The American Medical Association Manual of Style: a guide for authors and editors,
9 th edition: Cheat sheet and one Managing Editor’s and one Content Editor’s interpretations
As with any stylebook, this manual provides a set of conventions to make writing clear for the association’s scientific journals, so the audience is subject matter experts.
The Associated Press style guide, in contrast, is written for journalists. The writing subjects are much more varied, as are their audiences and the knowledge that the audiences possess.
Organization and Content
There are 5 sections:
1.
Preparing an article for publication
2.
Style
3.
Terminology
4.
Measurement and quantitation
5.
Technical information (typography, copyediting marks, glossary of terms)
This edition has additions of:

An ethical and legal chapter (includes copyright and intellectual property)

An extensive chapter on statistical terms and definitions

An updated chapter on nomenclature

New policies for eponyms and number style

An expanded discussion of inclusive language

A larger section on graphs and figures

A new section on typography

Current information related to electronic publishing
Why should I care about the AMA Manual of Style?
Although some doctors are not good writers and some doctors are, all of them are heavily scheduled, if not constantly overbooked. Their responsibilities include far more than seeing patients, which they often do 10-12 hours a day.
In addition, pharmaceutical companies that develop content for their training employees, such as the sales staff, and these companies use the AMA to write and edit the content used to teach staff members about the products the company develops and sells.
So what?
This means that doctors will often look for assistance in preparing research they’ve done for submission to journals and pharmaceutical companies need people to write and edit training material, among other things.
This is where you come in!

Being familiar with the AMA Manual of Style means that you might be eligible to get a paying job:
1) helping a doctor prepare a manuscript for submission;
2) proofreading, copyediting, even typesetting accepted articles in preparation for publication in medical journals; you can do this as a publisher’s paid employee or as a freelancer; or
3) writing or editing materials for pharmaceutical companies.
Great! So what do I need to know?
I.
Read Chapter 2 when preparing a paper for submission. The chapter has helpful advice about: a.
Titles (2.12) i.
Avoid overly general titles and make sure a title is concise, specific, and informative (and gets the attention of the desired reader); ii.
Use double-quotation marks (not single), only when necessary; iii.
Use the generic or nonpropriety name of drugs only (for exceptions to this, see 2.1.3); iv.
Italicize and expand all the words in a genus and species; v.
Avoid abbreviations; vi.
Capitalize each major word; vii.
Include city, state, and country only when necessary and relevant to the work; viii.
Use subtitles judiciously and without redundancy. b.
Authorship (2.2) i.
Bylines need to provide full names and the highest degree(s) held by each author. ii.
The format of names needs to be the same as for other publications by that person—otherwise, a PubMed search, for example, will not show all the work by that author (bad news for the author!) iii.
Honorary authorship (eg the practice of including a doctor’s name in the byline because he/she is the chair of an author’s department) is frowned upon now (it used to be standard practice). People who do not meet the criteria for authorship should/could be listed in the
Acknowledgment (see 2.10) c.
Footnotes (2.3) are generally not used in AMA-style publications. In medical publishing, “footnote” actually refers to a bunch of information about the author (affiliations, conflicts of interest) funding of the research/article, prior presentation at a symposium, and other publication information (doi [digital object identifier], etc.). All but the latter should appear on the title page of the manuscript when submitted (and be sure to see a journal’s instructions for specific statements or disclaimers that must be made!). d.
Abstracts (2.5) are required for most types of submissions. Generally, structured abstracts are preferred (but check a journal’s instructions for the

