I am trying to update the info I give to beginning students on apa referencing format. Students seem to want to include a "retrieved from" statement on anything they find using the computer. I have had students locate the hard copy of the journal and yet still give me a "Retrieved from" statement referencing the publisher of the journal! Other faculty are probably not aware of recent changes or do not have a consistent policy as I find my students doing all sorts of different things. My own rule has been that if they can access the full text, and the article is from a fixed, unchangeable reference, as from, for example, the PsycARTICLES database, then just give me the full reference and no "retrieved from." Yes, I know I am substituting common sense for... the APA way. The latest apa guides for electronic references suggests, for such fixed, unchangeable sources, that the DOI number be given, but no retrieved from silliness (as of June, 2007). This digital object identifier (doi) may be used for.....? I am sure it could be used to locate and identify the journal and article by someone who wants to go that route? It probably means this is a real copy and not a fake one? I think that is a problem for the database to resolve. Again, I think if the journal is fixed, and full text as published, then no "retrieved from" or DOI should be necessary. I am here only talking about full text journal articles from major databases. I think this doi is fine, but am sure that the numbers students/faculty find and put on their references will be of little use, and frequently inaccurate. I also checked out recent hard copies of apa articles (2007-2008) and could find no references that had "retrieved from" or DOI numbers in their reference section. When you submit articles to journals do they have this "retrieved from" statement or a doi number, but then are taken off? I am at home and haven't looked into the apa elect. ref guide for the appropriate rationalizations. In six months this will probably be changed, but I was just wonderin' about this as I prepare info for my research methods class. Cheers, Gary Gerald L. (Gary) Peterson, Ph.D. Professor, Psychology Saginaw Valley State University University Center, MI 48710 989-964-4491 [EMAIL PROTECTED]
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