AMA In-Text Citations | Guidelines & Examples
AMA in-text citations are superscript numbers in the main text that direct readers to numbered entries on an AMA reference page.
Each AMA reference entry begins with a number and includes the author, title, and other publication details. Number these entries in the order that you initially cite each source in the main text.
Each source has only one entry, so if you cite the same scholarly source in multiple places, use the same number for all of that source’s in-text citations.
AMA in-text citation | AMA reference entry |
---|---|
Another recent study explored the common barriers to asthma treatment.5 | 5. Papi A, Blasi F, Canonica GW, et al. Treatment strategies for asthma: reshaping the concept of asthma management. Allergy, Asthma & Clinical Immunology. 2020;16:1-11. doi:10.1186/s13223-020-00472-8 |
To cite sources correctly in AMA style, follow the examples and guidelines below, or use QuillBot’s free Citation Generator.
AMA in-text citation format
In-text citations go immediately after the sentence, phrase, or clause that paraphrases, quotes, or summarizes each source. They usually go after the sentence’s period, but they can go in the middle of a sentence if only part of the sentence is summarizing, paraphrasing, or quoting an outside source.
AMA provides the following guidelines for in-text citation placement:
- After a period, question mark, exclamation mark, or closing quotation marks when the citation applies to the whole sentence
- After a comma when the citation only applies to details before the comma
- Before a colon, semicolon, em dash, or closing parenthesis if the citation only applies to details before these punctuation marks
If a source has two authors, use both of their last names in a signal phrase. For sources with three or more authors, use the first author’s last name with “et al” like this example:
- The study by Meijer et al6 confirms our hypothesis.
In AMA writing, “et al” doesn’t have a period like it does in APA in-text citations.
Page numbers in AMA in-text citations
AMA only requires page numbers for sentences with quotations (which should be used sparingly in AMA writing). AMA doesn’t require page numbers when you’re paraphrasing or summarizing. The following formatting guidelines apply to AMA page number citations:
- Put page numbers in superscript parentheses directly after the citation number, which goes after the closing quotation marks.
- Avoid spaces between the superscript number and parentheses or between any of the details inside the parentheses.
- Use “p” for a single page number or “pp” for a page range (with no period).
- Type the number or range directly after “p” or “pp.”
- Use a hyphen for page ranges (e.g., pp19-20).
AMA in-text citations for multiple works
In some cases, you may need to cite two or more sources in the same sentence. For example, in a literature review, a single sentence might refer to several different research studies.
In this situation, add a superscript citation (and a reference entry) for all of the sources that the sentence paraphrases or summarizes. Separate the superscript numbers with commas but not spaces. You can also use a hyphen to cite a range of three or more consecutive sources from the reference page.
In the following example, “several studies” refers to sources 6, 9, 10, and 11 from the essay’s reference page.
Frequently asked questions about AMA in-text citations
- How do I cite the same source multiple times in AMA style?
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To cite the same source multiple times in AMA style, follow these steps:
- Number sources on the AMA reference page sequentially according to the first time each source is cited in your main text. For example, the first source you cite in text is “1,” the second is “2,” and so on.
- Each source only needs one number and one reference entry no matter how many AMA in-text citations you have for the same source.
- Each time you summarize, paraphrase, or quote each source, use the same number from the reference page in superscript at the end of the relevant sentence, phrase, or clause—like this example.4
QuillBot’s free Citation Generator can help you create accurate AMA references.