AMA Source Citation Guide

AMA Journal Citation: Format, DOI and Examples

An AMA journal citation normally includes the author or authors, article title, abbreviated journal title, publication year, volume, issue, page range or article number, and DOI when available. The full reference is numbered according to the article’s first appearance in your manuscript.

A practical journal-reference pattern is:

Author AA, Author BB. Article title. Journal Abbrev. Year;Volume(Issue):Pages. doi:DOI.

If you have the DOI, PMID, PubMed URL or article title, you can use the AMA Citation Generator to retrieve the article metadata and create the reference. Always review the returned details before submission.

By Muzammal Amin
Physics PhD researcher · Reviewed against AMA 11th edition

AMA journal citation format at a glance

Element Typical position What to check
Author(s) First Surname and initials; author order
Article title After authors Correct title and punctuation
Journal title After article title Use the standard abbreviation where required
Year Before volume Correct publication year
Volume After year Confirm against the journal record
Issue Usually in parentheses after volume Include where applicable
Pages or article number After volume/issue Use the locator supplied by the publication
DOI Near the end Include when available

What is the basic AMA format for a journal article?

The most common AMA journal-reference structure is:

Author AA, Author BB, Author CC. Article title. Journal Abbrev. Year;Volume(Issue):Page-Page. doi:DOI.

For example:

Kingscott G. Technical translation and related disciplines. Perspectives. 2002;10(4):247-255. doi:10.1080/0907676x.2002.9961449.

The official References chapter of the AMA Manual of Style, 11th edition, specifically notes the recommendation to include a DOI for journal references when one is available.

For the complete citation system around this reference—including superscript numbering and list order—see the AMA format guide.

How are authors formatted in an AMA journal reference?

AMA uses a compact author style: surname followed by initials, with authors kept in the order in which they appear in the publication.

For example:

Maria L. Garcia → Garcia ML

Current JAMA author instructions provide a useful implementation of AMA reference style: list all authors and/or editors when there are up to 6; when there are more than 6, list the first 3 followed by et al.

One author

Garcia ML.

Two authors

Garcia ML, Smith AB.

More than 6 authors

Garcia ML, Smith AB, Jones CD, et al.

Do not rearrange authors alphabetically. Author order is part of the bibliographic record and should match the source.

How should the article title appear?

The article title follows the author list. Use the actual title of the article rather than the title of the journal, database or PubMed record.

Metadata services sometimes return capitalization or punctuation differently from the publisher’s version. Before finalizing the reference, compare the title with the article itself or the publisher record when possible.

This review is particularly important when titles contain:

  • subtitles;
  • abbreviations;
  • organism names;
  • gene or protein terminology;
  • mathematical symbols;
  • non-English words; or
  • special capitalization.

Should you use the full journal title or an abbreviation?

Medical and scientific references commonly use standardized journal-title abbreviations. JAMA’s current author instructions tell authors to abbreviate journal names according to the journals list in PubMed.

The National Library of Medicine also provides detailed guidance for journal abbreviations and journal-title data. This matters because abbreviations should not be invented by simply shortening words that look obvious.

For example, NLM guidance distinguishes between full journal titles and standardized abbreviated forms used in bibliographic records.

If PubMed supplies a journal abbreviation for the article, that is useful metadata for an AMA reference. Still, review the field because historical title changes and unusual journals can create edge cases.

See our dedicated AMA and NLM journal abbreviations guide.

How are year, volume and issue shown?

For a conventional journal article, the publication year is followed by the volume number and, where applicable, the issue number in parentheses.

Example structure:

2026;25(4):

Here:

  • 2026 is the publication year;
  • 25 is the volume; and
  • 4 is the issue.

Current JAMA instructions explicitly state that journal references should include the issue number in parentheses after the volume number.

If your source has no conventional issue or volume data, do not invent it. Online-first articles, supplements and continuously published journals may use different publication details.

How do page ranges work in AMA journal citations?

Traditional journal references usually include the article’s page range after the volume and issue:

2002;10(4):247-255.

Use the actual locator supplied by the publication or trusted bibliographic record. Do not substitute PDF viewer page numbers for the journal’s published pagination.

For articles that use an electronic article number instead of conventional pages, use the publication’s article locator rather than inventing a page range.

