| Aspect | Apa 6 | 7 |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A citation and formatting style guide published by the American Psychological Association in 2009. | The revised edition released in October 2019, replacing the 6th edition as the current standard. |
| Purpose | Standardises academic writing in the social sciences, including psychology, education, and nursing. | Simplifies citation rules and improves accessibility to accommodate digital and online sources. |
| Core Mechanism | Uses author-date in-text citations that link to a full alphabetical reference list. | Retains author-date citations but removes the "Retrieved from" phrase for most electronic sources. |
| Author Format | Lists up to seven authors in a reference; uses "et al." for three or more in citations. | Lists up to 20 authors; uses "et al." for three or more authors in all in-text citations. |
| Publisher Location | Requires the city and state or country for book publisher locations in references. | Omits publisher location entirely; only the publisher name is required for books. |
| DOI Format | Presents DOIs as "doi: 10.xxxx/xxxxx" without a hyperlink or https prefix. | Formats DOIs as full URLs, such as "https://doi.org/10.xxxx/xxxxx", making them clickable. |
| URL Handling | Requires "Retrieved from" before URLs for most online sources. | Drops "Retrieved from" unless a retrieval date is genuinely needed for changing content. |
| In-Text Citation | Uses "et al." only after the first citation when a source has three to five authors. | Uses "et al." for every citation from the first mention when a source has three or more authors. |
| Heading Levels | Uses five heading levels with a mix of bold, italics, and paragraph indentation. | Keeps five levels but simplifies formatting with bold and italics only, no indentation. |
| Font Choice | Recommends Times New Roman 12-point as the standard font. | Allows several fonts including Calibri 11, Arial 11, and Georgia 10. |
| Line Spacing | Requires double spacing throughout, including the reference list. | Maintains double spacing but permits single spacing in tables and figures. |
| Running Head | Requires a running head on every page, including the title page, for student papers. | Removes the running head requirement for student papers; only professional papers need it. |
| Title Page | Requires the running head, page number, title, author, and affiliation on the title page. | Student title page needs title, author, affiliation, course, instructor, and due date; no running head. |
| Abstract Format | Requires an abstract page with a heading, keywords, and a maximum word count of 250. | Keeps the 250-word limit but makes the abstract optional for student papers. |
| Reference Order | Alphabetises by surname and then by initials of the first author. | Alphabetises by surname and then by the publication year for same-author works. |
| Work Count | Requires the full reference list to be double-spaced with a hanging indent. | Keeps the hanging indent but allows single spacing within reference entries. |
| Book Citation | Includes publisher location, such as New York, NY: Publisher Name. | Lists only the publisher name without any geographic location. |
| Journal Article | Requires the issue number only if the journal is paginated by issue. | Always includes the issue number if available, regardless of pagination method. |
| Website Citation | Uses "Retrieved from" plus the full URL for all web pages. | Uses just the URL; no retrieval date unless the content is designed to change. |
| Ebook Citation | Requires the format in brackets, such as [Kindle DX version], after the title. | Removes format brackets; cites ebooks the same as print books with a DOI or URL. |
| Social Media | Provides no clear guidelines for citing social media posts or profiles. | Adds explicit rules for citing tweets, Facebook posts, and Instagram photos. |
| Podcast Citation | Offers limited guidance; treats podcasts similarly to audiovisual media. | Provides detailed formats for podcast episodes, including host names and episode numbers. |
| Personal Communication | Requires citation in text only; no reference list entry for interviews or emails. | Maintains the same rule; personal communications appear only as in-text citations. |
| Tables and Figures | Uses separate numbering systems for tables and figures with titles above each. | Keeps separate numbering but adds bold table numbers and italic titles for clarity. |
| Accessibility | Uses colour and underlining sparingly; no specific guidance for screen readers. | Adds accessibility guidance, including contrast ratios and descriptive links. |
| Language Bias | Uses "he or she" and "man" in examples; limited guidance on gender-neutral terms. | Recommends singular "they" and inclusive, bias-free language throughout the text. |
| Learning Curve | Requires memorising location rules, author counts, and retrieval phrases. | Reduces memorisation with fewer rules, making the style easier for new students. |
| Adoption Rate | Widely used from 2009 to 2019 across universities and journals. | Adopted by most institutions and journals within two years of its 2019 release. |
| Typical Users | Students and researchers in psychology, sociology, and business programs. | Same fields plus education, nursing, and communication; also used by professional writers. |
| Best-Fit Scenario | Appropriate only for legacy documents or instructor-mandated older coursework. | Best for all new academic papers, dissertations, and journal submissions after 2020. |
Apa 6 is the sixth edition of the American Psychological Association publication manual, released in 2009. It standardizes academic writing, citations, and references for social sciences. This edition replaced APA 5 and introduced digital object identifiers (DOIs) for electronic sources.
