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AMA Manual of Style (10th ed.) : A Guide for Authors and Editors

AMA Manual of Style Committee

Publisher:
Oxford University Press
Print Publication Date:
Mar 2007
Print ISBN-13:
9780195176339
Published to AMA Manual of Style:
Apr 2009
DOI:
10.1093/jama/9780195176339.001.0001
© American Medical Association
Contents

References

Chapter:
References
Author(s):

Cheryl Iverson

DOI:
10.1093/jama/9780195176339.003.0003

  1. 3.1 Reference Style and the Uniform Requirements

  2. 3.2 Reference List

  3. 3.3 References Given in Text

  4. 3.4 Minimum Acceptable Data for References

  5. 3.5 Numbering

  6. 3.6 Citation

  7. 3.7 Authors

  8. 3.8 Prefixes and Particles

  9. 3.9 Titles

    1. 3.9.1 English-Language Titles

    2. 3.9.2 Non–English-Language Titles

    3. 3.9.3 Names of Organisms

    4. 3.9.4 Non-English Words and Phrases

  10. 3.10 Subtitles

  11. 3.11 References to Print Journals

    1. 3.11.1 Complete Data

    2. 3.11.2 Names of Journals

    3. 3.11.3 Page Numbers and Dates

    4. 3.11.4 Discontinuous Pagination

    5. 3.11.5 Journals Without Volume or Issue Numbers

    6. 3.11.6 Parts of an Issue

    7. 3.11.7 Special or Theme Issue

    8. 3.11.8 Supplements

    9. 3.11.9 Abstracts and Other Material Taken From Another Source

    10. 3.11.10 Special Department, Feature, or Column of a Journal

    11. 3.11.11 Other Material Without Named Author(s) or With Named Authors and a Group Name

    12. 3.11.12 Discussants

    13. 3.11.13 Corrections

    14. 3.11.14 Retractions

    15. 3.11.15 Duplicate Publication

  12. 3.12 References to Print Books

    1. 3.12.1 Complete Data

    2. 3.12.2 Reference to an Entire Book

    3. 3.12.3 References to Monographs

    4. 3.12.4 Reference to a Chapter in a Book

    5. 3.12.5 Editors and Translators

    6. 3.12.6 Volume Number

    7. 3.12.7 Edition Number

    8. 3.12.8 Place of Publication

    9. 3.12.9 Publishers

    10. 3.12.10 Year of Publication

    11. 3.12.11 Page Numbers or Chapter Number

  13. 3.13 Special Print Materials

    1. 3.13.1 Newspapers

    2. 3.13.2 Government or Agency Bulletins

    3. 3.13.3 Serial Publications

    4. 3.13.4 Theses and Dissertations

    5. 3.13.5 Special Collections

    6. 3.13.6 Package Inserts

    7. 3.13.7 Patents

    8. 3.13.8 Unpublished Material

    9. 3.13.9 Personal Communications

    10. 3.13.10 Secondary Citations and Quotations (Including Press Releases)

    11. 3.13.11 Classical References

  14. 3.14 Other Media

    1. 3.14.1 Audiotapes, Videotapes, DVDs (Digital Video Disks)

    2. 3.14.2 Transcript of Television or Radio Broadcast

  15. 3.15 Electronic References

    1. 3.15.1 Online Journals

    2. 3.15.2 Books and Books on CD-ROM

    3. 3.15.3 Websites

    4. 3.15.4 Online Newspapers

    5. 3.15.5 Government/Organization Reports

    6. 3.15.6 Software

    7. 3.15.7 Software Manual or Guide

    8. 3.15.8 Databases

    9. 3.15.9 E-mail and E-mail List (Listserve) Messages

    10. 3.15.10 Online Conference Proceedings/Presentations

    11. 3.15.11 News Releases and Miscellaneous

    12. 3.15.12 Legal References

  16. 3.16 US Legal References

    1. 3.16.1 Method of Citation

    2. 3.16.2 Citation of Cases

    3. 3.16.3 Legislative Materials

References serve 3 primary purposes—documentation, acknowledgment, and directing or linking the reader to additional resources. Authors may cite a reference to support their own arguments or lay the foundation for their theses (documentation); as a credit to the work of other authors (acknowledgment); or to direct the reader to more detail or additional resources (directing or linking).

References are a critical element of a manuscript and, as such, the reference list demands close scrutiny by authors, editors, peer reviewers, manuscript editors, and proofreaders. Authors bear primary responsibility for all reference citations. Editors and peer reviewers should examine manuscript references for completeness, accuracy, and relevance. Manuscript editors and proofreaders are responsible for assessing the completeness of references, for ensuring that references are presented in proper style and format, and for checking to make sure that any reference links are accurate and functional.

Much has been written about problems with bibliographic inaccuracies1 (eg, an author’s name is misspelled; the journal name is incorrect; the year of publication or the volume, issue, or page numbers are incorrect). Such errors make it difficult to retrieve the documents cited. An even more serious problem is inappropriate citation (eg, a speculative commentary is cited in a way that implies proved causality; an article’s results are generalized beyond what the data support). Not only is accuracy critical for the integrity of the individual document, but because authors may sometimes rely on secondary rather than primary sources, an inaccurate citation in a document’s reference list may be replicated in subsequent articles whose authors do not consult the primary source. Authors should always consult the primary source and should never cite a reference that they themselves have not read.2-4 (See also 3.11.9, Abstracts and Other Material Taken From Another Source, and 3.13.10, Secondary Citations and Quotations [Including Press Releases].)