Using Papers: Using Papers: AMA Style

Create reference lists using Papers by copying and pasting formatted references into a document or PowerPoint slides.

OR use the SmartCite plugin to generate a reference list and in-text citations at the same time. SmartCite even renumbers your superscript in-text citations as you work!

Reference managers are only as good as the reference data that they have to work with. Edits may be necessary to produce correctly formatted references.

Set AMA Citation Style

1. In your Papers library, click on a reference.
2. In the side panel that appears, click the export icon () to view your formatted reference.
3. Select "American Medical Association 11th edition" or "JAMA" in the dropdown menu.

Article Matching

Papers' article matching attempts to locate and update a reference's reference information and populate empty fields with title, volume, issue, pages, DOI, website, etc.

1. Click on a reference.
2. In the side panel that appears, click the gear icon ().
3. Select "Update Details" to prompt article matching to update the data.
   • If the option is missing, you may need to manually enter more reference information

Preview Citation

1. In the side panel, click the export icon ().
2. Examine the reference for errors or missing components.
   1. For missing components, click "Article Matching"
   2. For errors, check for common edits for AMA style and edit the reference data.

Edit Citations

1. Click the edit icon ().
2. Click any of the fields to change journal name, author, title, DOI, etc.
3. Click the blue save button to retain your changes.

NLM Abbreviated Journal Titles

AMA style requires abbreviated journal titles. Look up the official abbreviation in the NLM Catalog.

1. Access the NLM Catalog.
2. Search for the journal title.
3. Click on a search result to locate the abbreviated journal title.
   
4. Enter the abbreviated journal in the "Journal Abbreviation" field in Papers.

Organizations, Groups, or Government Agencies as Authors

If your author is an organization, place a tilde (~) after the name of the organization to prevent Papers from inverting the name:

Digital Object Identifier (DOI) Lookup

It is best practice to include a DOI when a reference has one assigned. A DOI is a series of letters and numbers assigned to a published work on the internet. Each DOI is unique and created to help locate the specific work. Use Crossref to locate a DOI:

1. Access Crossref.
2. Copy and paste the title of your reference search box. Place the article title in quotes for best results.
   
    
3. Copy and paste the DOI into the DOI field of your reference.
   
    
4. Remove the portion of the DOI link, "https://doi.org/" and use the information after it. (e.g. https://doi.org/10.32598/jccnc.1.33.14)

General Journal Article Example

Article Author(s). Title. Abbrev. Journal Name. Year;vol(issue):pages. doi:xxxxxxx

Lookup an article's DOI in Crossref
Check for a the official journal name abbreviation in the NLM Catalog

Bruton K, Spill P, Chu DK, Waserman S, Jordana M. Peanut allergy: beyond the oral immunotherapy plateau. Clin Transl Allergy. 2021;11(6):e12046. doi:10.1002/clt2.12046

Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews Article Example

Hodson EM, Cooper TE. Altered dietary salt intake for preventing diabetic kidney disease and its progression. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2023;1(1):CD006763. doi:10.1002/14651858.cd006763.pub3

General Book Examples

Author(s). Book Title. Edition number ed. Publisher's name; copyright year. Accessed [date]. URL
Author(s). Chapter title. In Editor(s). Book Title. Edition number ed. Publisher's name; copyright year:pages.
 

Book Chapter Example

Irion JM, Boissonnault JS. Historical Perspective of Women’s Health Care. In: Irion JM, Irion GL, eds. Women’s Health in Physical Therapy. 2nd ed. Wolters Kluwer; 2010.

Print Book Example

Salkind NJ. Statistics for People Who (Think They) Hate Statistics. 7th ed. Sage; 2020.

E-Book Example

American Physical Therapy Association. Guide to Physical Therapist Practice. 3rd ed. American Physical Therapy Association; 2014. Accessed March 1, 2023. https://guidetoptpractice.apta.org/

UpToDate Example

Author(s). Title of the specific entry cited. In: Connor RF, ed. UpToDate. UpToDate; Copyright year [always current year]. Accessed [date]. URL
All UpToDate references have the same editor: Connor RF

Inzucchi SE, Lupsa B. Clinical presentation, diagnosis, and initial evaluation of diabetes mellitus in adults. In: Connor RF, ed. UpToDate. UpToDate; 2023. Accessed January 12, 2025. https://www.uptodate.com/contents/clinical-presentation-diagnosis-and-initial-evaluation-of-diabetes-mellitus-in-adults?search=clinical%20presentation%2C%20diagnosis%2C%20and%20initial%20evaluation%20of%20diabetes&source=search_result&selectedTitle=1%7E150&usage_type=default&display_rank=1

General Website Example

Author(s). Title of webpage. Name of the Website/Publisher. Date Published. Date Updated. Accessed Month Day, Year. URL
 

Spencer A, Funk C. How Black and Hispanic Americans view clinical trials. Pew Research Center. Published November 29, 2022. Accessed March 1, 2023. https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2022/11/29/how-black-and-hispanic-americans-view-clinical-trials/

Government Report

National Heart Lung and Blood Institute. What Is Alpha-1 antitrypsin (AAT) deficiency? U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health. Published 2023. Accessed March 1, 2023. https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/resources/what-alpha-1-antitrypsin-aat-deficiency