AMA 11th Edition
AMA Citation Generator & Reference Generator
Generate AMA references for journal articles, PubMed records, websites, books and other academic sources. Search by DOI, PMID, PubMed URL, ISBN, webpage URL or article title, then review the retrieved details before you use the citation.
The generator also supports PDF and BibTeX import, numbered reference lists and superscript in-text citation numbers.
AMA Citation & Reference Generator
Generate AMA references from DOI, PMID, PubMed URLs, ISBNs, webpages, article titles, PDFs, or BibTeX records.
BibTeX
Edit source details
Citation ready
Reference list (0)
Accepted input
- DOI
- PMID
- PubMed URL
- ISBN
- Webpage URL
- BibTeX
Detailed input guidance
You do not need to type every bibliographic field manually. Start with the most reliable identifier or source information available to you:
- DOI: retrieve structured publication metadata for many scholarly articles.
- PMID: look up a PubMed record directly by its PubMed Unique Identifier.
- PubMed URL: resolve the URL to the underlying PubMed article record instead of treating PubMed as an ordinary webpage.
- ISBN: search book metadata.
- Webpage URL: retrieve available webpage metadata for review.
- Article title: search scholarly metadata when you do not know the DOI.
- PDF: inspect the document for a DOI or a likely title, then search for matching metadata.
- BibTeX: import an existing bibliographic record and review it before formatting.
If automatic lookup cannot identify the correct source, use the manual-entry option rather than forcing a poor match.
Medical & scientific sources
Built for medical and scientific references
AMA style is widely used in medical, health-science and scientific writing, so this tool gives medical identifiers first-class treatment. It recognizes a bare PMID such as 39874211, the form PMID: 39874211, and a PubMed article URL.
PubMed defines the PMID as the unique number assigned to each PubMed citation. A valid PMID can retrieve authors, journal, publication details and identifiers, all shown for review before the record becomes an AMA reference.
Medical identifiers and why detection matters
AMA style is widely used in medical, health-science and scientific writing, so this tool gives medical identifiers first-class treatment. In particular, it recognizes a bare PMID such as 39874211, the form PMID: 39874211, and a PubMed article URL.
PubMed defines the PMID as the unique number assigned to each PubMed citation. When a valid PMID is available, the generator can use the PubMed record to retrieve article information such as authors, journal, publication details and identifiers. Learn more in our guide to citing PubMed and PMID sources in AMA style.
Why identifier detection matters
A DOI, PMID or ISBN is not just a keyword. If an input clearly matches a known identifier format, the tool attempts the appropriate lookup first. If that lookup fails, it should show a clear error rather than silently turning the identifier into an unrelated fuzzy search.
PMID 36857123
or PubMed URL, or DOI
↓
PubMed record
authors, title, year, IDs
↓
Journal information
NLM abbreviation, volume, issue, pages
↓
AMA 11th edition reference
formatted and numbered
Generate an AMA citation in three steps
01
Find your source
Paste a DOI, PMID, PubMed URL, ISBN or webpage address, or search by article title. Upload a PDF and the DOI or title is read from the file.
02
Review the metadata
Check the author list, journal name, year, volume, issue, pages and DOI against the source itself. Fix anything the record got wrong before it enters your list.
03
Copy or save your AMA reference
Copy a single formatted reference, or add it to a numbered reference list in the order your manuscript cites it.
Complete three-step workflow details
1. Find your source
Paste a DOI, PMID, PubMed URL, ISBN or webpage URL, search by title, or import a supported record.
2. Review the metadata
Check the author names, article or book title, journal, publication date, volume, issue, page range or article number, DOI, URL and other relevant fields. Automatic metadata can be incomplete or wrong, so this review step is part of the workflow rather than an optional afterthought.
3. Copy or save the reference
Use the generated AMA reference, copy its superscript in-text number, or add the source to your numbered reference list. If you add multiple references, the list can be reordered and renumbered.
Cite common sources in AMA style
Each guide covers the element order, punctuation and the cases that trip people up.
Journal Article
Authors, article title, NLM journal abbreviation, year, volume, issue, pages and DOI.
Website
Corporate authors, page titles, publication and access dates, and full URLs.
Book
Editions, editors, chapters in edited books, publishers and page ranges.
PubMed Article
PMIDs, PubMed URLs, PMCID handling and when to include the DOI.
