What Changed from APA 6 to APA 7? Everything You Need to Know

The APA Publication Manual 7th edition was released in October 2019, and it changed the APA 7 format rules that students and researchers had followed for a decade. Some changes were minor. Others fundamentally altered how the APA 7 title page works, how the APA 7 running head is used, how APA 7 citations are structured, and how the APA 7 reference page is formatted.

If you learned APA formatting before 2020 — or if you're using older APA 7 templates, outdated APA 7 examples, or advice from professors who haven't updated their materials — you're probably making APA 6 mistakes in an APA 7 student paper format.

Here's everything that changed in APA 7 format.

APA 7 Title Page

APA 6: One title page format for everyone. Running head required with "Running head:" label on the first page.

APA 7: Two separate APA 7 title page formats — the APA 7 student paper format and the professional paper format. Student papers no longer require a running head. Student papers now include course number, instructor name, and assignment due date. The paper title must be bold (not required in APA 6).

This was the single most impactful change for the APA 7 student paper format. The running head was consistently the most error-prone element, and APA 7 simply eliminated the requirement.

APA 7 Running Head

APA 6: Required on all papers. First page included the label "Running head:" followed by the shortened title in ALL CAPS. Subsequent pages had just the title in ALL CAPS.

APA 7: The APA 7 running head is only required on professional papers. The "Running head:" label is completely eliminated — even on professional papers, you just use the shortened title in ALL CAPS. Student papers only need a page number.

Font Options

APA 6: 12-point Times New Roman was the default.

APA 7: Multiple fonts are now explicitly approved. Acceptable options include 12-point Times New Roman, 11-point Calibri, 11-point Arial, 11-point Georgia, and 10-point Lucida Sans Unicode or Computer Modern. Use one font consistently throughout the paper.

APA 7 Headings Format

APA 6: Level 3 headings were indented, bold, and ended with a period (run-in). Level 4 were indented, bold italic, and run-in. Level 5 were indented, italic, and run-in.

APA 7: APA 7 headings at Level 3 are now flush left, bold italic, on their own line (not run-in). Levels 4 and 5 are the run-in headings. This shifted the entire APA 7 headings hierarchy and changed how Levels 3, 4, and 5 look.

APA 7 In-Text Citation: Three or More Authors

APA 6: First citation listed all authors (up to five). Subsequent citations used "et al."

APA 7: Use "et al." from the very first citation when a work has three or more authors. No exceptions. This significantly simplifies multi-author citations and eliminates the need to track first vs. subsequent citations.

APA 7 Reference Page: Number of Authors

APA 6: List up to seven authors on the reference page, then use an ellipsis before the last author.

APA 7: The APA 7 reference page now lists up to 20 authors. For works with 21 or more authors, list the first 19, add an ellipsis (with no ampersand before it), then the final author.

DOI Format

APA 6: DOIs were formatted with a "doi:" or "DOI:" label: doi:10.1037/0000165-000

APA 7: DOIs are presented as full HTTPS links: https://doi.org/10.1037/0000165-000. No label, no prefix, just the URL. No period after the DOI.

"Retrieved from"

APA 6: URLs were preceded by "Retrieved from": Retrieved from https://www.example.com

APA 7: The "Retrieved from" phrase is eliminated. Just include the URL directly. The only exception is for content that changes over time (like a wiki page), where you add "Retrieved [date], from [URL]."

Publisher Location

APA 6: Book references required the publisher location: New York, NY: Publisher Name.

APA 7: Publisher location is no longer required. Just list the publisher name. This applies to all books, reports, and similar sources.

Spacing After Periods

APA 6: Two spaces after a period at the end of a sentence.

APA 7: One space after a period. This aligns APA with modern typographic convention.

Bold "References" Heading

APA 6: The word "References" was centered but not bolded.

APA 7: The word "References" is now bold AND centered.

Inclusive Language

APA 7 significantly expanded its guidance on bias-free and inclusive language:

• Endorses singular "they" for referring to a person whose gender is unknown or who uses they/them pronouns
• Provides detailed guidance on describing racial and ethnic identity
• Encourages person-first language (e.g., "people with disabilities" rather than "disabled people") while acknowledging that some groups prefer identity-first language
• Discourages the use of gendered language when referring to general populations

Tables and Figures

APA 6: Tables and figures had different formatting conventions for titles.

APA 7: Tables and figures now use the same title format: number in bold on its own line (Table 1 or Figure 1), followed by the title in italics on the next line. This standardization makes formatting simpler and more consistent.

APA 7 Website Citation

APA 6: Website citations required "Retrieved from" and access dates in some cases.

APA 7: The APA 7 website citation no longer uses "Retrieved from." No access dates unless content may change. Website page titles are italicized when used in place of an author. The site name is listed as the source unless the site name is the same as the author (to avoid repetition).

Citing Social Media, Podcasts, and Digital Sources

APA 7 added specific reference formats for source types that didn't exist or weren't common when APA 6 was published:

• YouTube videos
• TED Talks
• Podcasts
• Social media posts (tweets, Instagram posts, Facebook posts)
• Online course materials
• Webinars
• Data sets

Why APA 7 Format Matters in 2026

APA 7 format has been the current standard for over six years. There's no acceptable reason to submit a paper in APA 6 format anymore — and yet students do it constantly, because they're learning from outdated APA 7 templates, old APA 7 examples, or advice from professors who haven't updated their materials.

If you're formatting manually — trying to figure out how to format APA 7 in Word for every APA 7 citation, APA 7 title page, APA 7 running head, and APA 7 reference page — you need to know every one of these changes to avoid losing marks.

Or you can let SimpleFormat Pro apply all current APA 7 format rules automatically. Every change listed above is built into the system. No outdated formatting, no APA 6 holdovers, no guesswork.

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