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AMA Manual of Style Committee

Contents

Special Department, Feature, or Column of a Journal

Chapter:
References
Author(s):

Cheryl Iverson,

Stacy Christiansen,

Annette Flanagin,

Phil B. Fontanarosa,

Richard M. Glass,

Brenda Gregoline,

Stephen J. Lurie,

Harriet S. Meyer,

Margaret A. Winker,

Roxanne K. Young

3.11.10 Special Department, Feature, or Column of a Journal

When reference is made to material from a special department, feature, or column of a journal, the department should be identified only in the following cases:

  1. 1. The cited material has no byline or signature. (Note: This is preferable to citing Anonymous, unless “Anonymous” or something similar was actually used [see 2.2, Manuscript Preparation, Bylines and End-of-Text Signatures].)

     

    1. 1. Who is responsible for adolescent health [editorial]? Lancet. 2004;363(9426): 2009.

  2. 2. The column or department name might help the reader identify the nature of the article and is not apparent from the title itself. Note: In these cases, the inclusion of the department or column name is optional and should be used as needed, at the editor’s discretion.

     

    1. 2. Harris JC. Dead Mother I [Art and Images in Psychiatry]. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2004;61(8):762.

    2. 3. Gross R, Neria Y. Posttraumatic stress among survivors of bioterrorism [letter]. JAMA. 2004;292(5):566.

Identification of other special departments, features, or columns may not require additional notation (eg, book or journal reviews, cover stories) as their identity will be apparent from the citation itself:

  1. 4. Calfee JE, reviewer. Nature. 2004;429(6994):807. Review of: Goozner M. The $800 Million Pill: The Truth Behind the Cost of New Drugs.

  2. 5. Southgate MT. The Cover (Thomas Hart Benton, Pussycat and Roses). JAMA. 2004;292(6):661.