The Importance of References Lists

The Importance of Reference Lists

     During the writing process of a research paper, it is imperative that the authors who have influenced the writer be acknowledged appropriately using reference lists which are located at the end of the paper.

     According to the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (2015), reference lists supply the information necessary should the reader wish to consult any of the sources included in the body of the paper. Additionally, the reference lists ought to include solely those sources the writer has employed in the process of research and writing of the paper; and they should follow certain formats established by the American Psychological Association (APA).

     The following analysis will attempt to highlight the importance of crediting sources according to APA’s standards. There are instances where APA (year of publication) regulations are not followed as in the following example:

Works Cited

"Blueprint Lays Out Clear Path for Climate Action." Environmental Defense Fund. Environmental Defense Fund, 8 May 2007. Web. 24 May 2009.

Clinton, Bill. Interview by Andrew C. Revkin. “Clinton on Climate Change.” New York Times. New York Times, May 2007. Web. 25 May 2009.

Dean, Cornelia. "Executive on a Mission: Saving the Planet." New York Times. New York Times, 22 May 2007. Web. 25 May 2009.

     As far as formatting is concerned, the title should have been References and not Works Cited as read above. In addition, lines should be double-spaced and indented from the second line onwards. Regarding the order, the references have been suitably presented in alphabetical succession (Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 2015).

     Regarding the entries’ details, the following discrepancies with APA canons have been found: in the case of the first reference entry, it has not been possible to retrieve the source of this document. It can be inferred that the information was taken from the Internet but there is no explicit data referring to its format nor can it be found on the website of the Environmental Defense Fund. 

     The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (2015) estates the sources should be recoverable by the reader, which is not the case of this particular reference even the source provides reliable information.

     Regarding the second entry, this source is taken from a video blog post; the correct format should include first the channel which published the video file, the date of publication followed by the name of the file, the phrase Video file between square brackets and the URL of said video followed by the phrase Retrieved from. The appropriate entry should have been written as follows:

The New York Times. (2008, February 4). Clinton on Climate Change | The New York Times

                  [Video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/--WbQhciuG4

     Finally, the third entry refers to an article found in The New York Times online newspaper. For online newspaper articles, The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (2015) expresses the date of publication should follow the author’s name between parenthesis stating first the year, then the month and lastly the day, the title of the article should not be written between brackets. This reference should have also included the URL of the home page and as the article can still be found using the search engine on the website, there is no need to specify the particular URL of such article. In short, the entry should be written as:

Dean, C. (2007, May 22). Executive on a Mission: Saving the Planet. The New York Times. 

                           Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com

     To conclude the evaluation of the previous entries, it can be said that the corrections they have undergone fulfil the purpose of making them retrievable and suitable according to APA standards for publication. What is more, referencing the sources that have inspired and influenced the writer’s paper not only complies with APA regulation but it also pays respect to those authors who have contributed knowledge to the field in question. 

References

American Psychological Association. (2015). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.). 

                          Washington, DC.