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APA 7th Edition: What's New in the 7th Edition

This guide will help you simplify the APA citation style, which is primarily used by disciplines in the business, social sciences, health, and education fields. The official guide is published by the American Psychological Association.

What's New APA 7th ed. Introduction

For those familiar with the  6th ed. of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, you may be wondering what's new? This page highlights some of the most commonly used conventions. Content throughout the manual has been significantly expanded and revised from the sixth edition, so be sure to review all tabs in this guide. Of course, always consult the guide, copies of which are available at the Circulation Desk at Warner Memorial Library. Bible and other holy books are treated differently in the new edition, so be sure to check the Citing the Bible tab. 

What's New?

 What's New in the 7th Edition? 

One space after a period at the end of a sentence!


Quotation marks are now used around examples, rather than italics.


New guidelines to distinguish professionals and students using APA style, format, and organization.

  • ​Two samples papers - one for pros, one for students!

  • Running head no longer required for students & simplified for pros.


Addresses inclusivity and bias-free guidelines.

  • Endorses the singular "they."

  • Best practices for socioeconomic status and intersectionality.


In-text citations simplified.

  • Three or more authors shortened to name of first author plus "et al."

  • Examples of paraphrasing provided to show clear attribution without over-citation.


New style references!

  • Up to 20 authors included in a reference entry before names are omitted with an ellipsis.

  • DOIs and URLs are now presented as underlined hyperlinks

    • The label of "DOI" is no longer used 

    • "Retrieved from" is only used when a retrieval date is needed

  • Journal article references always include the issue number.

  • Book references now omit the publisher location. 

APA 7th Edition What's New Video

What's New 7th ed. PDF

A PDF file with chapter by chapter review of what's new with some examples.

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