Completing the doctoral degree (or master’s degree) without penning down a plagiarism-free research report is next to impossible. Having taken the ideas from the previous authors, it is a must for a scholar to cite sources to eliminate the risk of plagiarism.
American Psychological Association (APA) is one of the most commonly used formatting styles in academics. This style has evolved over the years and has now introduced its latest edition, i.e., APA 7th edition to the world of academics.
So, what’s new in the 7th edition?
- In-Text Citation
Citing online sources has been made easier in this edition of the formatting style.
- In-text citation for works with 3 or more authors has been shortened to the name of the 1st author followed by et al. This can be excluded if the condition creates ambiguity.
- New guidance on how to format quotation from research subjects are provided. Also, guidance for citing recorded and unrecorded traditional knowledge is provided.
- Bias-Free Language
The 7th edition reduces bias surrounding the topic such as age, gender, race, and ethnic identity.
- “They” and “their” is considered as a gender-neutral pronoun.
- Descriptive phrases are preferred over adjectives (as nouns) to label the individual.
- Instead of broad categories, specific and relevant age range must be used.
- Mechanics of Style
APA 7th edition has introduced changes in capitalization, punctuation, abbreviations, etc.
- One space must be used after a period at the end of a sentence.
- Italics is replaced by quotation marks around the examples. This promotes accessibility.
- An exception for presenting numbers in the abstract section is removed.
- Greater flexibility for bulleted, numbered, and lettered list is provided.
- New guidance regarding including gene and protein names is provided.
- Expanded guidance on job titles, capitalization of proper nouns, names of diseases and disorders is provided.
- Tables & Figures
This edition has introduced a few changes in developing tables and figures.
- Accessible utilization of colours in the figures is addressed.
- Formatting of figures and tables has been made parallel. This includes consistent styles for titles, numbers and notes.
- The tables and figures can be embedded in the text or can be represented after the reference list (on a separate page).
- 40+ new figures and tables are introduced.
- Paper Format
APA 7th edition provides a different paper format to the students and professionals.
- Improved font style flexibility. The options include Arial 11, Calibri 11, Lucida Sans Unicode 10, Georgia 11 and Times New Roman 12.
- The running head is simplified for professionals and is no longer required for students. That is, it includes only the page numbers and shortened page title.
- Heading format for levels such as 3, 4 and 5 are updated to enhance the readability.
- More details are to be included in the author’s note, such as disclosure of conflict of interest, study registration information, and ORCID IDs.
- The affiliation format and byline on the title page must align with the publishing standards.
- New title page is provided to the students, and that of professionals is updated.
- Reference List
A considerable amount of changes are made here.
- The number of authors listed in the reference list has been changed. Up to 20 authors can now be listed for a single work.
- The representation of URLs and digital object identifiers (DOI) has been standardised. The term “DOI” is no longer required and the term “retrieved from” must be used only when the retrieval date is used.
- Both URLs and DOI are presented as hyperlinks.
- Format, platform or device is not included for E-books.
Here’s a quick list of changes between old APA edition and 7th edition
| APA old edition (6th ed) | APA new edition (7th ed) |
| Times New Roman 12 is prefered | Flexible font specification |
| Book reference discloses publisher’s location | Book reference omits publisher’s location |
| Two spaces are to be used after a period at the end of the sentence | Single space is to be used after a period at the end of the sentence |
| Pronoun must reflect the exact number as the noun replaced | Use of singular is endorsed |
| Unregulated guidance on capitalization for proper nouns | Increased guidance on capitalization |
| The first in-text citation includes the names of five authors | The first in-text citation of a work with more than two authors include the name of the first author followed by et al. |
| The running head of the title page differs from subsequent pages. | The running head rules are not required for students and are simplified for professional use. |
| Reference section includes up to 7 authors for a single work | Reference section includes up to 20 authors for a single work |
In the APA 7th edition, the content within the chapters is organised by using numbered sections enabling easy navigation. This edition also supports accessibility, including the ones with disabilities.