what is needed in the section for which the paper is intended!). Structured abstracts often have subheaders such as Objectives, Study Design or
Methods, Results, and Conclusions. The abstract is a complete summary of the piece; it does not allow for “mystery” (ie readers know the end before they read it) and it cannot include any information not in the article.
The abstract must be accurate to the article and should not overstate the results or their implications. e.
Keywords (2.6) must be accurate and complete because these word are how researchers/readers may find the article when doing a database search
(such as in PubMed). Don’t let authors go overboard, though—keep them to less than 10. f.
The structure of original research papers (2.8) follows the IMRAD format:
Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion or Conclusion. i.
The Introduction is usually not given a heading. It introduces the work by stating the objectives and the hypothesis, and provides enough context to make the work understandable and meaningful to the reader. ii.
The Methods section is a description of how the research was performed in enough detail that an informed reader could replicate the methods. Established methodology that is described in detail in other publications should not be repeated, but referenced. iii.
The Results section describes the results and relevant data of the study. iv.
The Discussion or Conclusion or Comment section provides explanation, examination, and consideration of the study, including its limitations, as well as its generalizability, implications, and meaning. However, this section should not overstate the meaning and implications (common to studies of drugs sponsored by the pharmaceutical company that makes it!).
☼ Key point: Do not allow authors to repeat information between sections and between text and illustrations
(tables and figures) etc. g.
References (2.12) are cited by number in the text, generally in superscript font, but inside parentheses is ok, too. The full list appears at the end of the manuscript file. Note that references to material not published (even
“in press” doesn’t work) and personal communications of any kind are not acceptable references; if necessary, they can be mentioned in the text. Use
Arabic numerals outside periods and commas, but inside colons and semicolons. eg. As reported previously, 1, 3-8, 19
The derived data were as follows
3, 4
:
Authors are responsible for “getting it right” both in terms of what and how to cite. An assistant can help!
☼ Be sure that references are in the format required by the journal! h.
Tables (2.13) can present detailed information effectively and efficiently.
Although they can provide visual interest, some doctors admit to looking

at an article’s abstract, tables, and figures only! So these are important opportunities for authors to convey key points and key data. Due to reading habits, primary comparisons should be shown horizontally.
Similar data elements should be arranged vertically. Tables should have titles and footnotes, if necessary. Be sure that each table is cited in the text; otherwise, it will be deleted. Although not specified, the Manual uses
Arabic, not Roman, numerals for tables.
☼ Key point: Tables should not provide all collected data. If, for some compelling scientific reason, the authors can convince an editor that all the data must be provided, the authors should be prepared for that table to be available online only. i.
Figures (2.14) are illustrations that clarify or explain information (without being redundant). Make sure figures are visually clear (dot matrix stuff is out!
no jagged lines, grayscale and patterns must reproduce well). Avoid using Word to create figures, and make sure that figures are of sufficient resolution for reproduction. (JPediatr: photographs—300 dpi; grayscale—
1000 dpi; line art—1200 dpi)
To decide if a table or a figure provides the best presentation of information, see chapter 2.13.1. j.
Legends (2.14.3) or captions to figures are generally printed below the figure when published (but should not be part of the figure file in the manuscript). “Keys” should be part of the legend. k.
Permissions (2.14.11, 2.14.13) for figures that are taken from other sources or are recognizable photographs of people must have permissions.
For previously published figures, permission to reprint must be obtained from the original copyright holder. Usually, this is not the author(s), but the publisher. Authors (or their assistants!) are required to provide these to the journal. A “patient’s consent to publication” must be signed by the patient or the patient’s legal guardian.
Black bars over eyes is not sufficient.
II.
Helping an author prepare a paper for submission can also mean being aware of what could eliminate that paper from editorial consideration. Copyediting a piece for a publisher may mean flagging potential issues. Skim Chapter 3 for common ethical and legal considerations, such as: a.
Authors must meet the criteria for authorship. (3.1) (See also www.icmje.org
.) i.
All persons listed in the byline must be willing to take full responsibility for every word of the paper and all aspects of the work. To remind authors of these criteria, many journals require contributors to attest in writing how they qualify for authorship. ii.
Guest or honorary authorship is frowned upon (see above) (3.1.2).
Ghost writers are not named in the byline but have affected in some way the presentation of the paper. They may not have participated in the research or analysis but were given the data to prepare the report. These persons should be listed in the