What if the journal uses an article number instead of page numbers?

Many online journals now publish articles with an electronic locator or article number instead of a traditional page range. NLM’s Citing Medicine notes that publishers may use article numbering in place of pagination and advises using the wording or locator supplied by the publisher.

For example, an article may have a locator such as:

e12345

or another publisher-defined article number.

Do not convert an article number into fake pages. The goal of the reference is to identify the work accurately using the bibliographic information that actually exists.

Should a DOI be included in an AMA journal citation?

Yes, when a DOI is available. The official 11th-edition References chapter identifies DOI inclusion for journal references as a recommendation.

A DOI is useful because it is a persistent identifier for a scholarly work. It can also serve as a high-confidence input for citation generation.

For example:

doi:10.1080/0907676x.2002.9961449

On our AMA Citation Generator, you can paste either the DOI itself or a DOI URL. The system attempts to retrieve structured scholarly metadata through Crossref and then formats the supported fields for AMA style.

Do not assume DOI metadata is automatically perfect. Crossref records are supplied by publishers and depositors, and individual fields can be incomplete or structured differently.

Should you use a DOI or a webpage URL for an online journal article?

When a journal article has a DOI, the DOI is normally the stronger persistent identifier for the article. AMA 11th-edition guidance specifically emphasizes including DOI for journal references when available.

A normal publisher webpage URL can change, contain tracking parameters or point to a temporary interface. The DOI is designed to continue identifying the work even when its web location changes.

If there is no DOI, the exact reference treatment for an online-only journal article can depend on the available publication information and the requirements of the publication or institution using AMA style. Review the source and follow the current manual or relevant house style.

Can you create an AMA journal citation from PubMed?

Yes. PubMed is particularly useful for identifying biomedical journal articles. Each PubMed citation has a unique PMID, and PubMed records may contain author, journal, publication, DOI and other metadata needed to build a journal reference.

Our generator recognizes:

  • a bare PMID, such as 39874211;
  • PMID: 39874211; and
  • a PubMed article URL.

The generator then attempts to retrieve the underlying journal article record rather than format the PubMed webpage as if PubMed itself were the article.

For this workflow, see the AMA PubMed and PMID citation guide.

Is PMID the same as the AMA reference number?

No. A PMID is an identifier assigned to a PubMed record. The AMA reference number is determined by where the source first appears in your manuscript.

For example, an article with:

PMID: 39874211

might still be:

Reference 3

if it is the third new source cited in your document.

Similarly, a DOI identifies the article but does not replace its in-text citation number.

How do you cite an online-ahead-of-print journal article?

Some journal articles are published online before they receive final volume, issue or page information. In that situation, use the publication status and bibliographic details that are actually available rather than inventing issue or pagination data.

AMA 11th-edition style resources provide formats for articles published online ahead of print. A typical structure may identify the journal and online publication date followed by DOI when available.

Once the article receives final issue information, bibliographic databases may update the record. If accuracy matters for a final manuscript, recheck the article close to submission rather than assuming an early-online record has remained unchanged.

AMA journal citation examples

Journal article with one author

Author AA. Article title. Journal Abbrev. 2026;25(4):120-128. doi:10.xxxx/xxxxx.

Journal article with two authors

Author AA, Author BB. Article title. Journal Abbrev. 2026;25(4):120-128. doi:10.xxxx/xxxxx.

Journal article with more than 6 authors

Author AA, Author BB, Author CC, et al. Article title. Journal Abbrev. 2026;25(4):120-128. doi:10.xxxx/xxxxx.

Journal article with an article number

Author AA, Author BB. Article title. Journal Abbrev. 2026;25(4):e12345. doi:10.xxxx/xxxxx.

Real DOI example used to test our generator

Kingscott G. Technical translation and related disciplines. Perspectives. 2002;10(4):247-255. doi:10.1080/0907676x.2002.9961449.

These examples demonstrate structure. The final reference should reflect the actual metadata and the current AMA or destination-journal requirements.

See more source types on the AMA citation examples page.

What does the journal article look like as an AMA in-text citation?

The full journal reference belongs in the reference list. In the manuscript, the article is represented by its assigned reference number, commonly as a superscript.

Example:

The intervention produced a measurable improvement.1

If the same article is cited later, reuse 1. Do not create another journal reference for the same source.

