Clear, Real-World Examples of AMA Style Reference List Examples

Start with real examples of AMA style reference list examples

Instead of starting with definitions, let’s jump straight into what you actually need: real references you can copy, tweak, and understand.

Here is a simple example of an AMA-style reference for a journal article with a DOI:

Smith JA, Lee R, Patel K. Impact of telemedicine on hypertension management in primary care. JAMA Intern Med. 2023;183(4):210-218. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2023.0123

If your assignment asks for examples of AMA style reference list examples, this is exactly the kind of line your professor expects to see: authors, article title, journal title abbreviated, year, volume, issue, page range, and DOI.

Now let’s unpack more types of sources and build a sort of mental library of the best examples of AMA style reference list examples you can reuse.

AMA reference list basics shown through example of a journal article

AMA style loves consistency and brevity. You see that clearly in a simple example of a journal article reference.

Key patterns, using the article above:

• Authors: Last name first, then initials without periods (Smith JA, Lee R, Patel K).
• Title: Sentence case; only the first word and proper nouns are capitalized.
• Journal: Italicized and abbreviated according to the National Library of Medicine (NLM) catalog.
• Year, volume(issue): page range.
• DOI: Written as doi:10.xxxx/xxxxx.

Another real example you might cite in a nursing or public health paper:

Johnson ML, Rivera P, Choi S, et al. Factors associated with COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among adults in the United States. Am J Public Health. 2022;112(9):1572-1580. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2022.306789

If you’re collecting examples of AMA style reference list examples for your own template, this one shows how to use et al. when there are many authors (AMA usually lists up to 6 authors, then et al.; check your instructor’s preference, as some programs still prefer 3 then et al.).

Examples of AMA style reference list examples for different source types

You rarely cite just journal articles. Assignments now pull from websites, guidelines, books, and even social media. Let’s walk through some of the best examples of AMA style reference list examples for the most common sources you’ll use in 2024–2025.

Journal articles: print and online

Online article with DOI (most common in 2024–2025):

Patel R, Nguyen T, Brooks L, et al. Long-term outcomes of GLP-1 receptor agonists in patients with type 2 diabetes. Diabetes Care. 2024;47(2):145-153. doi:10.2337/dc23-0456

Online article without a DOI (less ideal, but it happens):

Garcia M, O’Connor J. Sleep duration and risk of cardiovascular disease in adults. J Clin Sleep Med. 2021;17(11):2205-2212. Accessed November 15, 2024. https://jcsm.aasm.org/doi/abs/10.5664/jcsm.12345

Note how, when there’s no DOI, the examples include an access date and a URL. That pattern shows up again and again in AMA style reference list examples for web-based content.

Books and eBooks

Books still matter, especially in foundational nursing, pharmacology, and anatomy courses.

Whole book, print:

Brunton LL, Hilal-Dandan R, Knollmann BC, eds. Goodman & Gilman’s: The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics. 14th ed. McGraw Hill; 2023.

Chapter in an edited book:

Shulman LM. Parkinson disease. In: Jameson JL, Fauci AS, Kasper DL, Hauser SL, Longo DL, Loscalzo J, eds. Harrison’s Principles of Internal Medicine. 21st ed. McGraw Hill; 2022:3025-3038.

These two are excellent examples of AMA style reference list examples for books. Notice the placement of “eds.” for editors, the edition number, and the page range for a chapter.

Websites and online pages (CDC, NIH, Mayo Clinic)

Students often struggle with websites, especially when there’s no individual author named. Let’s look at real examples you might actually use.

Government health site (CDC):

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Seasonal flu: Frequently asked questions. Updated October 18, 2024. Accessed November 20, 2024. https://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/qa/index.htm

Research institute (NIH):

National Institutes of Health. Strategic plan for NIH nutrition research. Published May 2020. Accessed November 20, 2024. https://www.nih.gov/about-nih/nih-wide-strategic-plan

Clinical information (Mayo Clinic):

Mayo Clinic Staff. High blood pressure (hypertension). Updated September 12, 2024. Accessed November 20, 2024. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/high-blood-pressure

These are some of the best examples of AMA style reference list examples for web pages because they show you how to handle organizational authors, update dates, and access dates.

Clinical guidelines and reports

Clinical guidelines are common in evidence-based practice assignments.

Professional guideline (American Heart Association):

Heidenreich PA, Bozkurt B, Aguilar D, et al. 2022 AHA/ACC/HFSA guideline for the management of heart failure. Circulation. 2022;145(18):e895-e1032. doi:10.1161/CIR.0000000000001063

Government report (US Surgeon General):

US Department of Health and Human Services. The Health Consequences of Smoking—50 Years of Progress: A Report of the Surgeon General. US Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health; 2014.

If your professor asks you to provide examples of AMA style reference list examples for guidelines, these two cover both journal-published guidelines and stand-alone reports.

Social media and online videos (yes, AMA covers those too)

By 2024–2025, many instructors allow carefully vetted social media or video sources in discussion posts or informal assignments.