Acknowledgments. Some journals require statements in an attempt to discover ghost writers (cf JPediatr Guide for Authors ) iii.
The number of authors (3.1.4 and 3.1.6) should be kept to six.
Many journals require an explanation of the contributions of each author if more than 6 are listed. iv.
The Acknowledgments (3.2) section is where those who don’t meet the criteria for authorship are named. Some journals require that the authors obtain written permission from those named since being named may imply endorsement of the article and its contents. b.
Duplicate or redundant publication or submission (3.3) is the simultaneous or subsequent reported of essentially the same information or major components. Duplication is not necessarily unethical, but failure to disclose is and may violate copyright law. Some types of duplication are considered acceptable, but authors or their assistants should check with the intended journal to ensure publication is not jeopardized (this includes coverage by news media! See 3.13.3). A copy of the prior or in press publication should be provided to the journal with an explanation of overlap and justification for the publication of more than one publication.
Many journals require statements upon submission that “the work is not and will not be submitted to any other journal while under consideration” by the journal (cf JPediatr Guide for Authors ). The institutions of authors of duplicate publications may be contacted to take disciplinary action
(since this is a violation of scientific ethics, not just journals’), journals may refuse to publish work from these authors for a specified period of time, and journals may make other journals aware of the duplicate publication. If published, the articles may be subject to retraction. c.
Scientific misconduct (3.4) can include outright fraud, fabrication, falsification, plagiarism, and so forth. These can be legally actionable. d.
Authors should disclose any conflicts of interest (3.5.1) this includes any financial involvement or interest, especially if directly relevant to the subject matter of the paper. This information goes on the title page of the manuscript and will be published.
III.
Like Chicago, the AMA has a chapter that covers grammar (Chapter 5). Also, like Chicago, the general trend in the AMA is toward simplicity: terms lose hyphens, superscripts (except for footnote numbers), subscripts, and spaces in
AMA.
AMA style for abbreviations rarely calls for the use of periods. a.
Punctuation i.
Commas
1.
The trend is to use them sparingly.
2.
Serial commas are used.
3. Use commas to set off academic degrees, titles, and Jr and
Sr (note: Jr and Sr do not use periods)
4. Use commas in dates when the date is used: August 14,
1929.
5. A comma is placed inside quotation marks.

6. A comma is not used in large numbers; numbers are ii. Hyphens separated by a space: 12 122, 14 098.
1.
There are several pages of guidelines related to hyphens
(6.3.1).
2.
Hyphenate a compound word that contains a noun and adverb or participle to make an adjective: decision-making methods.
3.
Hyphenate a adjective-noun compound when it falls before the noun it modifies: eg, upper-class values.
4.
Hyphenate a compound adjectival phrase when it precedes the noun it modifies: eg, end-to-end anastomosis.
5.
When not otherwise specified, hyphens should only be used to aid reader’s understanding.
6.
The AMA uses Chicago guidelines for compounds that have become commonplace. iii. Ellipses can be used at beginning or end of a passage to indicate material omitted before or after the section. b. Capitalization i.
Words are capitalized sparingly but conventionally in the scientific publications that use the AMA. The common rule is to capitalize terms when they refer to specific things such as the East Coast or the Congressional Budget Office. When these terms are generalized, they are lowercased. ii.
In titles and headings: Do not capitalize a coordinating conjunction, article, or preposition of 3 letters or less, except when it is the first or last word in a title or subtitle. Do capitalize 2-letter verbs, for example, go, do, am, is, be . iii.
Ethnic/Racial Groups: For terms such as white, black, and African
American, copy editors should follow author usage. iv.
Capitalize the title of a person when it comes before the name, but not if it comes after the name.
v.
In headers and titles, do not capitalize the second part of a hyphenated word if either part is a hyphenated suffix or prefix (eg,
Anti-infective Drugs).
c. Numbers and Dates i.
Numerals should be used to express numbers in most circumstances. Exceptions include numbers that begin a sentence, title, subtitle, or heading; common fractions; accepted usage such as idiomatic expressions; numbers used as pronouns. ii.
Dates: Full dates when written in the text or in references are written “August 21, 2001.” iii.
Large rounded numbers usually combine numerals and words.
“About 8 million people were affected by the drought.”