Complete source-by-source guidance
The generator handles the source lookup, but understanding the structure of a reference helps you spot missing or incorrect metadata. Use these focused guides for the source you are citing:
AMA journal article citation
Learn how authors, article title, abbreviated journal title, year, volume, issue, pages or article number and DOI fit together in a journal reference.
AMA website citation
See how website authorship, page title, site name, publication or update date, access date and URL are handled.
AMA book citation
Review the main elements for books, including author or editor, title, edition, publisher and publication year.
AMA PubMed citation
Understand the difference between citing the underlying article and merely citing a PubMed webpage, and see how PMID and DOI can help identify the correct source.
Edition rules
Understand AMA 11th edition
AMA style numbers its references in the order they first appear in the text. Each source keeps that number everywhere it is cited, and the reference list is ordered by number rather than alphabetically.
In-text citations are superscript numerals placed after the fact they support. Journal names are abbreviated using the NLM list, and a DOI is included whenever the article has one.
Current AMA 11th edition details and official source
The current AMA Manual of Style: A Guide for Authors and Editors is the 11th edition, published by Oxford University Press in 2020. The official online manual is not frozen at its original publication date: the AMA Manual of Style Committee continues to publish corrections and policy updates online.
That is why this site refers to AMA 11th edition rather than inventing an “AMA 2026 edition.” For a broader explanation of the current edition, see AMA 11th edition explained.
The official reference chapter includes guidance for journals, books, reports, websites, databases, social media and many other source types. It also states that a DOI should be included for journal references when one is available.
AMA Reference
Smith JB, Alvarez MR, Chen L, et al. Perioperative outcomes after minimally invasive mitral valve repair. JAMA Cardiol. 2023;8(4):345-353. doi:10.1001/jamacardio.2023.0142
In-text citation: …than open repair.1
Edition note
List the first three authors followed by et al when a work has more than six. With six or fewer, list them all.
PubMed, PMID and journal abbreviations
The two things that most often go wrong in a medical reference list.
PubMed & PMID citations
What a PMID is, how it differs from a PMCID and a DOI, and how to turn a PubMed record into a correctly ordered AMA reference.
NLM journal abbreviations
AMA style uses the National Library of Medicine abbreviation, not the full journal title. Common abbreviations, plus how to look up the rest.
How AMA in-text citations connect to the reference list
AMA uses a numbered citation system. Sources are assigned reference numbers and the corresponding number is used in the text, commonly as a superscript. When the same source is cited again, it keeps its existing reference number rather than receiving a new one.
Our generator therefore treats the reference list as part of the tool, not as a collection of unrelated one-off citations. You can add sources, detect duplicates, change their order and keep the displayed numbering aligned with the list.
For the detailed rules and examples, use our guides to AMA in-text citations and the AMA reference page and reference list.
Complete NLM journal-abbreviation guidance
Journal names in medical references are commonly abbreviated. The National Library of Medicine’s Citing Medicine guidance explains that significant words in journal titles are abbreviated and points users to the NLM Catalog and the active PubMed title list as sources for standard journal-title abbreviations.
When PubMed metadata supplies a recognized abbreviated journal title, the generator can use that information. If an abbreviation is missing or uncertain, the result should be reviewed instead of inventing one automatically.
See our dedicated guide to AMA and NLM journal abbreviations.
Learn AMA citation style
Five guides that cover the whole style, from a single superscript numeral to a finished reference page.
All focused AMA citation guides
If you want to understand the rules behind the generator, start with the AMA format guide, then use the more focused guides as needed:
How it works
How our citation generator works
An identifier is resolved against public metadata services, the record is normalised, and only then is it formatted as an AMA 11th edition reference. The metadata is shown to you at the review step because no automated lookup is perfect.
Metadata is retrieved from public sources including Crossref, PubMed / NCBI, Google Books and page metadata published by websites themselves. These organisations do not endorse, review or operate this tool.
Medical metadata support
PMID, PMCID, DOI and NLM journal abbreviations.
Reviewable source details
Every retrieved field is editable before use.
Duplicate detection
The same source added twice is flagged, not silently repeated.
Reference-list numbering
Numbers follow order of first citation and renumber on reorder.
Detailed retrieval and formatting methodology
The tool separates source identification from citation formatting. That makes it easier to see what information was retrieved and correct it before the final reference is used.
- Identify the input: determine whether it is a DOI, PMID, PubMed URL, ISBN, webpage URL, title, PDF or imported record.
