AMA Condensed
Thanks to
www.docstyles.com, there is a freeware summary of the AMA style
guide. No special software is needed to view it. Simply download and install
this file:
Writer's Guide to AMA Style 2.0 (Windows 625KB)
The Writer's Guide covers rules of style, and has some examples. The actual AMA
style guide book contains many more detailed examples of stylistic issues. We
suggest that new staff use the freeware AMA guide. As new staff members gain
experience and decide they'd like to continue doing projects for us, they should
secure a copy of the AMA style guide.
Instructions for use
1. Download the file, extract it, and install it.
2. Click the AMA icon to begin.
3. The first page that opens up has many links and menus on it. The menu bar at
the top of the page is quite useful. An easy way to quickly find what you are
looking for is to use the Index. You can get there from File > Index at the top
left of the page. This index is just like the searchable help files of many
Windows-based programs. Type the first few letters of a word you are looking for
or scroll the menu bar down to see all topics. Click Display to see a page about
the selected topic.
4. Use the File > Index > Find. After clicking the Find tab, the program will
ask you set up a database. Select your option (the default minimum works fine)
and click Next. It will ask you to set up a wordlist. Click OK. You will only
need to do this one time. After you are done, you can search the database by
typing in a word you are looking for. This is a more refined way to sort through
the available topics.
5. Quick links at the left will take you to many frequently used stylistic
points. After clicking on links, a navigation bar at the top of the page will
allow you to go Back or return Home.
6. Many links are not obvious. Some are bold text or blue arrows. Clicking on
them will open additional pages. Clicking anywhere on these pop-ups will tend to
close them.
7. Use the Topics/Contents link for a index of links to sections in the
document. On the Home page, this appears as the Contents link at the
bottom. On all other pages, it appears in red at the top as the Topics
link.
8. When using the Topics link, click any heading in the list to go there. When
the page opens, there are also subheadings in blue that you may click on to
visit those pages.
9. You can create bookmarks. Go to the page you want to bookmark. Click
Bookmark > Define at the top of the page. Enter a title for the bookmark (it
will display in your list of bookmarks). To return to that bookmark, click
Bookmark at the top of any page and click on the bookmark you wish to return to.
10. Right click on pages for additional options. You can add your own notes,
print a page, or copy text for use in other programs.
11. These steps should be enough to get you started. Use the built in help
file for more assistance. Click Help > Features at the top of the page.
12. There is at least one broken link that works from one place and not
another. This is the Guide Links at the bottom of the homepage. However, you can
access this useful page from Writers Guide > Guide Links in the menu bar at the
top of the page.
13. A PDF file from docstyles.com is also available, though it is not as
extensive as the above:
http://www.docstyles.com/archive/amastat.pdf.