AMA/APA Style Comparison

Revised 4/2022

Format Basics

APA

AMA

Used in the Social Sciences; may also be used

in other disciplines (e.g., Nursing, Education);

Publication

Manual written for students and professionals

Used in health care, medicine, and nursing to

present their ideas with a clear structure for

their reading audiences

Authoritativeness based on how current the

information is, where it was published, and

credentials

of the author, as well as the quality of the

information

AMA 11 style emphasizes the need to cross

reference source material, within the paper

Uses graphics (e.g., tables, charts) frequently

present data and prescribes graphics format

(Publication Manual, Ch. 7); places graphics

after

References OR in text

In AMA style papers, tables and figures are

included in the body of the report. Section 4.0

of the AMA Manual of Style outlines how to

format tables, figures, and multimedia. Tables

and figures are numbered consecutively:

Figure 1, Figure 2, etc.

Recommends headings and prescribes format

for up to

five levels of headings (pp. 47–49)

The AMA Manual outlines four different

heading levels. The title of your report and

Level 1 headings must be in bold Arial 14-

point font. Level 2 headings are in bold Arial

12-point font. Level 3 headings are in bold

Arial 12-point font and underlined. Level 4

headings are in bold Arial 12-point font and

italicized.

The title page should include page number

(and last name of writer in the running head),

paper title, Author byline, full course name,

instructor info, date (middle of the first page)

The title page should include the report's title

(in both the running head and in the middle of

the first page), student's name, date, and word

count, page number(should start on the

second page)

Provides header on upper right of all pages:

on student

papers only page numbers appear

Provides header on upper right of all pages

(bold), subheadings italics

Abstract is on the second page, after the title

page.

Abstract is on the first page after the title page

information

Revised 4/2022

Examples of formatting Abstracts/Title pages

APA Title page:

Cross-Cultural Studies of Depression

Janet F. Wilson and Paul E. Thompson

Department of Nursing, Saginaw Valley State University

NURS 245: Nurse Provider Clinical I

Professor Judi A. Cox

December 8, 2019

APA Abstract (separate page from Title page, it’s after the Title page. The Abstract is on a

separate page from the paragraphs):

Abstract

The nursing profession recognizes the phenomenon of anxiety as a nursing diagnosis and has

studied it in depth. Anxiety is defined as a vague subjective feeling of apprehension stemming

from an unknown threat to an individual. Anxiety is divided into four stages: mild, moderate,

severe, and panic. Sister Callista Roy’s theory of adaptation approaches anxiety holistically,

stressing the interconnectedness of the mind, body, and spirit. Martha Rogers’ theory of energy

fields explains anxiety as a phenomenon that is capable of being transmitted between persons.

AMA Title and first page(Title and Abstract are on their own page. Paragraphs are after the

following on a separate page):

Revised 4/2022

Adherence to a mixture of raw food-based diets and their effects on disease and illness.

Andrea D. Comer & Eli A. Cox

Western Oregon University

AMA Abstract (first page after Title):

Abstract

Objective: To further analyze the effects consumption of a plant based diet will have on

conditions of chronic disease and other illnesses. Methods: We used tertiary data extracted from

previous literature analysis pertaining to our topic of interest. Results: While there are proven

benefits to eating a diet focused on raw foods in a short time span, more evidence is needed to

show that a raw food diet alone can consistently have positive effects on disease and illness for

long term adherents.

Key Words: Raw diet, uncooked health benefits, disease prevention, vegan, B12, obesity,

food borne illness, energy deficiency

List of formats

APA

AMA

List of Sources (in bold): References

Includes all sources cited in the text except

personal

interviews, non-retrievable data, and entire

websites

Items are listed numerically in the order they

are cited in the text. Periodicals (journals,

magazines, and newspapers) should have

abbreviated titles. To check for the proper

abbreviations, search the PubMed journal

database

Uses author’s last name, with initials only of

first and middle names

Author last name ,then first and middle

initials (no period). Article title. Journal

Name. Year; volume(issue No.): inclusive

pages. doi: xxxxx

Reverses every co-author’s first and last name

Uses commas between names of multiple

authors (up

to 20); uses an ampersand (&) before the last

author’s

Uses commas between names of multiple

authors (up

to 20); uses an ampersand (&) before the last

author’s

Revised 4/2022

name

Omits place of publication (unless place is

important to paper being written)

References should include:

Corresponding superscript number.