- Retrieve metadata: query the appropriate metadata source. Current integrations include Crossref for DOI/scholarly metadata, PubMed/NCBI for PMID records and Google Books for ISBN-based book lookup, with additional webpage metadata handling where applicable.
- Normalize the fields: map the source into a consistent record containing the fields needed for citation formatting.
- Let the user review: expose the metadata for correction instead of treating automated retrieval as infallible.
- Format the reference: apply the supported AMA 11 formatting logic and generate the numbered in-text citation.
- Manage the reference list: detect duplicates, save sources locally in the browser, reorder them and keep numbering synchronized.
Read the full generator methodology and data-source documentation for implementation details, limitations and testing notes.
Source input
DOI · PMID · ISBN · URL · title · PDF
↓
Metadata lookup
Crossref · PubMed/NCBI · Google Books · page metadata
↓
Metadata review
you confirm or correct every field
↓
AMA formatting
11th edition element order and punctuation
↓
Reference list
numbered by order of first citation
AMA citation example
One journal article, from the record you start with to the reference and the superscript in your text.
Source
Journal article in JAMA Cardiology, three named authors and four more, volume 8, issue 4, pages 345–353, 2023. DOI 10.1001/jamacardio.2023.0142
AMA Reference
Smith JB, Alvarez MR, Chen L, et al. Perioperative outcomes after minimally invasive mitral valve repair. JAMA Cardiol. 2023;8(4):345-353. doi:10.1001/jamacardio.2023.0142
In-text
Repair was associated with shorter length of stay than open surgery.1
The numeral is superscript, sits after the punctuation, and stays with this source throughout the manuscript.
Verified live-generator citation example
For the DOI 10.1080/0907676X.2002.9961449, the retrieved article metadata produces the following journal reference in the current generator:
1. Kingscott G. Technical translation and related disciplines. Perspectives. 2002;10(4):247-255. doi:10.1080/0907676x.2002.9961449.
In-text citation: 1
This example is useful because the DOI provides structured metadata, but even DOI-sourced records should be reviewed before submission. See more AMA citation examples.
Should you check a generated AMA reference?
Yes. Citation generators can save time, but metadata providers do not always return complete or correct records. Common problems include incomplete author names, missing dates, incorrect source types, absent page information and journal-title variations.
Before submitting academic or professional work, compare the generated reference with the source itself and the citation requirements of your university, journal, instructor or publisher. If their house style differs from the general AMA rules, follow the requirements that apply to your submission.
Editorial oversight
Research and editorial oversight
Muzammal Amin is a physicist and PhD researcher responsible for research, technical review and editorial development of AMAReferenceGenerator.com. The site documents how the generator works, which external metadata sources it uses and where automated results require human review.
See the author profile, editorial policy and methodology for more information.
Frequently asked questions
What is an AMA citation generator?
An AMA citation generator converts bibliographic information into a reference formatted for AMA style. A useful generator should also let you review the retrieved metadata rather than assuming the source record is always correct.
What is AMA 11th edition?
Yes. The official AMA Manual of Style is currently in its 11th edition. The print edition was published in 2020, while the online manual continues to receive corrections and policy updates.
How are AMA in-text citations formatted?
Yes. It displays the numbered superscript associated with the source in the current reference list. AMA in-text citations use superscript Arabic numerals and reuse the same number when the same source is cited again.
Can I generate a citation from a PMID?
Yes. Enter the PMID as a number or in the form PMID: 39874211. A valid PMID is looked up as a PubMed identifier rather than treated as ordinary keywords.
Can I paste a PubMed URL?
Yes. The generator is designed to recognize a PubMed article URL, extract its PMID and retrieve the underlying article metadata for the reference.
Can I cite a DOI?
Yes. Paste the DOI itself or a DOI URL. DOI metadata is retrieved through Crossref when a matching record is available.
Can I import a PDF?
Yes. The PDF workflow reads the document for a DOI or a likely article title and then attempts a metadata lookup. If it cannot identify the source reliably, use manual entry.
Are generated AMA citations always correct?
No automated citation should be treated as guaranteed. Review the source metadata and confirm any submission-specific requirements before using the reference in academic or professional work.
Why should I review source metadata?
Public metadata can be incomplete or inconsistent. Reviewing the record catches errors before they enter a manuscript or reference list.
Generate your AMA citation
Search by DOI, PMID, PubMed URL, ISBN, webpage URL or article title, review the source details, and add the finished reference to your numbered list.