How to Cite PDFs & Reports in AMA
Learn how to cite government reports, clinical guidelines, technical documents, and PDF files in AMA 11th edition format with our guide and examples.
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How to cite a pdf in AMA
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Paste a DOI, URL, ISBN, title, or author name to find the exact source record.
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AMA Report Citation Format
Basic Report Format:
Guideline Published in a Journal:
AMA PDF Citation Examples
Government Health Report
In-text: Superscript number (e.g., ¹)
Clinical Practice Guideline
In-text: Superscript number (e.g., ²)
WHO Report
In-text: Superscript number (e.g., ³)
Technical Report with Individual Authors
In-text: Superscript number (e.g., ⁴)
White Paper / Policy Brief
In-text: Superscript number (e.g., ⁵)
Examples formatted in AMA style
Handling Special Cases
Government Health Reports
Use agency as author. Include publication numbers if available:
Clinical Guidelines
Cite as journal article if published in a journal:
Technical Reports
Include report number after publisher:
White Papers / Policy Briefs
Cite like reports with organization as author:
Author, Accessed Date, and Report Number
Author: organization or individual (last name + initials). Accessed date: required for online reports without DOI. Report number: include after publisher if available.
Organization as Author
Medical PDFs are often published by agencies, hospitals, professional societies, or research institutions. Use the organization as the author when no individual author is listed.
Guidelines, Protocols, and Package Inserts
Do not cite the file format itself. Identify the medical document type first, then format it as a guideline, report, protocol, or prescribing information record.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I cite a PDF in AMA format?
Cite the document based on its type (report, guideline, white paper), not as a "PDF." Include the author or organization, title, publisher, year, and URL. The file format is not relevant to the citation.
How do I cite a government report in AMA?
Use the agency as the author, followed by the title in italics, the publication number (if available), the publisher (if different from the author), the year, and the URL. Example: National Institutes of Health. Annual Report on Research. NIH; 2024. Accessed March 1, 2026. https://nih.gov/report
How do I cite clinical practice guidelines in AMA?
List the authoring organization, guideline title, journal name (if published in one) or publisher, year, and DOI or URL. Example: American Heart Association. Guidelines for CPR and ECC. Circulation. 2020;142(suppl 2):S366-S468. doi:10.1161/CIR.0000000000000916
Should I include the accessed date for PDF citations?
Yes. For online reports and documents without a DOI, include "Accessed Month Day, Year" before the URL. This is not required for journal articles with a DOI, but it is required for web-based reports and PDFs.
How do I cite a WHO or CDC report in AMA?
Use the organization as author. Example: World Health Organization. Global Tuberculosis Report 2024. WHO; 2024. Accessed March 10, 2026. https://www.who.int/tb/report. If the publisher and author are the same, you may use the abbreviation.
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