Official blog of the AMA Manual of Style
AMA Style Insider is the official blog of the AMA Manual of Style and features quizzes, interviews, and ruminations on style, usage, and punctuation. Brought to you by the JAMA Network.
One for All
If you’re eating candy, it’s “3 Musketeers.”
If you’re reading about the friends of d’Artagnan, it’s The Three Musketeers.
Can JAMA Network Authors Use Generative Artificial Intelligence to Create Content?
The short answer is yes, but with a caveat: transparency is key.
Odds and Ends
Earlier this year, several small updates were made to the AMA Manual of Style that clarified some lingering questions that had left some editors potentially perplexed (or perhaps possibly puzzled!).
Language to Discuss Suicide
Although often regularly used in the past, the term committed suicide may imply that the act of suicide is criminal or morally wrong.
An Interview With AMA Manual of Style Committee Member Connie Manno
With the recent release of the 11th edition of the AMA Manual of Style, I was curious to learn more about the members of the style committee, their background, and their experience working on the manual update. After all, these editorial masterminds spent countless hours debating every detail of AMA style to make our jobs as editors easier.
The Temperature on Spacing for Degrees
Tucked deep within the weighty 10th edition of the AMA Manual of Style werebrief entries providing guidelines for reporting measures of temperature. Insum: writers and editors reporting Celsius or Fahrenheit should (1) close upspaces between numerals, degree symbols, and temperature units and (2) repeat thedegree symbol and the unit when reporting temperature ranges. For example:37.5°C-37.9°C.
Does Freelancing Pay?
In addition to my duties as a manuscript editor, I pick up freelance editing assignments when I can. At JAMA Network, I am part of a team of many talented editors and proofreaders who collaborate throughout the editing process, but when freelancing, I am often the only line of defense between clients and catastrophe.
Questions From Users of the Manual
The following are questions from you, faithful AMA Manual of Style users, seeking clarification of AMA style guidelines or guidance on topics not covered in the current edition.
Advice After Mischief Is Like Medicine After Death
When acquaintances learn that I am an editor, a common response is “I better watch what I say around you.” I would like everyone to watch what they say around me at all times, but for reasons having nothing to do with my career.
Questions From Users of the Manual
I appreciate the difference between percentile and percentage, but can you shed light on the difference between percentile and centile?
Questions From Users of the Manual
How should a photograph or illustration be cited in the reference list?
Questions From Users of the Manual
How should a “free sound” from the website Freesound.org be cited in the reference list?
Questions From Users of the Manual
Should “least squares mean” be hyphenated? Can the acronym LSM be used or is LS preferred?
Questions From Users of the Manual
If I have a title with a colon, is the first word after the colon capitalized or lowercased?
Questions From Users of the Manual
Is it necessary to repeat the manufacturer name, city, and country after every repeated mention of a product, or is it sufficient to cite this information only after the first appearance?
Questions From Users of the Manual
What guidance can you offer as to the inclusion of white space in a publication? My company prefers that level 1 headings begin on a new page, but if the text beneath the heading is only a single paragraph, wouldn’t it be preferable for that heading and its text to share the page with the preceding or the subsequent heading and text?
Questions From Users of the Manual
If the author of a manuscript has died, where in the byline do you place the death dagger? Should it follow the name or should it follow the degrees held by the author?