iv.
Compound numbers. Hyphenate compound written numbers from twenty-one to ninety-nine. v.
Common fractions are usually written as words. A hyphen is inserted in a fraction only when it is used as an adjective: eg, “a two-thirds majority.” vi.
Inclusive Numbers. When expressing an inclusive range of numbers in your text do not use a dash or hyphen, write to or through instead: 80 to 100, not 80-100. vii.
The conventional format for time is preferred over military time:
5:45
AM
. viii.
Ordinal numbers: Since these are used to express order or rank rather than quantity, spell out first through ninth. ix.
Chapter 17 is devoted to statistics and Chapter 18 to mathematical composition. d. Terminology i.
Chapter 12 is devoted to nomenclature. While we won’t go into specifics, the chapter is significant. Nomenclature refers to the
“systematic formulation of names for specific entities.” The AMA notes that many medical disciplines have set up committees to develop official systems of nomenclature. It discusses nomenclature for blood groups, cancer, cardiology, drugs, genetics, equipment, hemostatis, immunology, isotopes, neurology, obstetrics, organisms (viruses, etc.), and pulmonary and respiratory terms. ii.
Chapter 13 is a short chapter detailing how to handle eponyms – phrases or words derived from of including the name of a person or place. Chapter 14 is devoted to Greek letters. iii.
Drugs. Use nonproprietary names of drugs, devices, and other products, unless the specific trade name of a drug is directly relevant to the discussion.
iv.
Microorganisms Other than Viruses .
The names of taxa from the kingdom through family are set in roman type. The names of taxa at the level of genus and below (including subgenus, species, and subspecies) are set in italics. The names of all taxa down through genus are written with an initial capital letter, and any may stand alone. v.
Chapter 9 is devoted to correct and preferred usage of terms.
Some examples include when to use the terms diagnose/evaluate/examine/identify; dosage vs. dose, case/client/consumer/patient/subject; and health care/health care reform/health system/health system reform. e. Abbreviations/Acronyms i.
The editors of the AMA’s scientific publications discourage the use of abbreviations and acronyms with the exception of

internationally approved and accepted units of measure and some well-recognized clinical, technical, and general terms and symbols.
The Manual provides a list of clinical and technical terms that are commonly abbreviated and their abbreviations (11.12). There is also a list of abbreviations for units of measure (according to the
International System of Units) that are used in AMA publications. ii.
Agencies and Organizations: The guide provides a list of organizations commonly cited in AMA publications that use abbreviations or acronyms (p.286). iii.
Expanded at first use. Acronyms should be written out on first use followed by the abbreviation in parentheses. Subsequently only the abbreviation is used. iv.
Frequency of use. Clinical and technical terms may have acronyms that are unfamiliar or difficult to remember. Unless these are used more than five times in an article, or are very unwieldy in full expression, they should be written out at each mention. v.
Avoid introducing an abbreviation in a subheading. Instead, write the term out and repeat it in the following text to introduce the acronym. vi.
Plurals. Write the plural form of an acronym without an apostrophe. For example, write “the Master of Business
Administration (MBA) program is popular because MBAs command high starting salaries.” vii.
Places, States, and Addresses. Names of US states, territories, and possessions should be spelled out in full when they stand alone.
When the same state name follows the name of a city, the abbreviation should be used, without periods (eg, New York, NY).
Use postal codes for states only when using ZIP codes. viii.
Scholarly and Latin Abbreviations. Latin abbreviations such as etc, eg , et al, and ie may be used only in parenthetical notes or references, otherwise spell out the equivalent term. For example,
“Authorities support this rule ( eg , the Chicago Manual of Style
).”
Do not use periods in these abbreviations. ix.
Days and months are generally not abbreviated. x.
Journal names are often abbreviated. AMA provides a list. Also certain words may be abbreviated in these titles. These abbreviations are based on American National Standard for
Information Sciences-Abbreviation of Titles of Publication. A list of abbreviated journal names and words that can be abbreviated is in 11.10. xi.
Abbreviations are used when complete addresses given. This list includes
Court Ct
Highway Hwy
Northeast NE
Northwest NW