Apa 6 is a style guide defining manuscript structure, in-text citation formats, and reference list rules for scholarly communication. It specifies heading levels, seriation, and bias-free language. The manual provides explicit guidelines for citing books, journals, websites, and multimedia, ensuring consistent source attribution across psychology, education, and related disciplines.
| Characteristic | What It Means in Practice |
|---|---|
| DOI requirement | Digital object identifiers are mandatory for all journal articles when available, replacing traditional URL citations for stable online access. |
| Running head | A shortened title appears on every page, max 50 characters, aligned left in uppercase, with page numbers on the right. |
| Level headings | Five distinct heading levels are defined, using bold, italics, and centered or flush-left placement to indicate hierarchy. |
| Abstract format | A single paragraph, max 250 words, placed on page two, with keywords listed below for indexing and retrieval. |
| Reference hanging indent | Each reference entry uses a 0.5-inch hanging indent, with the first line flush left and subsequent lines indented. |
| Author-date citation | In-text citations include the author's surname and publication year, separated by a comma, within parentheses. |
| No retrieval dates | Retrieval dates are omitted for stable content, but required only for sources designed to change, like wikis. |
| Electronic source format | URLs are presented without angle brackets, and DOIs are formatted as "doi:" followed by the alphanumeric string. |
| Bias-free language | Guidelines mandate gender-neutral terms, person-first language for disabilities, and avoidance of racial or ethnic stereotypes. |
| Figure and table rules | Tables use horizontal lines only, while figures require numbered captions, titles, and notes for reproduction permission. |
| Advantages | Limitations |
|---|---|
| Provides clear DOI rules for stable electronic source identification, reducing broken link issues in citations. | Requires a separate reference entry for each format of the same work, creating redundancy in bibliographies. |
| Offers explicit heading level specifications, improving document organization and reader navigation in long manuscripts. | Mandates a running head on every page, which wastes space and adds complexity for student papers not intended for publication. |
| Establishes bias-free language guidelines, promoting inclusive writing and reducing discriminatory terminology in academic work. | Lacks specific rules for citing social media posts, podcasts, or software, leaving authors to improvise for modern sources. |
| Standardizes in-text author-date citations, making it easy for readers to locate full references in the alphabetical list. | Requires hanging indents in references, which is cumbersome to format manually in word processors without style tools. |
| Provides detailed figures and tables formatting rules, ensuring visual consistency across journals and dissertations. | Omits guidance on citing data sets, preprints, or interactive maps, which are common in contemporary research workflows. |
| Includes specific examples for government reports and technical documents, useful for policy and public health writing. | Mandates italics for book and journal titles in references, which is easily forgotten and leads to frequent citation errors. |
| Requires page numbers for direct quotes, facilitating accurate verification of quoted material in published sources. | Does not address citation of generative AI outputs or machine-readable content, creating ambiguity for emerging technologies. |
| Offers a dedicated section on reducing bias in language, covering age, disability, and sexual orientation with practical examples. | Forces authors to include the publisher location for books, which is irrelevant for most modern digital publications. |
| Provides clear rules for citing multiple works by the same author in one year, using letter suffixes (2023a, 2023b). | Requires a separate reference for each edition of a book, even when content changes are minor, inflating reference lists. |
| Includes guidance on citing classical works with original publication dates, preserving historical accuracy in citations. | Mandates a 250-word abstract limit, which is restrictive for complex studies requiring detailed methodological summaries. |
7 is a single-digit integer that follows 6 and precedes 8 in the natural number sequence. It functions as a counting unit, a mathematical constant in arithmetic operations, and a cultural symbol. It exists to quantify, order and identify items across everyday life and science.
7 is the natural number greater than 6 and less than 8, defined as the sum of 3 and 4 or the difference between 10 and 3. In mathematics, it is a prime number divisible only by 1 and itself. It is also the base of the septenary numeral system.
