APA? Not! Librarian gone experimental
Reality Skimming with Lynda in 2021
My first masters is in library science. So it’s not that I can’t write a reference in APA style. I once even slogged through Oxford style for a paper. (Once was enough.)
But in going full “reality skimming” mode on my word-gaming gig for 2021, I decided to apply the same loose rules to myself that I asked of my computing students in the Fall of 2020.
I had to get them to cite references because we’d gone text-book free and it really helps to know what they’ve used for research when assessing an answer. They might be riffing on a stray thought. Or they might be citing something they’ve discovered that I had never seen.
Here’s what I believe. The purpose of a reference should dictate how strictly any given standard is applied. I respect the rigor of scholarship. But maybe we should hold off on the real tough stuff until grad school. Frankly, I lament the fixation in undergrad programs on marking for format not substance. I guess it’s easier to judge and defend formatting than other things. But relaxing the rigor back to a general principle would leave more learning room for how to connect sources with your ideas.
I also find it frustrating that every standard (e.g. MLA, APA, etc.) ignores some detail it might be worth including. Why not indicate whatever you can if its clarifying? Maybe with a ? afterwards if really unsure. Or even a short note. On the other hand, spending 10 minutes searching for some precise bit of information that may not exist for a given resource is a waste of time. Especially if it is going to be read only a handful of times, and may never be followed up.
The upshot is I’m going to provide references for my articles, but do it “reality skimming” style.
I’ll eventually clarify what I mean by “reality skimming” as well. :-)
References
Purdue Online Writing Lab. (c. 2019). Reference List: Electronic Sources. Purdue Owl. https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/apa_style/apa_formatting_and_style_guide/reference_list_electronic_sources.html
Williams, L. (2008). Character as Virtual Reality Experiment in Identity. Retrieved Dec 31, 2020 from https://www.academia.edu/7155389/Character_as_Virtual_Reality_Experiment_in_Identity
