The document discusses changes to APA style rules for citing references in meta-analyses. The fifth edition rule had meta-analysis references in the main reference list marked with asterisks. The sixth edition rule moved meta-analysis references to supplemental material online. However, experience showed this had shortcomings by skewing citation statistics and conflicting with best practices to include all references in the core article.

1. Presented By: Sidra Akhtar

2.  The fifth edition style rule had three parts:
 Include all meta-analysis references in the reference
list and not in a separate appendix.
 Precede each meta-analysis reference in the reference
list with an asterisk.
 Add the following statement before the first reference
list entry: “References marked with an asterisk indicate
studies included in the meta-analysis.” (APA
Publication Manual, 5th ed., section 4.05, p. 222)

3.  Place meta-analysis references in a separate list and
submit that list as supplemental material, which will
appear online but not with the print or online version
of the article itself.
 If a meta-analysis reference is mentioned in the text, it
should appear both in the reference list and in the
supplemental material. (APA Publication Manual, 6th
ed., section 4.05, p. 183)

4.  Several years of experience with the new rule for
longer lists of meta-analysis references has revealed
two shortcomings. First, abstracting and indexing
services pick up references in the article itself but not
those from online supplemental materials. The new
rule skews citation statistics and disadvantages
authors of meta-analysis references in those longer
lists. Second, emerging best practices for what types of
material should be included in the core article include
a stipulation that the core article include all references.