The American Medical Association Manual of Style is the authoritative guide for medical journals, clinical research papers, and healthcare publications. AMA title case capitalizes major words while lowercasing articles, coordinating conjunctions, and short prepositions.
AMA Style title case capitalizes nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs while lowercasing articles such as "a," "an," and "the," coordinating conjunctions, and short prepositions. It is the standard for journals published by the American Medical Association, including JAMA and its specialty publications.
The AMA Manual of Style is used by most major medical journals, clinical research publications, and healthcare organizations. Medical writers, clinical researchers, and health communications professionals are expected to follow its guidelines.
AMA Style is required for submissions to journals in the AMA family, including JAMA, JAMA Internal Medicine, JAMA Surgery, and dozens of specialty titles. It is also commonly required by other peer-reviewed medical and nursing journals.
Medical writers preparing manuscripts for clinical journals should confirm whether the target journal follows AMA Style or its own in-house variant. Most major medical publishers align closely with AMA Style even if they do not follow it precisely.
In AMA Style, the first and last words of a title or heading are always capitalized. Articles, coordinating conjunctions, and prepositions of three or fewer letters are lowercased in all other positions.
Proper nouns, brand names, and drug names follow their standard capitalization conventions throughout a title. Abbreviations and acronyms are preserved in their standard form throughout.
Medical writing requires exceptional precision, and consistent title formatting is part of that discipline. Correct AMA Style title case signals editorial professionalism and helps manuscripts clear the desk review process at major journals.
The AMA Manual of Style covers far more than title case, including citation formats, statistical reporting standards, and ethical guidelines. Title case is one small but visible component of a comprehensive editorial system that governs all medical publishing.