The American Psychology Association (APA) developed the first manual of style in the mid-twentieth century. Since then, APA has continued to update the manual to enhance the credibility of academic papers. The sixth-edition of APA manual is the latest version that focuses on Internet-based files. In recent years, online sources become essential in academic research. For example, websites and online databases contain credible sources of information. However, most of the Internet-based sources are not reliable for educational use. In turn, the APA format book provides guidelines on citing credible online sources, which include the use of paragraph number when quoting information from websites, and URLs and DOIs for identifying electronic documents.
In-Text Citations
The APA 6th edition format provides guidelines to create in-text citations for information obtained from websites. For example, when citing a website APA, it requires authors to include the paragraph number containing quoted information. Basically, websites do not have page numbers to refer to when citing information. In this case, one should refer to the paragraph number containing the mentioned information by considering the APA format book. As a rule, people use the phrase “para.” followed by a period to connect to the paragraph number. Hence, a person must replace “p.” with “para.” for in-text citations of information taken from websites. Thus, the APA format requires writers to provide the paragraph number of information obtained from sites.
URLs and DOIs in the APA format
The APA format book requires writers to cite information from credible electronic documents. For instance, a reliable reference has details of its origin. In this case, a writer must provide details of the origin of an electronic source. Basically, this information helps readers to locate the original document from authentication purposes. Then, the web address helps to identify information contained in a website. Basically, a writer must provide the URLs in the reference list for sites. Also, one must use the phrase “Retrieved from” before the URL. For journal articles and other printed references found in online databases, one must provide DOI numbers. In turn, many publishers, databases, and online journals have DOIs, which are alphanumeric codes that identify the location of a source. Thus, the APA style guide emphasizes the use of URLs and DOIs for online sources.
Conclusion on the APA Format Book
In conclusion, the APA format book allows writers to use credible online sources when preparing academic papers. In this case, the APA guidelines provide the rules for in-text citations of information obtained from websites. As a rule, writers must denote the paragraph number containing the quoted information. The phrase “para.” helps to indicate the paragraph number. Besides, the APA citation emphasizes on the use of URLs and DOIs for electronic documents. Hence, a person must provide the web address of the referenced sites by following the rules of the APA reference citation. Besides, writers must include DOI numbers for journal articles and other printed sources found in online databases. Thus, the APA format book stresses on the credibility of online sources.