Navigating Gray Areas in APA Style By Making Strategic Choices

APA style is complex; it’s like learning a new language. And despite the fact that we would like for APA to be either right or wrong, like language, that is not the case; there are a lot of gray areas. Additionally, APA evolves based on many different factors, which leads to shifting gray areas. APA gray areas are a common source of frustration for everyone who works with it on a regular basis. As one of those people, I get it!

For me, tackling gray areas in APA is all about strategic choice, which can include thinking about your writing as a reader, emailing the Writing Center for clarity, or reaching out to your faculty members for guidance. Here are a few gray areas in APA I’d like to highlight.

Citing Page Numbers for Paraphrased Information

This is a gray APA rule that continues to trip me up. I always find myself going back to the APA Manual to reread what the American Psychological Association has to say about when writers should include page numbers when citing paraphrased information from a source. Page 171, section 6.04, of the APA Manual states, “When paraphrasing or referring to an idea contained in another work, you are encouraged to provide a page or paragraph number, especially when it would help an interested reader locate the relevant passage in a long or complex text”. Like me, you might have some lingering questions after reading this “rule.” First of all, what does “encouraged” mean in the context of this sentence? Secondly, how do I know for sure when a reader might desire a page or paragraph number in my citation for a paraphrase? And lastly, what defines a “long or complex text”? Ten pages? One hundred pages?

After all of this questioning, the gray remains, which means, as writers, it is our job to make some strategic choices. In situations like this one, you have the opportunity to wear the shoes of your readers and think strategically about what you would want, as an “interested reader.” The next time you include a paraphrase in your writing, ask yourself: if I were reading my paper, would I want to be able to look up the information I present in this paraphrase directly from the source from where I retrieved it? If your answer is yes, then add the page number. It’s easier to delete a page number for a paraphrase than add it in later! 

Using “Retrieved on” in Web Page Reference List Entries

This is a classic gray area in APA for now (this “rule,” like many “rules” regarding electronic sources, could change over time). In fact, you can learn about this gray area in APA and others in WriteCastEpisode 22: Make APA Style Work for You: How to Navigate Gray Areas. The question is for this gray APA “rule” is: When do I include the date I retrieved an online source in the reference list entry for that source? According to page 192, section 6.32, of the APA Manual, writers should “…not include retrieval dates unless the source material may change over time (e.g., Wikis).” Again, I have some follow-up questions: What defines “change” in this scenario? What does “over time” really mean? Does the source material have to change every day? Every month? Every year? How could I even know how often a source changes?

When you need to make a strategic choice concerning this APA “rule,” I encourage you to think again about what information you might want in your reference list entry for an online source, as a reader. If you know for a fact that the source might change between the time you write a paper and the time you submit or publish that paper, that’s a good reason to include the retrieval date in the reference list entry for that source.

DOI Number Format

As of March 2017, there are three DOI formats that are APA-compliant. This new development might be fun for those who like to opportunity to choose a preferential DOI format. For others, this gray area can be frustrating. Additionally, this DOI “rule” is not in the APA Manual; it was created after the publication of the Manual due to the evolution of online publication data. In an APA Style Blog Post, Timothy McAdoo outlines the following three DOI formats as acceptable per APA rules:

https://doi.org/10.1037/arc0000014

http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/arc0000014

doi:10.1037/arc0000014

McAdoo does mention that writers should choose one DOI format and stick with it for the sake of consistency, however. So when formatting your reference list, make sure all of the DOI numbers for the online journal articles you include display the same DOI format. I have fewer questions about this gray area in APA, but when it comes to areas in APA that are open to different choices and preferences, like this one, I encourage students to communicate with faculty and the Writing Center. Different programs may require students to adhere to specific APA preferences, which is sometimes based on the types of sources students will commonly incorporate into their writing.

 If you’d like some help finding the answer to your APA question, email us at writingsupport@waldenu.edu. We at the Writing Center are here to support you through the gray areas in your APA journey. 

Ellen Zamarripa is a Writing Instructor and the Coordinator of Residency Planning for Walden University's Writing Center. She loves to teach and especially enjoys working with students asynchronously through paper reviews and then meeting them synchronously at residencies.

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