Format: While the AMA Manual of Style specifies few requirements for the layout of student papers, the following guidelines are generally accepted:
- Set margins at 1 inch on all sides
- Put page numbers in the upper right corner
- Double space
- Consult your instructor regarding the use of a title page and running head
Abbreviations:
- On first use of an abbreviation, include the expanded form of the term, using lower case letters (except for proper nouns or at the beginning of a sentence)
- Avoid using an abbreviation at the beginning of a sentence or as the only term in a heading
- Do not introduce an abbreviation for the first time in a heading
- Do not capitalize abbreviated units of measure. (See the AMA handbook, p. 630ff, for accepted abbreviations of units of measure)
- Do not use abbreviations for states in the text of a paper
- When a person’s initials are used in the text of the paper, each letter should be followed by a period
- Abbreviations and Roman numerals following names (e.g., John Jefferson Jr, Teri Han MD, Elizabeth II) are not preceded by commas or followed by periods
- Some titles are abbreviated only when they precede full names: Fr Raymond Brown, but Father Brown. Other titles are always abbreviated: Dr, Mr, Mrs, Ms
- On list of references, abbreviate all names of journals except single word names: Academic Medicine is written as Acad Med, but Anaesthesia is written as Anaesthesia. Consult https://www.nlm.nih.gov/bsd/aim.html for information on journal names and abbreviations
Inclusive Language:
- Avoid using “non-“ as a prefix for categories of people (e.g., “white and nonwhite participants”
- The word sex refers to biological characteristics of a person. Use the word gender to refer to a person’s personal/cultural identity
- Gender neutral words are preferred, but gender specific terms (e.g., chairwoman) may be used when referring to a particular individual of known sex. Avoid sex-specific pronouns when the person’s sex is not relevant, but don’t use “common-gender” pronouns such as s/he. Instead, try to reword the sentence (e.g., by using a plural noun) or use he or she. The pronoun they may be used when rewording the sentence would make the sentence confusing or awkward.
- Don’t use adjectives relating to disease, socio-economic status, etc., to label people (e.g., unemployed persons or stroke victims).
Names of Organizations: Write out the names of organizations in full on first reference, followed by the abbreviation in parentheses. Do not use periods in acronyms.
Numbers:
Use numerals for most numbers, with the following exceptions:
- Write out a number that begins a sentence, title, subtitle, or heading
- Write out common fractions (e.g., “two-thirds of the subjects” or “a half-minute warning”)
- Write out ordinal numbers under 10th (e.g., “the third patient”)
- Write out numbers that are spelled out in quotations or titles of articles
- Write out “one” when used as a pronoun (e.g., “One should be careful”)
When using numerals, remember to:
- Use a thin space (not a comma) to separate every three digits to the left of the decimal point in large numbers
- Insert a space after the number in temperatures: 37.5 °C
- Write the numbers in angles and longitude/latitude without inserting spaces between numbers and symbols: 45° angle, 45°35'N
Quotations:
- For a quotation up to four lines long, use quotation marks and incorporate the quote in your text
- For a quotation longer than four lines long:
- Do not use quotation marks
- Indent the whole quote half an inch from the left margin
- Reduce the type size
- Add an additional line space between the quotation and the rest of the text
- Indicate change of case in the first letter of a quote with brackets: e.g., “[T]his”
Singular "They": The pronoun "they" may be used as a gender-neutral singular pronoun if the sentence cannot be rewritten to exclude gender