See AMA in-text citation rules and examples.

Where does the journal article appear in the reference list?

The reference list is numbered according to first citation in the text. Journal articles are therefore not alphabetized separately from books, websites or other source types.

If a journal article is the fifth new source cited, it becomes reference 5. Its source type does not change its position.

For list organization and renumbering, see the AMA reference page guide.

What journal metadata should you verify?

Before copying a generated journal citation into a manuscript, check the retrieved record against the article or publisher page.

Review at least:

  • author names;
  • author order;
  • article title;
  • journal title or standard abbreviation;
  • publication year;
  • volume;
  • issue;
  • page range or electronic article locator;
  • DOI;
  • publication status if the article is online ahead of print.

This review matters even when the DOI or PMID is correct. Metadata can be incomplete, changed after early publication or represented differently by different databases.

How to generate an AMA journal citation

  1. Open the AMA Citation Generator.
  2. Paste the DOI, PMID, PubMed URL or article title.
  3. Confirm that the tool found the correct article.
  4. Review the author list and article title.
  5. Check the journal abbreviation.
  6. Verify year, volume, issue and pages or article number.
  7. Confirm the DOI.
  8. Correct any metadata that is incomplete or wrong.
  9. Copy the reference or add it to your numbered reference list.

For details on source detection and metadata providers, see our generator methodology.

Common AMA journal citation mistakes

Using the full journal name when a standard abbreviation is expected

Check PubMed/NLM journal-title data instead of inventing an abbreviation.

Leaving out the issue number

Current JAMA instructions specifically include issue number in parentheses after volume for journal references.

Omitting an available DOI

The AMA 11th-edition References chapter recommends including DOI for journal references when available.

Using PubMed as the article title or publisher

PubMed is a discovery and bibliographic database. When you are citing the journal article, cite the underlying article metadata.

Using the PMID as the reference-list number

The PMID identifies the PubMed record; AMA list numbering follows citation order.

Inventing page numbers for an e-locator article

If the publisher uses an article number, preserve that locator rather than converting it into fictional pages.

Changing author order

Author sequence should match the publication record.

Trusting metadata without checking the article

Automated lookup is useful, but responsibility for the final citation remains with the author submitting the work.

Is this based on AMA 11th edition?

Yes. The current AMA Manual of Style is the 11th edition, published in 2020. Oxford Academic continues to update the online manual with corrections and new policy guidance.

The official updates page shows that reference guidance continues to evolve; for example, Chapter 3.18 on short-form references was added in May 2026 for space-limited formats such as posters and slide presentations.

Read AMA 11th edition explained for more information.

Frequently asked questions about AMA journal citations

What is the AMA format for a journal article?

A typical journal reference contains author names, article title, abbreviated journal title, year, volume, issue, pages or article number, and DOI when available.

Does AMA require a DOI for journal articles?

The AMA Manual of Style, 11th edition, recommends including a DOI for journal references when one is available.

How many authors do I list in an AMA journal citation?

Current JAMA author instructions list all authors up to 6. For more than 6 authors, they list the first 3 followed by et al.

Does AMA abbreviate journal names?

Medical and scientific AMA references commonly use standardized journal abbreviations. JAMA directs authors to the journals list in PubMed for journal-name abbreviations.

Do I include the issue number?

Current JAMA reference instructions specify the issue number in parentheses after the volume number.

What if the article has no page numbers?

Use the article number or electronic locator supplied by the journal when that is how the publication identifies the article.

Can I use a PMID to create the citation?

Yes. A PMID can identify the PubMed record for the article. The retrieved metadata can then be formatted as a journal reference.

Is a PMID the same as the AMA citation number?

No. PMID is a database identifier. The AMA citation number is determined by the source’s order of first citation in your document.

Should I cite the PubMed page or the journal article?

If your source is the journal article, cite the underlying article. PubMed is useful for identifying and retrieving its bibliographic metadata.

Should I check the generated journal citation?

Yes. Verify authors, title, journal abbreviation, publication details, pages or article number and DOI before submission.

Muzammal Amin

About the author

Muzammal Amin is a physicist and PhD researcher at the University of Turin. He leads the research, technical review and editorial development of AMAReferenceGenerator.com.

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