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Copyright ©1995-2018 by The Writing Lab & The OWL at Purdue and Purdue University. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, reproduced, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our terms and conditions of fair use. Note: This page reflects the latest version of the APA Publication Manual (i.e., APA 7), which released in October 2019. The equivalent resource for the older APA 6 style can be found here. The American Psychological Association (APA) updated its style manual in the fall of 2019. This resource presents a list of important differences between the sixth and seventh editions. It reflects the most recent printing of the manual as of January 2020. If subsequent printings are released to correct errors or misprints (as was the case for the sixth edition), this page will be updated as needed. The seventh edition of the APA Publication Manual contains a number of updates and additions designed to make APA style more useful for students, teachers, and other educational stakeholders. While there are too many changes to list here, we’ve chosen to focus on the changes that are most pertinent to students and teachers. These include changes to the ways academic papers are formatted, changes to the ways sources are cited, and more. For a much more detailed list of changes, consult the Introduction chapter of the APA Publication Manual (7th ed.), which is available from the APA in PDF form here. For your convenience, locations in the print versions of the sixth and seventh editions of the APA manual associated with each change are provided below where possible. Paper Formatting (Chapter 2)The Title Page (2.3)The newest edition of the APA manual recommends different title pages for students and professionals. Professional title pages include:
Students are directed to follow their instructors’ directions with regards to title page formatting. If no directions are given, students may use the APA-specified title page for students, which includes:
Note also that student papers now lack a running head. Heading Levels (2.27)Headings are used to help guide the reader through a document. The levels are organized by levels of subordination. In general, each distinct section of an academic paper should start with a level one heading. The seventh edition changes only level three, four, and five headings. All headings are now written in title case (important words capitalized) and boldface. Headings are distinguished only by the use of italics, indentation, and periods. Sixth Edition (3.03) APA Headings Level Format 1 Centered, Boldface, Uppercase and Lowercase Headings Text starts a new paragraph. 2 Flush left, Boldface, Uppercase and Lowercase Heading Text starts a new paragraph. 3 Indented, boldface, lowercase paragraph heading ending with a period. Paragraph text continues on the same line as the same paragraph. 4 Indented, boldface, italicized, lowercase paragraph heading ending with a period. Paragraph text continues on the same line as the same paragraph. 5 Indented, italicized, lowercase paragraph heading ending with a period. Paragraph text continues on the same line as the same paragraph. Seventh Edition (2.27) APA Headings Level Format 1 Centered, Boldface, Title Case Heading Text begins as a new paragraph. 2 Flush left, Boldface, Title Case Heading Text begins as a new paragraph. 3 Flush Left, Boldface Italic, Title Case Heading Text begins as a new paragraph. 4 Indented, Boldface Title Case Heading Ending With a Period. Paragraph text continues on the same line and continues as a regular paragraph. 5 Indented, Boldface Italic, Title Case Heading Ending With a Period. Paragraph text continues on the same line and continues as a regular paragraph. For example, in a scientific report following APA style, a report contains three sections: Method, Results, and Discussion. Each of these sections start with level 1 headings: Method (Level 1) Site of Study (Level 2) Participant Population (Level 2) Teachers (Level 3) Students (Level 3) Results (Level 1) Spatial Ability (Level 2) Test One (Level 3) Teachers with Experience. (Level 4) Teachers in Training. (Level 4) Graduate Teaching Assistants. (Level 5) Test Two (Level 3) Kinesthetic Ability (Level 2) Other Paper Format ChangesA handful of additional formatting changes are recommended in the seventh edition. These include the following:
Writing Style and Grammar (Chapter 4)The most important changes here relate to pronoun usage, though it may bear mentioning that the APA has endorsed the "singular they" on its website for years prior to the release of the new manual:
Bias-Free Language (Chapter 5)The seventh edition of the manual updates guidelines for writing about “age, disability, gender, racial and ethnic identity, and sexual orientation” to bring them in line with current best practices. The guidelines are too extensive to reproduce here, but a few of the most important and general instructions are described below. Consult chapter 5 of the APA Publication Manual (7th ed.) for more details.
Mechanics of Style (Chapter 6)In terms of mechanics, the seventh edition of the APA Publication Manual contains a variety of minor changes from the sixth edition. Two of the most important are the following:
This chapter also contains expanded guidelines that clarify a variety of mechanical issues, like whether certain proper nouns should be capitalized. The guidelines are too extensive to reproduce here, so consult chapter 6 for additional information. Tables and Figures (Chapter 7)Though the formatting for tables and figures has not dramatically changed from the sixth edition, a few relevant changes are as follows:
In-Text Citations (Chapter 8)Changes and updates to in-text citation procedure in the seventh edition include the following:
Reference List (Chapter 9)Reference list entries are handled largely the same in the seventh edition as they are in the sixth edition, barring a few important changes. Most pertain to electronic sources. How do you cite UpToDate in APA 7th edition?In the reference list, format UpToDate articles like periodical articles. Italicize the database name in the reference like a periodical title, but do not italicize the database name if it appears in the text. Use the year of last update in the date element.
How do I cite UpToDate in APA format?UptoDate recommends that you cite the UpToDate topic as a chapter in a book titled UpToDate. There are no page numbers to cite, and the publication year for any topic should be the current year.
How do you cite in APA 7th date with no author?If no author or date is given, use the title in your signal phrase or the first word or two of the title in the parentheses and use the abbreviation "n.d." (for "no date"). Another study of students and research decisions discovered that students succeeded with tutoring ("Tutoring and APA," n.d.).
How do you cite the 7th edition in APA format?Journal article. Author or authors. The surname is followed by first initials.. Year of publication of the article (in round brackets).. Article title.. Journal title (in italics).. Volume of journal (in italics).. Issue of journal (no italics).. Page range of article.. The first line of each citation is left adjusted.. |