APA 7th Edition: Every Change You Need to Know (Updated 2026)

If you learned APA formatting in college before 2020, your mental rulebook has expired. The APA format 7th edition — published by the American Psychological Association in October 2019 and effective from 2020 — introduced 12 substantive changes that affect how you format papers, cite sources, list references, and even choose your words. Whether you are converting an old draft or starting fresh, this guide walks you through every change with concrete before-and-after examples.

What Changed in APA 7th Edition: Summary of 12 Key Changes

The 7th edition is the most comprehensive revision since the APA manual was first published in 1929. Here are all twelve substantive changes at a glance, before we examine each one in depth.

1. Et al. rule — applies from 3 authors (not 6) in in-text citations, from the very first citation
2. Publisher location removed — city and country/state are no longer included in book references
3. DOI format standardised — presented as a hyperlink (https://doi.org/xxxxx), no “DOI:” label
4. Running head simplified — removed entirely for student papers; required only on professional papers
5. Author limit raised to 20 — list up to 20 authors before using an ellipsis; was 7 in the 6th edition
6. Two title page formats — separate student and professional paper templates with different required fields
7. Font flexibility — five acceptable fonts; Times New Roman 12pt is no longer the only option
8. Heading levels 3–5 reformatted — all five levels now use title case; levels 3–5 no longer indented as in 6th edition
9. Inclusive language guidelines expanded — singular “they” endorsed; extensive person-first and identity-affirming language guidance
10. Tables and figures unified — both now follow the same structure: number above, title below number, notes below body
11. Figures now require titles — previously only tables required titles; figures now match table formatting exactly
12. References label bolded — the word “References” at the top of the reference list is now bold and centred

Each of these changes is explained with a before/after example in the sections below. For a complete introduction to the full system, see our APA citation format guide.

Et Al. Rule Changes

This is the change that catches most students off guard. In APA 6th edition, you wrote out all author names up to five authors in the first in-text citation, and only switched to “et al.” from the second citation onward. For six or more authors, “et al.” applied from the first citation. The 7th edition collapsed this into a single, simpler rule.

The New Rule

Three or more authors: use “et al.” from the very first in-text citation — no exceptions (unless doing so creates ambiguity with another citation).

Before and After Examples

Ambiguity Exception

If two cited works have the same first author and the same year, and both would shorten to the same “Author et al. (Year)” form, you must include enough additional names to distinguish them. For example:

• Smith, Jones, Brown, and Davis (2019) → Smith, Jones, et al. (2019)
• Smith, Jones, Wilson, and Lee (2019) → Smith, Jones, et al. (2019) — still ambiguous, so extend further

In practice, add as many names as needed until the two citations are distinguishable, then append “et al.”

Publisher Location Removed

APA 6th edition required you to include the city and country (or US state abbreviation) before the publisher name in book references. APA 7th edition removes this entirely — a welcome simplification that also reflects the increasingly global and digital nature of academic publishing.

Before and After

The rule applies to all book types: monographs, edited volumes, textbooks, and translated works. For chapters in edited books, remove the location from the publisher information in the same way.

DOI Format Standardised

In APA 6th edition, a DOI was formatted with the label “doi:” followed by the identifier string (e.g., doi:10.1037/0000165-000). In some style guides the full URL form was used; in others, just the string. This inconsistency is resolved in the 7th edition.

The New Rule

• Always present DOIs as full hyperlinks: https://doi.org/10.xxxx/xxxxx
• Remove the “doi:” or “DOI:” label entirely
• Remove “Retrieved from” before URLs unless a retrieval date is also needed
• If a source has both a DOI and a URL, use only the DOI

For sources without a DOI, include the URL of the journal homepage or database landing page — not the direct PDF link. The “Retrieved from” phrase is dropped unless the source content changes over time (e.g., a wiki or a report that is regularly updated), in which case a retrieval date is added.

Running Head Simplified

The running head was one of the most confusing requirements in APA 6th edition. It required a shortened version of the paper title (all caps, max 50 characters) to appear in the header of every page, preceded by the label “Running head:” on the title page only. The 7th edition cuts this requirement significantly.

The New Rule

• Student papers: no running head at all — remove it entirely
• Professional papers (submitted for publication): include a running head on every page, but drop the “Running head:” label — just the title in caps, left-aligned, up to 50 characters

When writing your thesis abstract and title page, check with your institution first — some universities impose their own running head requirements that override APA defaults.

Author Limits Expanded to 20

APA 6th edition allowed a maximum of seven author names in a reference list entry. If a source had eight or more authors, you listed the first six, inserted an ellipsis (…), and then added the final author. The 7th edition raises this threshold to 20.

The New Rule

• Up to 20 authors: list all names in full
• 21 or more authors: list the first 19, insert an ellipsis (…), then list the final author’s name

This change is particularly relevant in STEM fields where papers routinely list dozens of co-authors. The 21st author (and beyond) is represented by the final listed name after the ellipsis, ensuring the last author’s contribution is always credited.

