Appendix A. APA 7 versus APA 6
The following provides a brief overview of some of the key changes between APA 6 and APA 7.
Format of Your Paper
| APA 7 | APA 6 | |
| Title page | Heading = bold | Heading = no bold |
| Running head | Same first page = SHORT TITLE
(not required for student papers) |
Different first page = Running head: SHORT TITLE
2nd page forward = SHORT TITLE |
| Title heading |
Level 1 Heading for Title 1st paragraph starts here . . . |
Heading for Title = no bold 1st paragraph starts here . . . |
| Headings |
Level 1 Heading Paragraph starts here . . . Level 2 Heading Paragraph starts here . . . Level 3 Heading Paragraph starts here . . . Level 4 Heading. Paragraph starts here . . . Level 5 Heading. Paragraph starts here . . . |
Level 1 Heading Paragraph starts here . . . Level 2 Heading Paragraph starts here . . . Level 3 heading. Paragraph starts here . . . Level 4 heading. Paragraph starts here . . . Level 5 heading. Paragraph starts here . . . |
| Font | More font options | Times New Roman, 12-point |
| References | Page heading = bold
References |
Page heading = no bold
References |
Citations
| APA 7 | APA 6 | |
| Et al. | First and subsequent citations of 3 or more authors = first author et al. | First citation of 2 to 5 authors = list all authors
Second citation of 2 to 5 authors = first author et al. |
| Order | For two citations with same first author, for first and subsequent use, order by date = (Cook et al., 2017; Cook et al., 2019). | For two citations with same first author, order by subsequent authors = (Cook, George, & Warner, 2019; Cook, Steward, & Warner, 2017). |
Tables and Figures
| APA 7 | APA 6 | |
| Heading | Table X – bold
Figure X – bold, no italics, placed above figure |
Table X – no bold
Figure X – no bold, italics, placed below figure |
| Title | Figure title above figure in upper and lower case, no period
Figure X New Figure Title Style |
Figure title below figure in sentence case with period. |
| Note | Note. Notes below figures now introduced with word “Note.” not figure heading and number. | Notes following figure heading and number, all below figure.
Figure X. Title. Beginning of notes. |
References
| APA 7 | APA 6 | |
| # of authors | List the first 20 authors
For 21 or more, list first 19 . . . + last author |
List the first 7 authors
For 8 or more, list first 6 . . . + last author |
| E-format | Format, platform, or device not longer required | Format, platform, or device listed after title = [PDF version] |
| Issue # | Always required if journal has one | Not required for journals with continuous pagination |
| Publisher | No location for publisher =Sage | Location for publisher = New York, NY: Sage |
| Source preface | Simply list URL or doi | Preface URL or doi with “Retrieved from” |
| Doi | https://doi.org/xxx* | doi: xxxxx |
| Online sources | Source information = Canadian Psychological Association. http://. . . | Source information = Retrieved from Canadian Psychological Association website: http://. . . |
*The APA 7 doi format is already commonly used, based on posted updates by APA. To easily look up a doi number use https://search.crossref.org/help/search.
Grammar
| APA 7 | APA 6 | |
| Pronouns | Use of singular “they” if preferred pronouns unknown | Use of “he or she” when preferred pronouns unknown |
| Spaces | One space after period required. | Two spaces after period in papers for submission to journals. One space for may be permitted for student papers (check with your program). |
