How to AMA Cite: Govt report, social media, personal communications, etc.

• Do not include “personal communications” in the list of references. This includes lectures, class notes, and the like. The following forms may be used in the text:

EXAMPLES

SOURCE: AMA MANUAL 3.13.10 Personal Communications.

 Oral communication should be supported in writing.

The following are examples:

       According to a letter from H. E. Marman, MD, in August 2015 …

Similar findings have been noted by Roberts⁶ and by H. E. Marman, MD (email, August 15, 2015).

According to the manufacturer (H. R. Smith, PhD, Pharma International, written communication, May 1, 2015), the drug became available in Japan in January 2014.

Provide the date of the communication and indicate how it was documented (eg, letter, email, document). The person’s highest academic degree(s) should also be given. If the affiliation of the person would better establish the relevance and authority of the citation, it should be included (see the example above, where H. R. Smith is identified as working for the drug’s manufacturer; see also 3.15.9, Electronic References, Email and Electronic Mailing List [LISTSERV] Messages). Some journals, including the JAMA Network journals, require that the author obtain written permission from the person whose unpublished data or personal communication is thus cited^3,8 (see 5.2.9, Acknowledgments, Permission to Name Individuals).

SOURCE: AMA MANUAL 3.13.2 Government or Agency Reports.

References to reports published by departments or agencies of a government should include the following information, in the order indicated:

(1) name of author (if given);

(2) title of bulletin;

(3) name of issuing bureau, agency, department, or other governmental division (note that in this position, Department should be abbreviated Dept; also note that if the US Government Printing Office is supplied as the publisher, it would be preferable to obtain the name of the issuing bureau, agency, or department);

(4) date of publication;

(5) page numbers (if specified);

(6) publication number (if any);

(7) series number (if given);

(8) online accessed date (if applicable); and

(9) web address (if applicable).

The following are examples: 

1.Johnston LD, O’Malley PM, Bachman JG, Schulenberg JE, Miech RA. Monitoring the Future: National Survey Results on Drug Use, 1975-2014: College Students and Adults Ages 19-55. Vol 2. National Institute on Drug Abuse, US Dept of Health and Human Services; 2014.

2.Health, United States, 2014: With Special Feature on Adults Aged 55-64. National Center for Health Statistics; 2015.

3.Sondik EJ. Foreword. In: Healthy People 2010: Final Review. National Center for Health Statistics; 2012:iii.

4.Grall T. Census 2010 Report No. P60-255: Custodial Mothers and Fathers and Their Child Support: 2013. US Census Bureau; 2016.

5.National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. Questions and Answers About Sprains and Strains. National Institutes of Health; 2015. NIH publication 15-5328. Accessed January 28, 2016. http://www.niams.nih.gov/Health_Info/Sprains_Strains/default.asp

6.Government of Nepal. Central Bureau of Statistics. Statistical Year Book of Nepal–2013. Central Bureau of Statistics; 2013.

7.World Health Organization. World Health Report 2013: Research for Universal Health Coverage. World Health Organization; 2013.

8.United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Women on the Run: First-Hand Accounts of Refugees Fleeing El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico. UNHCR: UN Refugee Agency; 2015. Accessed August 16, 2016. http://www.unhcr.org/5630f24c6.pdf

9.National Institute of Public Health. Importance of Blood Donation: Requirements and Restrictions. Published in Spanish. National Institute of Public Health of Mexico; 2015.