YouTube video from an authoritative organization:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). How to protect yourself from COVID-19. YouTube. Published March 15, 2023. Accessed November 20, 2024. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=example

Tweet / post on X (formerly Twitter) from a professional organization:

American Heart Association ?American_Heart?. How much physical activity do adults need each week? We break it down for you. X (formerly Twitter). Posted June 1, 2024. Accessed November 20, 2024. https://twitter.com/American_Heart/status/xxxxxxxxxx

These are helpful examples of AMA style reference list examples for modern media, especially if your assignment includes public health communication or health promotion campaigns.

How to build your own AMA references using these real examples

Now that you’ve seen multiple examples of AMA style reference list examples, let’s turn them into a practical process you can reuse for almost any source.

Think of it like this: every AMA reference answers the same questions in a specific order.

For a journal article, ask:

• Who wrote it? → Authors (last name, initials)
• What did they write? → Article title
• Where did it appear? → Journal title (abbreviated), year, volume, issue, pages
• How can someone find it? → DOI or URL

For a website, ask:

• Who is responsible? → Organization or author
• What is the page called? → Page title
• When was it published or updated? → Date
• When did you see it? → Access date
• Where is it? → URL

Use the real examples above as templates. For instance, if you’re citing a WebMD article about asthma, you can mirror the Mayo Clinic example of AMA style reference list examples:

WebMD Editorial Contributors. Asthma in adults. WebMD. Updated August 5, 2024. Accessed November 20, 2024. https://www.webmd.com/asthma/guide/asthma-adults

You’re not memorizing rules; you’re pattern-matching against examples.

Common AMA mistakes (and how the examples help you avoid them)

When instructors mark down AMA references, they see the same patterns over and over. The real examples of AMA style reference list examples above help you dodge those traps.

Too many periods in initials
Wrong: Smith, J. A. → AMA prefers Smith JA.
Look back at the journal article examples; none of them use periods between initials.

Title capitalization
Wrong: Impact Of Telemedicine On Hypertension Management In Primary Care.
Right: Impact of telemedicine on hypertension management in primary care.
The examples include titles in sentence case, which is exactly what AMA wants.

Missing DOIs when they exist
In 2024–2025, most recent journal articles have DOIs. If you see a DOI in the database, include it. The best examples of AMA style reference list examples in this guide all show DOIs whenever available.

Forgetting access dates for web content
If there’s a URL and no DOI, AMA wants an access date. Every web and social media example above includes “Accessed Month Day, Year.” Use that pattern.

Quick AMA-style reference list using mixed real examples

To see how all of this looks in an actual reference list, imagine these are references 1–6 at the end of your paper. Note that AMA uses numerical order based on appearance in the text, not alphabetical order.

1. Johnson ML, Rivera P, Choi S, et al. Factors associated with COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among adults in the United States. Am J Public Health. 2022;112(9):1572-1580. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2022.306789
2. Shulman LM. Parkinson disease. In: Jameson JL, Fauci AS, Kasper DL, Hauser SL, Longo DL, Loscalzo J, eds. Harrison’s Principles of Internal Medicine. 21st ed. McGraw Hill; 2022:3025-3038.
3. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Seasonal flu: Frequently asked questions. Updated October 18, 2024. Accessed November 20, 2024. https://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/qa/index.htm
4. National Institutes of Health. Strategic plan for NIH nutrition research. Published May 2020. Accessed November 20, 2024. https://www.nih.gov/about-nih/nih-wide-strategic-plan
5. Brunton LL, Hilal-Dandan R, Knollmann BC, eds. Goodman & Gilman’s: The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics. 14th ed. McGraw Hill; 2023.
6. Mayo Clinic Staff. High blood pressure (hypertension). Updated September 12, 2024. Accessed November 20, 2024. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/high-blood-pressure

If you need examples of AMA style reference list examples to model your own paper, you could literally use this mini list as a formatting checklist.

FAQ: AMA style reference list examples

How many authors should I list in AMA before using et al.?
AMA 11th edition says to list up to 6 authors. If there are more than 6, list the first 3, then add et al. Some instructors still teach older variations, so if your syllabus gives a different rule, follow that. The vaccine hesitancy article above is a realistic example of how et al. appears in AMA style reference list examples.

Do I always need a DOI in AMA references?
Only if one exists. For most recent journal articles (especially 2010 and later), a DOI is usually available. If you’re using PubMed or another database, check the article page; if a DOI is listed, include it just like the best examples of AMA style reference list examples in this guide.

Can you give an example of an AMA reference for a source with no author?
Yes. When there’s no individual author, start with the organization, just like the CDC and NIH examples of AMA style reference list examples above. For instance:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Handwashing: Clean hands save lives. Updated October 4, 2023. Accessed November 20, 2024. https://www.cdc.gov/handwashing/

Do I need to include the date I accessed a journal article with a DOI?
Generally no. For journal articles with a DOI, AMA does not require an access date. Access dates appear in examples of AMA style reference list examples mainly for web pages, online reports without DOIs, and social media content.

Where can I double-check AMA formatting rules?
The gold standard is the AMA Manual of Style, 11th edition. Many universities also provide AMA handouts modeled on the manual. For quick checks, you can compare your references to authoritative examples from organizations like the CDC, NIH, and Mayo Clinic, which often use AMA-like conventions in their own publications.

If you keep a short document with these real examples of AMA style reference list examples open while you write, you’ll find that formatting citations stops being a headache and becomes more like filling in a familiar pattern. That’s the sweet spot you’re aiming for.