Two Title Page Formats

APA 6th edition had one title page format. The 7th edition introduces two distinct templates: one for student papers and one for professional manuscripts being submitted for publication.

Student Paper Title Page (Required Fields)

• Paper title (bold, centred, 3–4 lines down from the top)
• Author name(s)
• Department and institution affiliation
• Course number and name
• Instructor name
• Assignment due date
• Page number (top right)

No running head. No author note.

Professional Paper Title Page (Required Fields)

• Paper title (bold, centred)
• Author name(s)
• Institutional affiliation(s)
• Author note (ORCID iDs, acknowledgements, contact information)
• Running head (shortened title, all caps, max 50 characters) — left-aligned in header
• Page number (top right)

For most students writing a thesis or coursework paper, the student template applies. The professional template is used when submitting to a journal. Your dissertation methodology chapter and other sections follow the same formatting rules as the rest of the student paper.

Font Flexibility

APA 6th edition effectively mandated Times New Roman 12pt. The 7th edition accepts five fonts, acknowledging that accessibility and readability vary by display medium.

Acceptable Fonts in APA 7th Edition

One important rule: whichever font you choose, use it consistently throughout the entire paper — body text, headings, references, figure captions, and all. Do not mix fonts. When in doubt, check your institution’s submission guidelines; many still specify Times New Roman 12pt explicitly.

Inclusive Language Guidelines

The 7th edition devotes an entire chapter to bias-free and inclusive language — a significant expansion of the brief guidance in the 6th edition. These are not optional style preferences; they are part of APA standards.

Singular “They”

APA 7th edition officially endorses singular “they” as a gender-neutral third-person pronoun for individuals whose gender is unknown, irrelevant, or who use “they/them” pronouns.

Person-First Language

Put the person before the condition or characteristic. Avoid using adjectives as nouns to describe groups of people.

Age, Race, and Disability Language

• Age: Use specific age ranges rather than vague terms. Prefer “adults aged 65–80” over “the elderly.” Avoid “senior citizens” in formal academic writing.
• Race and ethnicity: Capitalise racial and ethnic group names (Black, White, Indigenous, Latino). Avoid “minority” as a standalone noun; use “racially marginalised groups” or the specific group name.
• Disability: Follow the preference of the community being described. Many disability communities prefer identity-first language (“autistic person”) while others prefer person-first (“person with autism”). When uncertain, use person-first as the default.

For research that directly measures or examines population characteristics relating to research methodology, these language choices should also be reflected in your methods section when describing participants.

Tables and Figures Unified Format

APA 6th edition had separate formatting conventions for tables (which required titles) and figures (which used captions placed below the image). The 7th edition unifies these: both tables and figures now follow the same four-part structure.

The Unified Structure

1. Number — bold, above the element (e.g., Table 1 or Figure 1), left-aligned
2. Title — one double-spaced line below the number; italic title case; brief and descriptive
3. Body — the table data or figure image itself
4. Note — begins with the word Note. in italics, followed by a period; contains general notes, specific notes, and probability notes

You may now also embed tables and figures within the body text, near the first mention of them — rather than placing them all at the end of the paper. This is the preferred format for student papers; end-of-paper placement remains acceptable for professional manuscripts submitted to journals.

How to Update an APA 6th Paper to 7th Edition

If you have an existing paper written in APA 6th edition, here is a systematic checklist for converting it to the 7th edition. Work through these in order to avoid missing anything.

Title Page

• Remove the running head from the header (student paper) or remove the “Running head:” label (professional paper)
• Add course name, course number, instructor name, and due date (student paper)
• Bold the paper title

In-Text Citations

• Find every citation with 3 or more authors and shorten to “First Author et al.” from the first occurrence
• Check for ambiguous et al. citations and extend as needed

Reference List

• Bold the “References” heading
• Remove publisher locations from all book entries
• Convert all DOIs to full hyperlink format: https://doi.org/xxxxx — remove “doi:” label
• Remove “Retrieved from” before URLs (unless a retrieval date is needed)
• Expand author lists: entries with 8–20 authors should now list all names
• For entries with 21+ authors: keep 19, add ellipsis, add final author

Headings

• Convert heading levels 3, 4, and 5 to the new format (title case, different indentation rules)
• Ensure all five heading levels use title case

Tables and Figures

• Move figure captions from below the image to above (as titles), following the figure number
• Reformat figure labels to bold (e.g., Figure 1)
• Convert any “Figure X.” labels to “Figure X” (no period after the number)
• Reformat notes to start with italicised Note.

Language

• Replace “he or she” / “his or her” with “they” / “their” where gender is unknown
• Review group descriptors: convert adjectival group labels to person-first noun phrases

Font

• If you used Times New Roman 12pt, no change needed — it remains acceptable
• If switching fonts, change consistently throughout the entire document

Side-by-Side Formatting Comparison: APA 6th vs 7th Edition

Use this reference table to check any formatting rule at a glance.

Frequently Asked Questions