American Psychology Association (APA) focus on improving the referencing rules to enhance the authenticity of sources. Basically, most recent changes occurred in 2009 when APA developed the referencing manual from the fifth to the sixth edition. In this case, the new manual on the APA referencing style provides guidelines to cite digital sources and enhance their authenticity. Hence, the sixth edition of the APA format provides comprehensive rules to substantiate internet-based sources, which requires writers to exclude retrieval date but include Digital Object Identifier (DOI) and link to online materials, including names for many authors.
Excluding a Retrieval Date
The APA referencing style requires writers not to mention the retrieval date when citing sources obtained from the Internet. For instance, the current APA 6th edition format does not need a writer to include the time a person accessed the information. Initially, the fifth edition required writers to add a retrieval date before the URL of the Internet-based source. In turn, the changes need writers to cite information from credible websites only. For example, the omission of retrieval date should apply to sources with the knowledge that is not likely to change with time only. Along these lines, writers cannot use the information found in websites like Wikipedia since it is subject to change gradually. Thus, the APA format does not require retrieval dates for information cited from dependable websites.
Including a Link in APA Referencing Style
The APA referencing style forces writers to include a link to all Internet sources. For instance, the APA formatting emphasizes the use of DOI for online sources. In this case, the DOI consists of the copyright information of a source. Along these lines, this feature increases the credibility of online articles by identifying their exact origin. In turn, writers should use other retrieval information if an online source lacks the DOI. For instance, a writer must include a valid link to a source. As a result, a reader can follow the link to access the source. Therefore, the APA style stresses the need to provide accurate retrieval details of online sources.
Using Ellipses on References
The APA referencing style allows writers to use ellipses between the sixth and last author in the reference list. For instance, the APA fifth edition format required writers to use the phrase “et al.” for sources with more than six authors. In this case, one would identify the first six authors for sources with more than seven contributors. Hence, the current format stresses on using “…” to replace names between the sixth and the last author. In turn, a writer must include names of all contributors for sources with six or seven authors. Besides, including the names for many authors enhances authentication of online sources. Thus, the APA referencing style emphasizes on the use of ellipses in place of the phrase “et al.” to identify sources with many authors.
Conclusion on APA Referencing Style
In conclusion, the APA referencing style focused on improving the credibility of online sources. Basically, the last edition of the APA style format updated ways of identifying online articles when creating the reference list. In this case, the current version of the APA writing style does not require writers to include a retrieval date for online sources. Hence, writers can only source information from credible sources. Then, other changes made in the APA format book require writers to provide accurate location of sources using DOI or Internet links. Finally, writers should use the ellipses in the APA format 6th edition between the sixth and last authors for sources with many contributors.