AMA Paper Format: Title Page, Layout and Template

Short answer: the AMA Manual of Style does not prescribe a title page, font, margins or line spacing for a class assignment, so “AMA paper format” means two different things. For a student paper, your instructor’s instructions decide the layout and AMA supplies the numbered citation system. For a manuscript submitted to a journal, the journal’s instructions for authors set the layout, and the journals that apply AMA style are specific about it. This guide covers both, with a template and a clearly fictional example. Edition checked: AMA Manual of Style, 11th edition (2020), as of November 2026.

Does AMA have a required paper format?

Not for student papers. A university library guide from the University of South Dakota (libguides.usd.edu/ama/tips, page updated October 16, 2026, read November 7, 2026) states that the AMA manual “does not provide specific guidance on how to format a title page, fonts, margins, or spacing” for an assignment, tells students to consult their professor, and notes that the manual goes into great detail about formatting a manuscript for publication in a medical journal.

That is why library guides disagree on details such as a running head, the page on which numbering starts and the font. Where two guides differ, treat the point as “varies by instructor” and follow your syllabus. The parts that are consistent across guides are structural: Slippery Rock University’s AMA guide (sru.libguides.com, updated March 29, 2024, read November 7, 2026) describes four major parts of a paper, starting with a title page, and says there is no required number of headings: pick one heading style, use it throughout, and use at least two headings.

AMA manuscript format (journal submission)

When AMA style governs a manuscript, the layout comes from the journal. The instructions for authors of JAMA, a journal that applies AMA style (jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/pages/instructions-for-authors, read October 28, 2026), specify the following. These are that journal’s requirements, so check the instructions of the journal you are targeting.

• Submit a Word file (not a PDF) in 10-, 11- or 12-point font, double-spaced, with an unjustified right margin. Tables are single-spaced in 10 or 12 point.
• Title page: article title, full author names, highest degrees, affiliations, corresponding author contact details and word count. The word count excludes the title, abstract, acknowledgment, references, tables and legends.
• Section order: title page, abstract, text, references, legends, tables, each starting on a new page.
• References are numbered in order of first appearance with superscript Arabic numerals. List up to six authors; with more than six, list the first three followed by et al. Journal names are abbreviated according to the PubMed journals list, and web references carry an “Accessed” date.

For the reference list itself, see our guide to the AMA style reference list. For the overall anatomy of a submission, see research manuscript.

Template with a fictional example

The skeleton below follows the section order above. Every name, title and number in it is invented for illustration and does not refer to a real study or person. For a class assignment, replace the title-page block with whatever your instructor specifies.

AMA title page

Title of the paper (fictional: "Sample Outcomes After a Hypothetical Walking Program")
Author name(s), highest degree(s)
Affiliation(s)
Corresponding author: name, address, email
Word count: 0000

For a manuscript, those are the elements the journal named above lists. For a student paper, use the title-page elements your assignment specifies. See also title page.

Abstract and keywords

The SRU guide (read November 7, 2026) says an abstract covers the objective or background, design and methods, primary quantitative results and the conclusion. It gives typical limits of about 250 words for a structured abstract and about 150 for an unstructured one, with three to ten keywords at the end. These are that guide’s typical figures, so confirm the limit with your instructor or journal. See abstract for the general concept.

Text and citations

Walking programs are widely studied.1 Early trials reported modest effects.2,3

(Fictional text: each source gets the next number the first time it is cited.)

References page

Per the SRU guide, references start on a new page, headed “References”, left-justified, with each reference single-spaced and no indent on the second line. A fictional entry in the journal-article pattern verified from the JAMA instructions:

1. Smith J, Doe A. Sample article title. JAMA. 2026;335(3):100-110. doi:10.0000/example.0000

Checklist

• Is this a class paper or a journal manuscript? Class paper: follow the assignment. Manuscript: follow the journal’s instructions for authors.
• Does the assignment or journal specify a title page, running head, font, margins and spacing? The AMA manual leaves these to the instructor for student work.
• Are sections in the required order (title page, abstract, text, references; legends and tables for manuscripts)?
• Is each source numbered in order of first appearance, with matching numbers in the text and the reference list?
• Do you have the abstract word limit and the number of keywords?
• Do references follow the pattern in the AMA reference guide?

If you were assigned APA rather than AMA, the layout rules differ; see our APA format table.

Frequently asked questions

Is there an AMA paper format example?

The fictional skeleton above shows the order of parts. Your instructor may provide a model paper; the AMA manual itself describes manuscript preparation rather than a student-paper layout.

Is there an AMA paper format PDF or Word template?

No official AMA template for student papers was found. Journals that use AMA style publish their own submission instructions, such as the JAMA instructions for authors cited above.

Is there an AMA paper format generator?

Generators are third-party tools. Because the manual does not fix a student layout, check any generated title page against your assignment before submitting.

Does AMA use a running head or a specific font?

Library guides disagree on the running head and font for student papers, so follow your instructor. For manuscripts, the JAMA instructions allow 10-, 11- or 12-point font, double-spaced.