The APA format 6th edition provides the most current rules of formatting references in an academic paper. Basically, the American Psychology Association released the sixth manual in 2009. In turn, the association made some changes in the APA 5th edition of the writing format. Hence, the APA format 6th edition made changes on the presentation of retrieval date, cities, many authors, and source-location identifiers differently from the previous version.
The Presentation of Retrieval Date
The APA format 6th edition does not require retrieval date for online sources. For instance, the APA 5th edition guidebook required students to provide the retrieval dates for information obtained from websites. In this case, scholars had to use the phrase “Retrieved,” followed by the day and month that a student accessed the information. Basically, the current APA format does not require students to give the retrieval date for online sources. In turn, a person uses the phrase “Retrieved from” with a link to identify the location of information. Therefore, the APA citation does not require students to present the date they accessed information from websites.
The City of Publication in the APA Format 6th Edition
The APA format 6th edition guidebook requires scholars to provide the country with the city of publication. For example, the APA 5th edition did not require learners to provide a state or country for different sources. In this case, students would omit the city of publication if it was famous. On the other hand, the APA writing style requires students to include the city of the publisher. For instance, scholars must identify the country or state to the town of publication. Basically, they must provide the country if the publisher is not from America. Otherwise, learners should provide a two-letter state code. Thus, the APA style guide requires students to provide accurate location of the publisher.
Multiple Authors
The APA format 6th edition requires learners to use the ellipsis to present many authors. For instance, the APA 5th edition required learners to use the phrase “et al.” for sources with seven or more authors. In this case, a student had to provide the names of the first six authors followed by the phrase “et al.” In turn, the APA guidelines require students to replace “et al.” with the ellipses. For example, the current guidebook requires students to use the ellipsis between the sixth and last authors. Hence, scholars must list all names for sources with seven authors. Besides, they must use the ellipsis for sources with more than seven authors. Thus, the APA referencing style requires students to ellipsis instead of “et al.” for sources with many authors.
Sources-Location Identifiers
The APA 6th edition emphasizes on accurate source-location identifiers. For example, students must provide a valid link that leads to different online sources. Along these lines, scholars must include Digital Object Identifier (DOI) numbers for journal articles. Besides, references to websites must contain the correct Internet link. Therefore, the APA paper stresses on accurate links to Internet sources.
Conclusion on the APA Format 6th Edition
In conclusion, the APA 6th edition made significant changes to the previous guidebook. Basically, the current manual requires learners to include retrieval date and cities in their bibliographies. In this case, the APA reference format requires the student to use the ellipsis for sources with more than seven authors. Finally, the APA style paper requires students to use of DOI numbers and Internet links for online sources.