apa citation online case study

apa citation online case study

The Importance of Proper APA Citation for Online Case Studies

1. Introduction to APA Citation

One of the primary considerations when writing in a rigorous academic format is citation. At the forefront of academic citation practice is the APA, or the American Psychological Association. They have been modifying, updating, improving, and maintaining citation standards since the early 1900s. The sixth edition of Citation Unfortunately, international academic dishonesty is a major cause of non-citation. Despite this fact, authors should never willingly and knowingly neglect the importance of proper citation, as adequate citation is paramount to the effectiveness of and adherence to the academic contract.

The purpose of documentation is to: 1. Properly acknowledge scholarly contributions made by others; 2. Promote the pursuit of knowledge by acknowledging the collective observations that shape our current understanding of the world; and 3. Identify to the reader sources that have influenced our reasoning and may be those to which we refer again. This essay delves deeper into the importance of proper APA citation and focuses on issues that emerge when writing an online case study. GUIContent needs to be well-integrated. For example, although an anecdotal example is likely acceptable, readers should be able to rely upon and access the study’s research, methods, findings, and references as directed by proper APA standards. Citing observational data or interviews from the writer’s delving into the pockets of life, the eavesdropping and the overheard, will seldom be fruitful (6th Edition, 2009). APA citation is paramount.

2. Key Elements of APA Citation for Online Case Studies

From the American Psychological Association (APA), the citation formatting style is commonly used for social science and research fields. Because online case studies must also conform to the guidelines set forth in this manual, writers who compile them benefit greatly from an understanding of the crucial elements of APA citation applications that reference online sources and a description of the composition of a reference list with APA manner. The current APA manual edition is the 7th edition, which features several changes from the 6th edition. The 7th edition does not include DOI information for journal articles, replaces “Retrieved from” in references to online sources with either link information or a URL, and places domain and URL information in the in-text citation parentheses. An online case study can come from a database or from a webpage. In either case, it usually also refers to digital sources such as the author of a digital document, the webpage name, the title, associated numbers and/or dates (often a publication date and an original retrieval date), and where to find a digital source or what website to access.

When an online case study was published in a print source, the in-text citation includes the usual elements for a print citation within the text that refer readers to the reference list. When an online case study came from a web page, and not a database service, the elements that the in-text citation refers to in the reference list include information about the author of the document, either the web page name or a description of the web page (if not the general or home page of the reference), the date information, and then the retrieval information. For a webpage citation and a digital document citation, the in-text citation goes in author (year) format. Unlike a regional entrance in the citation, this type of substance coming from a URL does not involve the publisher location in the citation. If there are two authors, it lists all last names. If there are three or more, it lists only the last name of the first author followed by “et al.” Since URLs change, include the homepage of a web page citation rather than the subpage when you can. In the reference list, double check the entry format. For an APA citation, only include the retrieval date when the content will change.

3. Common Mistakes to Avoid in APA Citation

Several areas can pose a problem when it comes to proper APA citation. One common mistake that generally results based on a misconception of the rules is with online journals or case studies. According to the guide for “Referencing online material in APA,” any transfers with URL extensions which include online journals, websites, newspapers, case studies, or online film excerpts should be cited as a journal article or newspaper, case study, etc. Our example for the proper citing of an online case study is the noted, which uses a case study with a DOI address and the same case study from a website. A common mistake seen is citing a web case study as a web document. When this is done, adding additional websites to the references may be forced. Misunderstood rules can result in additional work for the writer or confusion for their reader.

The source of the mistake is likely because there are problems in judging online sources. Some writers are following the idea that online material should be found in one of the three basic avenues in the reference listing, i.e. journals, book publishers, distributors, or written permission to distribute, and rewording information in the author-date citation as listed in the publication manual. This practice, however, results in mistakes such as the one listed. Making a mistake in the proper APA citation style in writing can not only affect your grades but is also a surprise for the instructor when grading your paper negatively. Keep in mind as well that not all citation problems are technical. When citing plagiarisms, too, other students rely on APA to direct them to proper one method that can be pretty costly. A good rule to follow in writing is to cite and reference.

4. Tools and Resources for Proper APA Citation

Citing sources effectively can be tedious and time-consuming. Correctly citing online case studies in an APA format can be even more bothersome. It is not always easy to distinguish between titles and authorship. Also, resources available electronically may have more or less sources than those presented online. Furthermore, many online sources for research often present the title or reference in an unprofessional or biased manner, which can make it difficult to find accurate authorship or copyright information. The possibilities of incorrect DACUM coding can be exacerbated. While the above-mentioned references are practical, it is also important to note the internet and online resources have practical reference materials such as software and databases that manage citations, hash generators, and PURL generators.

These sources present the location or publisher including university information on the database resource. Citation collectors are used to gather bibliographical information for references saved in electronic form or references accessed online. Citation generators, or “citation management software,” are software programs used to assist authors in managing citations. They can export references and create bibliographies in word processors such as Microsoft Word, WordPerfect, and OpenOffice. Computers with UNIX operating system have GMAN, which is specifically designed for American Psychological Association style. Hash generators generate a hash string, which is a combination of the unique author and the publication source or date so that if the title and author have been changed, the researcher can still retrieve the correct article he or she previously cited. List generators are used to format reference lists, rather than inserting citations into the text. PURL generators generate a PURL (persistent uniform resource locator), which is a unique web address that remains unchanged over time, despite changes in the network infrastructure.

5. Conclusion and Best Practices

Given that online case studies have the potential to provide a wealth of research material to graduate psychology students when conducting empirical case-based research, it is essential that proper APA citation methods be observed when conducting literature searches and reviewing and reporting case study findings. However, the current work on APA citation of online case studies suggests that popular sources provide inaccurate information due to a lack of updating. A comprehensive review of all existing “general” handbooks of any kind in general and social sciences found that only 2 out of 37 books currently in print had any mention of APA citation or references to case studies.

In the absence of APA guidelines for properly citing online case studies, we recommend some “best practices” in citing such materials while observing as closely as possible current guidelines. This should also remind the reader once again of the importance of accurately citing the material, your “data” in the purest sense, you could be using to conduct, publish, and officially present your valuable case study research findings. APA guidelines for the citation of case studies in print copy would be the best and most direct resource, and we would direct readers to the proper “official” APA guidelines if and when they may exist. Given the importance of this issue, we hope to shed much additional light on its intricacies and possibilities in the future. In the meantime, here are some “best practices” for citing online case studies.