U.S. Army

Changes in the 7th Edition 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:

the title of the paper,

the name of each author of the paper,

the affiliation for each author,

an author note (if desired),

a running head (which also appears on the following pages,

a page number (which also appears on the following pages.

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:

the title of the paper,

the name of each author of the paper,

the affiliation for each author (typically the school being attended),

the course number and name for which the paper is being written (use the

format used by the school or institution (e.g., ENGL 106),

the course instructor’s name and title (ask for the instructor’s preferred form

if possible, e.g., some instructors may prefer “Dr.,” “Ms.,” “Mrs.,” “Mr.,” or a

different title),

the assignment’s due date written in the format most common in your

country (e.g., either January 3, 2024, or 3 January 2024 may be

appropriate),

a page number (which also appears on the following pages.

*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.