Street St xii.
States are spelled out when they stand alone, but abbreviated when used with cities (do not use Postal Code abbreviations unless you also use zip code). f. Units of Measure i.
Use quantitative values in the International System of Units and abbreviate according to these guidelines. This section provides a list and Chapter 15 is devoted to units of measure. ii.
Units are written in lowercase (kilogram), except for Celsius.
Abbreviations are generally written in lower case, but there are exceptions noted in the chapter. iii.
Use exponents (m
2
) rather than abbreviations cu and sq. iv.
SI units are not expressed in plural form; use the same expression for plurals. v.
Abbreviations of units are not followed by a period (eg, 8 kg). vi.
Drug doses are expressed in conventional metric mass units
(milligrams). g. Quotations i.
Quotations must be placed within quotation marks or indented as a block quote. All quotations must include a citation referring the reader to the source document. As a matter of form quotations should be integrated into the flow of the text. ii.
Use quotation marks to enclose a direct quotation of no more than
4 type lines from textural material or speeches. Longer quotations, quotes requiring more than 4 typewritten lines in your text, are formatted as block quotes. These are formatted in a reduced type or font. When the quotation marks enclose conversational dialogue, there is no limit to the length that may be set in run-on format. iii.
You should place closing quotation marks outside commas and periods, but inside colons and semicolons. Question marks, dashes, and exclamation points should be placed inside quotation marks only when they are part of the quoted material. iv.
Use ellipses to indicate an omission in quoted material. v.
Quotations marks are not used around block quotes, but the block is usually set off from the text by additional spacing above and below the block. vi.
Obvious typical errors in a quotation are usually corrected without making a special notation. Use [ sic ] to note an unusual word choice, concept, term, or spelling to emphasize that the original is being quoted faithfully. h. Citations i.
Items are listed numerically in the order they are cited in the text. ii.
Within text citations use superscript Arabic numbers that are placed outside periods and commas and inside colons and semicolons.

iii.
When using authors’ names in text, use only the surname. Use both names if there are two authors. It there are more than two authors, use the first author name and “et al.” (Example: Doe et al 7 reported on the survey.) iv.
Medical journals . In reference listings, abbreviate names of journals according to the US National Library of Medicine’s current Index Medicus
.”(p. 297) (The current link is available at www.docstyles.com
.) v.
In actual reference: Author’s surname is followed by initials without periods. All the author names are given unless there are more than 6. In this case the first three authors are named followed by “et al.” eg,
Doe JF ( one author )
Doe JF, Roe JP ( two authors )
Doe JF, Roe JP, Sherry GM, Smith MA, McNeil TM, Dust, BL
( six authors )
Does JF, Roe JP, Sherry GM, et al. ( more than six authors ) vi.
Journal references are formatted differently than other style guides; there are no spaces used between dates, volume numbers, and page numbers.
Journal or Magazine Article (with volume numbers)
Wilcox RV. Shifting roles and synthetic women in Star Trek:
The Next Generation. Stud Pop Culture.
1991;13:53-65.
Journal Article on the Internet
McCoy LH. Respiratory changes in Vulcans during pon farr. J
Extr Med [serial online]. 1999;47:237-247. Available at:http://infotrac.galegroup.com/itweb/nysl_li_liu. Accessed
April 7, 1999. vii. For websites, include the name of the webpage, the name of the entire website, the full date of the page (if available), and the date you accessed it.
IV. Some online references that might be helpful a. http://www.docstyles.com/about.htm
This site allows you to download a version of AMA you can use on your computer as a reference. It has information on many other style guides as well, including the Chicago Manual. b.
Here are sites to check for jobs! i.
http://www.councilscienceeditors.org/jobbank/alljobs.cfm
ii.
http://aaupnet.org/jobfix/jobsmain.html

c.
This is a link to a copyediting listserve, which is also a place where subscribers post available positions: https://listserv.indiana.edu/archives/copyediting-l.html
d.
“So, you want to be an editor?”: http://www.editors.ca/pubs/so.htm