Author(s).

Article title.

Abbreviated Journal Title.**

Date; volume(issue): pages.

Online Journal Articles.

Does not use quotation marks around, or

underlining

of, article titles; italicizes book, journal,

report, and webpage titles

Article titles are not italicized, bold or

underlined.

Abbreviated Journal Titles** are italicized

Capitalizes only the first word of the title and

subtitle

of articles and books; capitalizes all proper

names and periodical titles/names

Capitalize the first word of the Article title*,

Capitalize all of the phrases within the

Abbreviated Titles**

Prefers DOI over URL; DOI supplied when

known

even if print version of source was used

Prefers DOI over URL; DOI supplied when

known

even if print version of source was used

Uses date of retrieval only if information is

meant to change

Uses date of retrieval only if information is

meant to change

* Example of a written Article title: PRIDE and prejudice

** Abbreviated Journal Titles: It is discouraged to use acronyms, abbreviations, and initialisms,

except if the resources are well-known. It may include accepted units of measurement and some

well-recognized terms.

If you do use an acronym, abbreviation, or initialism, spell it out with its first use, even if

it is well-known. Do not place periods between the letters of an acronym, abbreviation, or

initialism. Stated names should always appear as full names in the text of a manuscript. If

included in references, use the two-letter abbreviation (first name initial and middle name

initial). Abbreviate and italicize titles of materials based on the National Library of Medicine

database.

Examples of Reference entries

APA journal:

Gulicovski, J., Cerovic, L., Milonjic, S., & Popovic, I. (2008). Adsorption of itaconic acid from

aqueous solutions onto alumina. Journal of the Serbian Chemistry Society, 73(8–9), 825–

834. https://doi.org/10.2298/JSC0809835P (see APA resources for more examples)

AMA journal:

1. Domingo J. Influence of cooking processes on the concentrations of toxic metals and

various organic environmental pollutants in food: a review of the published literature.

Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2011;51(1):29-37.

Revised 4/2022

In-text Citations

APA

AMA

For summaries or paraphrases, uses author’s

last name

and publication date separated by a comma;

e.g.,

(Johnson, 1992).

For quotations, also includes page number,

time

stamp, section heading, paragraph number;

e.g.,

(Johnson, 1992, p. 140)

The author and year information appears

together

whether in an attributive tag or a

parenthetical; e.g.,

Johnson (1992) argued that “….” (p. 140) OR

One

researcher has argued “…..“ (Johnson, 1992,

p. 140).

Each citation number should match the

reference number order. If you use a direct

quote from another work, you should enclose

the quote within quotation marks. If the direct

quote is longer than four lines, the quote

should be set off and indented in a distinct

block, should be presented in reduced type,

and should appear without quotation marks.

The superscript numbers that identify your

use of a borrowed piece of information and/or

idea should appear outside (or to the right) of

commas, periods, and quotation marks, and

should appear inside (or to the left) of colons

and semicolons.***

*** If there are multiple authors used in a source: If you borrow pieces of information come

from more than one source in a single passage or sentence, be sure to identify each of the sources

with a unique superscript number.

Multiple superscript numbers should be separated by commas and should not have spaces

between them.

Pieces of information borrowed from interviews, emails and letters (personal)– it should be cited

with parenthesis’s within the text of your paper. You should include the person’s name, as well

as the type and the date of the communication, in the citation.

Examples of in-text citations

APA:

One study (Svartvik & Leech, 2006) has suggested that…

Svartvik and Leech (2006) have suggested that…

One study has suggested that ……. (Svartvik & Leech, 2006).

(see APA resources for more examples)

AMA:

The association between dietary intake and overall physical health has proven to have a

parallel relationship in conjunction with one another. The human diet plays a very important role

in the etiology and prevention of cancer and other serious cardiovascular and neurodegenerative

diseases.

Revised 4/2022

For more information on AMA and sample papers:

https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/ama_style/index.html

https://www.bellevuecollege.edu/health/writing/format-and-style/ama-style/

https://essaypro.com/blog/ama-citation-format

https://libguides.liberty.edu/ama/amastyleformatting