On Sat, 30 Jun 2012 07:53:52 -0700, Christopher Green wrote: >On 2012-06-30, at 9:05 AM, Michael Palij wrote: >> "Do we really need a whole book (at US$12 from APA; US$ 9.56 >> for the Kindle edition at Amazon -- Also, Thank You APA for the discount >> for APA members ;-( ) for electronic references?" What exactly did they >> leave out of the 6th Edition of the APA publication manual that they >> need now to issue this? > >Long ago I more or less gave up on the ridiculously specific and infinitely >complex APA citation structure. I do my references (and other formatting) as >cleanly as I can, and as close to APA specifications as is convenient, and then >I let the copy editors deal with anything they don't like. I have never had an >editor return my submissions for not adhering to the minutia of the format. >Who's got the time? There are other things in life.
I agree with you here but I think that there might be some instructors who are really anal retentive/obsessive-compulsive/crazy about getting every last detail correct because they take points off for violations in student papers. Others may be more lax. True story: I contacted someone at APA because they did not have an entry in PsycInfo for the original source of a paper (it was a chapter in the series Advances in Experimental Social Psychology) but PI did have an entry for its reprint in a book of readings . I got a response back that they didn't know why this had happened and would look into it. This was over a year ago and PsycInfo still doesn't have the original source. I had also asked for what the format should be for the original source in 6th Ed style and got something back that I thought was somewhat odd. I made some "corrections" to the format and provided it to my students as the "format" to use (the paper is used in couple of assignments). It should be noted that the PsycInfo interfaces (3 different versions) that I have dealt with over the past few years all have the capability of producing formatted APA style references as well as other styles, so getting a reference in correct format should not be that big a deal unless, of course, the reference is not in the PsycInfo database. >> And why don't they just make the APA publication manual(s) into >> PDFs and sell them for $1.99? > >Because the publication manual is a significant source of APA's revenue stream. Yes, I know, which is why below I point out that APA is a non-profit but clearly is making a lot of money by keeping the manual in paper form. >> When I raise this issue (of why there is no electronic version of the >> APA publication manual) I remind students that APA is a NON-profit >> organization. Then tell them to do the math. > >APA has had significant problems balancing their budget for nearly the entire >time I have been affiliated with it. Sometimes it is caused by questionable >decisions (like buying Psychology Today, which nearly bankrupted the >organization). Sometimes it is caused by events beyond their control (the 2008 >crash). Sometimes it is a combination of both (the enormous amounts spent on >government lobbying efforts). Although originally an academic organization, APA >has gradually turned into a professional advocacy society funded by a >commercial publisher. Membership fees, high as they are, don't really cover the >costs the organization has assumed. For membership numbers, see: http://www.apa.org/about/archives/membership/affil-intl.aspx In 2011, there is a dip to a little above 137K people which means that they bring in millions of dollars in membership dues. Then there are the publications and other products they sell which they sell which must also bring in millions of dollars in income. As a non-profit, I assume that they pay little if any taxes on all this. Where does all of the money go? -Mike Palij New York University [email protected] --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [email protected]. To unsubscribe click here: http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df5d5&n=T&l=tips&o=18713 or send a blank email to leave-18713-13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df...@fsulist.frostburg.edu
