AMA In-Text Citations: Format Basics & Examples

When you write an assignment for a medical research topic, you may need to include AMA in-text citations in the body of your paper. In-text citations are short references that provide the reader with brief information about used sources. The most common style for citing medicine-related sources is the American Medical Association – AMA citation format. 

In this guide, you’ll learn how to cite in AMA in text, so you can feel confident about the accuracy of your research.

When referring to someone's ideas, you must include an in-text citation to help readers locate information. Unlike APA in-text citations, in AMA style you won't deal with the author-date system.

AMA format in-text citation typically requires a superscript number that corresponds to a numbered reference list on the final pages of your document. A superscript number should be placed at the end of the sentence after the punctuation mark. Take a look at this example to grab a general idea.

AMA in-text citation example

As you can see, the superscript "¹" denotes that the source is listed first in an AMA reference list. So if your readers need more detailed information about this source, they will head to your references section. 

Example

The main idea behind in-text citations is to help readers find relevant sources and build a link between them. That’s why AMA citation format requires you to arrange numbered references in the same order as they appear in a text. Small details like that can make your paper look more professional, so take them into consideration when working on an AMA style paper.

Integrate AMA in-text citations whenever any ideas are quoted or paraphrased. This way, you will be giving credit to existing research and avoid plagiarism issues.

The general rule states that you need to include a superscript number at the end of your sentence after a period. You may also insert a numeral right after the author's name or after a clause where idea seems complete.

Example of superscript citation

Here, the superscript number appears after the names "Smith and Jones," indicating that these insights came from their case study.

But how to go about cases, when there are other punctuation marks? Let's see how to create an AMA style in-text citation when other punctuation is involved.

In AMA style, there are specific guidelines for using punctuation with in-text citations. First of all, there should be no spaces between a superscript number and the preceding or following word.

When it comes to  punctuation marks, there are 2 ways you can use a numeral – before or after your punctuation.

If you’re citing an idea that ends with a period, comma, question/exclamation mark, or quotation mark, place a superscript number after the ending punctuation.

Example of punctuation in AMA in-text citations

A superscript number goes before a colon, semicolon or em dash.

Example

As a rule, parentheses are not used in in-text citations. But if you need to refer to extra details listed within parentheses, leave a superscript number inside.

Example

If there is no punctuation mark, use a superscript before any additional words or phrases. Here's how to cite in AMA in text if punctuation is absent:

Example

When you’re introducing a direct quote, adding page numbers in AMA in text citations is necessary. This is an essential rule in almost all citation styles and AMA style isn’t an exception. In this case, the structure of your superscript numerals will change.

Most frequently, you will need to cite a specific passage on a single page in your text. Mention a page number after "p." in parentheses after the numeral. A superscript number should stay outside the brackets with no extra spacing.

Example

To acknowledge someone’s ideas spread out through several pages, you will need to specify the page range after "pp." within parentheses. Show a range with an en dash. Here's how your AMA in-text citation in this case will look:

Example

If you are referring to the individual pages, separate numbers with commas. No space is needed.

Example

When there are 2 or more sources in the same sentence, use a comma in your AMA in-text citation to separate them.

Example

If you are acknowledging several sources in a consecutive order, insert an en dash between numbers.

Example

If you need to mention multiple sources along with page numbers in your AMA citation in text, list page numbers and put a comma after them.

Example

It is essential to mention the author’s name when you are introducing a source. Any credentials should be written in plain text, not in superscript.

Example

But there may be situations when you will need to reproduce ideas of 2 or more authors. Let's figure out how you can do this in AMA style.

In AMA format, when citing a source with two authors in-text, list both authors' last names in the order they appear in an original work. Use a conjunction "and" between 2 names.

Example

When you are citing a source with 3 or more authors, use the first author's last name followed by "et al."

Example

In text citation in AMA format helps other researchers to trace back your sources and verify their accuracy. Following guidelines will help you avoid plagiarism in your research paper and make it easier for your readers to locate the original source. We hope that this guide was helpful. Now you have all essential information to get started with creating superscript citations for your study.