immunology. 7th ed. CD-ROM. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2012: chap 15.

Thanks to the George Washington University Himmelfarb Health Sciences Library for the content of this guide, which is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

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