How to cite a book in AMA
To cite a book in a reference entry in AMA style 11st edition include the following elements:
- Author(s) of the book: Give the last name, and initials of up to six authors (e.g. Watson J). For more authors only the first three are listed, followed by et al.
- Title of the book: Italicize the title and capitalize the first letter of each major word.
- Edition number: Only include information about the edition if it is not the first.
- Place of publication: Give the name of the city in which the publishing entity was located at the time of publication.
- Publisher: Abbreviate the publisher's name.
- Year of publication: Give the year of publication.
Here is the basic format for a reference list entry of a book in AMA style 11st edition:
. Title of the book. Edition number ed. Place of publication: Publisher; Year of publication.
Take a look at our reference list examples that demonstrate the AMA style guidelines in action:
A book with one author
. Roots: The Saga of an American Family. New York, NY: Doubleday; 1976.
A book with three authors
. Faster, Smarter, Greener: The Future of the Car and Urban Mobility. Cambridge: MIT Press; 2017.
How to cite a page in a book
If you need to in-text reference a specific page or a range of pages in a book, so can do so easily in this form (Author, Title of book, Place of Publication, Name of Publisher, Year of Publication, p. Page number) or (Author, Title of book, Place of Publication, Name of Publisher, Year of Publication, pp. Page range).
Here are some examples to illustrate (citing from a fictional book by an author named Smith published in 2009):
Parenthetical citation of a page from a book
- The results of the pilot study were later declared breakthrough of the year (Smith, Fictional Pilot Study, New York, NY, Fictional Publisher, 2009, p. 40).
Parenthetical citation of a page from a book
- While Smith (Smith, Fictional Pilot Study, New York, NY, Fictional Publisher, 2009 pp. 55-57) reported similar results back in 1995, it was only ...
How to cite a part of a book
If you need to reference a whole chapter in a book you can do this in this form: (Author, Chapter Title, In: Title, Place of Publication, Name of Publisher, Year of Publication, Pages Used).
Here are some examples to illustrate (citing from a fictional book by an author named Smith published in 2009):
Narrative citation of a part of a book
- The initial idea for the pilot study was coined on a lab retreat (Smith, Fictional Pilot Study, New York, NY, Fictional Publisher, 2009, p. 40).
Narrative citation of a part of a book
- While Smith (Smith, Fictional Pilot Study, New York, NY, Fictional Publisher, 2009 pp. 585-611) failed to initially interpret the results correctly, ...
This citation style guide is based on the AMA Manual of Style (11th edition).