About AMA

At this stage, your article must meet all the stylistic requirements outlined below. For basic formatting, follow the instructions shown on the Guidelines for Submission page.

NOTE: We do not accept PDFs for production. Your article must be submitted as a Microsoft Word document. 

TABLES/FIGURES | MATHEMATICAL NOTATION | REFERENCES | WEB APPENDIX

• Main Document
• Tables in Original File Format (if not created in Word)
• Figures in Original File Format
• Appendix in Original File Format
• Web Appendix
• Executive Summary and Author Biographies
• Data Form & Subject Index
• Author Profile Form
• Copyright Form (signed by all authors)

STYLE CHECKLIST
To make the copyediting process more efficient, we ask that you please make sure your manuscript conforms to the following style points:

• The manuscript does not exceed 50 pages including all tables, figures, and appendixes.
• Text is 12-point font, double-spaced throughout (including references).
• Provide complete contact information of authors, including present position (i.e., title, department/school affiliation, university, e-mail).
• Abstract should be in 3rd person (“the authors”).
• Use active voice (We designed the next three studies to test the propositions) instead of passive voice (The next three studies were designed to test the propositions) throughout the paper. Passive voice is typically inferior and comparatively clumsy to active voice, and journal style rewrites most passive sentences to active ones. Use of “we” is acceptable for multiauthored papers; for single authors, passive voice is acceptable.
• Sections should not be numbered or referred to as “Section No.” in the text.
• Do not label opening commentary as “Introduction.”
• Please make sure to use the correct heading style. When used, you must have more than one secondary heading per section (e.g., you may have a primary heading and two secondary/tertiary heading, but never a single secondary heading in a subsection).
• Equations set apart from the text need to be numbered (1, 2, etc). In text, refer to your equation as “In Equation 1, we …” not “In (1), we ….”
• Do not italicize equations, Greek characters, R-square, and so forth. Italics are only used on p-values.
• Do not use Equation Editor for simple math functions, Greek characters, etc. Instead, use the Symbol font for special characters.
• Write out et al. to all author names for in-text citations with 3 authors or less (use et al. only for 4 authors). Also, spell out all author names in the full reference.
• Do not place tables and figures within the text. Rather, place them sequentially at the end of the text with titles above the tables and figures. Tables and figures must also be provided in their original format.
• No zero before decimal points (e.g., 0.97 should be simply .97).
• Use of footnotes is discouraged. Include all information in the body of the text. If footnotes must be used, please make them short and do not use more than 10 total.
• Include first and last names in all references, unless the initials were used in the original reference. Also include volume, issue (season, month, or date), and full page range for all journal/periodical references. This will reduce query time considerably.

• Tables and figures should have titles that reflect the take-away. For example, “Factors That Impact Ad Recall” or “Inattention Can Increase Brand Switching” are far more effective than “Study 1: Results.”
• Write out variables: Do not use abbreviations for variables, unless they have been defined in the text.
  Be complete. Include descriptive captions or footnotes.
  Label lines in graphs rather than using captions.
• Make exhibits understandable in both color and black and white. The color version can be used in the electronic journal.

Tables

Tables should consist of at least four columns and four rows; otherwise, they should be left as in-text tabulations (do not include headings), or their results should be integrated into the text.

• All tables must be numbered, and their titles should be centered and typed in all caps.
• Designate units (e.g., %, $, n) in column headings.
• Align all decimals; there is no zero before the decimal point in any number (.97).
• Primary headings: All first letters are capitalized. Secondary headings: Only first letter of first word is capitalized.
• Refer to tables in text by number (see Table 1). Avoid using "above" or "below."
• Asterisks or notes cued by lowercase superscript letters appear at the bottom of the table below the rule. Asterisks are used for p values, and letters are used for data-specific information. Other descriptive information should be labeled as “Notes:” and placed after the letters.
• Tables with text only should be treated in the same manner as tables with numbers (formatted as tables with rows, columns, and individual cells).
• Make sure the necessary measures of statistical significance are reported with the table.
• Do not insert tables in the Word file as pictures. All tables should be editable in Word.  

Figures
The term “figure” refers to a variety of material, including line drawings, maps, charts, graphs, diagrams, photos, and Web shots, among others.

• Submit graphics as original Excel or PowerPoint files, not just a graphic pasted into Excel, PowerPoint, or Word. This is so the production staff can edit the content. Embedded graphics hinder this process. We also accept PDF, EPS, or PostScript files made from the application that created the original figure. Specifically, we ask that you export (rather than save) the file from the original application.
• Avoid bitmap or TIFF files. However, when these files must be used—as in photographs or screenshots—submit print-quality graphics. For a photograph or screen shot, this requires a resolution of at least 300 ppi/dpi. For a line drawing or chart, the resolution should be at least 800 ppi/dpi.
• For graphs, label both vertical and horizontal axes. The ordinate label should be centered above the ordinate axis; the abscissa label should be placed beneath the abscissa.
• Place all calibration tics as well as the values outside of the axis lines.
• The figure number and title should be typed on separate lines, centered, and capitalized.
• Refer to figures in text by number (see Figure 1). Avoid using "above" or "below."
• When preparing gray scale figures, use gray levels between 20% and 80%, with at least 20% difference between the levels of gray. Whenever possible, avoid using patterns of hatching instead of grays to differentiate between areas of a figure. Gray scale files should not contain any color objects.
• If submitting artwork in color, please make sure that the colors you use will work well when converted to gray scale. Use contrasting colors with different tones (i.e., dark blue and dark red will convert into almost identical shades of gray). Don't use light shades or colors such as yellow against a light background. Also remember that the cost of color printing is borne by the authors.

Technical Appendix
To improve the readability of the manuscript, any mathematical proof or development that is not critical to the exposition of the main part of the text may be placed in a technical appendix.

• Equations should be centered on the page. If equations are numbered, type the number in parentheses flush with the left margin.
• If equations are too wide to fit in a single column (please consult a printed issue of the journal), indicate appropriate breaks.
• Standard deviation is abbreviated as SD, standard error as SE, and Mean as M.
• Do not italicize equations, Greek characters, R-square, and so forth. Italics are only used on p-values.
• Do not place a zero before any decimal points (.97).
• Leave one space on either side of operational signs and signs of relation (M = 4.32, F(1, 139) = 34.65, p < .01).

Please avoid using Equation Editor for simple in-line mathematical copy, symbols, and equations. Type these in Word instead, using the “Symbol” function when necessary. For example, all Greek characters; simple superscripted or subscripted characters; plus, minus, greater than (or equal to)/less than (or equal to), and so forth, can all be inserted by simply typing the characters in Word. For display equations or in-line characters that use multiple levels, stacked super- and subscripts, or any character not available in Word’s “Symbol” menu, use of Equation Editor is appropriate. In addition, please avoid stacking in-line equations. If the equation is difficult, place it as a display rather than in line and number it accordingly.