| Characteristic | What It Means in Practice |
|---|---|
| Prime number | It cannot be divided evenly by any number other than 1 and 7, making it indivisible in basic arithmetic. |
| Odd integer | It is not divisible by 2, so it always leaves a remainder of 1 when halved. |
| Single digit | It occupies one place value column, making it simple to write, read and compute with. |
| Lucky symbol | It is widely regarded as auspicious in gambling, folklore and daily decision-making. |
| Week unit | It defines the seven-day cycle used globally for calendars, schedules and work routines. |
| Musical note | It represents the seventh degree of a diatonic scale, creating tension that resolves to the tonic. |
| Sacred number | It appears repeatedly in religious texts, including creation stories and lists of virtues. |
| Die roll | It is the highest possible outcome on a standard single six-sided die, though not directly rollable. |
| Atomic count | It denotes the number of protons in nitrogen, defining its identity on the periodic table. |
| Cardinal value | It answers "how many" questions, such as counting objects, people or days in a set. |
| Advantages | Limitations |
|---|---|
| It is a prime number, so it simplifies fraction reduction and modular arithmetic in calculations. | It is indivisible by 2, 3 or 5, making it awkward for splitting quantities evenly into common groups. |
| It is a single digit, so it is easy for children to learn, write and recognise early in education. | It is small in magnitude, so it cannot represent large counts without additional digits or place values. |
| It is culturally lucky in many societies, boosting its use in games, contests and random selections. | Its lucky reputation is superstition-based, offering no measurable advantage in real-world probability. |
| It divides the year into 52 full weeks, aligning calendars with a consistent seven-day rhythm. | A seven-day week does not divide evenly into months or years, causing calendar drift and leap-year adjustments. |
| It is a prime factor in music theory, defining the seventh chord that adds harmonic colour and tension. | The seventh note can sound dissonant to untrained ears, requiring resolution to feel complete. |
| It is the atomic number of nitrogen, a critical element for proteins and DNA in all living organisms. | Nitrogen gas is inert, so it cannot be used directly by plants without energy-intensive fixation processes. |
| It is a memorable number, aiding recall in phone numbers, addresses and identification codes. | Its memorability makes it predictable, reducing its effectiveness as a secure PIN or password. |
| It is a common die total in games like craps, where rolling a 7 has specific win or lose outcomes. | In craps, a 7 on the first roll is an immediate loss for pass-line bettors, frustrating many players. |
| It is a small integer, so multiplication tables up to 7 are quick to memorise and apply mentally. | Multiplying by 7 produces results like 49 and 63 that are harder to recall than even-number multiples. |
| It is a fixed reference point in storytelling, giving structure to lists like wonders, sins and virtues. | Its fixed cultural lists are arbitrary, excluding equally valid items that do not fit the traditional count. |
| Shared Aspect | How Apa 6 and 7 Are Alike |
|---|---|
| Core Purpose | Apa 6 and Apa 7 both standardize academic writing to ensure clarity, precision, and consistent citation across scholarly disciplines. |
| Author-Date System | Apa 6 and Apa 7 both use the same in-text author-date citation format, placing the author's last name and publication year in parentheses. |
| Reference List Structure | Apa 6 and Apa 7 both require a double-spaced, alphabetized reference list with hanging indents for all cited sources. |
| Journal Article Format | Apa 6 and Apa 7 both list journal articles with author, year, article title, journal name in italics, volume, issue, and page range. |
| Book Citation Core | Apa 6 and Apa 7 both cite books using author, year, title in italics, edition, and publisher name in the reference entry. |
| Direct Quote Rules | Apa 6 and Apa 7 both require page numbers for direct quotes, using "p." for a single page and "pp." for multiple pages. |
| Paraphrase Citation | Apa 6 and Apa 7 both mandate an in-text citation for paraphrased ideas, though page numbers remain optional in both versions. |
| Heading Levels | Apa 6 and Apa 7 both use five levels of headings with distinct formatting, though the visual style of levels 3-5 differs slightly. |
| Title Page Elements | Apa 6 and Apa 7 both require a title page with the paper title, author name, and institutional affiliation for student papers. |
| Running Head Use | Apa 6 and Apa 7 both include a running head on every page, though Apa 7 omits it for student papers while Apa 6 always requires it. |
| Seriation Lists | Apa 6 and Apa 7 both allow numbered or bulleted lists within paragraphs to present items in a series clearly. |
| Statistical Reporting | Apa 6 and Apa 7 both require italics for statistical symbols like M, SD, t, F, and p when reporting results. |
| Ethical Citation | Apa 6 and Apa 7 both emphasize giving credit to original sources to avoid plagiarism and uphold academic integrity standards. |
| DOI Requirement | Apa 6 and Apa 7 both mandate including a Digital Object Identifier (DOI) for all sources that have one assigned. |
| URL Formatting | Apa 6 and Apa 7 both require live, clickable URLs for online sources, with no period after the link in the reference entry. |
| Multiple Authors Rule | Apa 6 and Apa 7 both use "et al." for in-text citations when a work has three or more authors, starting from the first citation. |
| Secondary Source Citation | Apa 6 and Apa 7 both instruct citing a secondary source by naming the original work and adding "as cited in" for the source you read. |
| Personal Communication | Apa 6 and Apa 7 both treat personal communications like emails or interviews as non-recoverable, citing them in text only without a reference entry. |
| Table Formatting | Apa 6 and Apa 7 both use the same table structure with a number, title in italics, column headings, and horizontal lines only. |
| Figure Presentation | Apa 6 and Apa 7 both require figure numbers, titles, and notes below the visual, with the figure itself embedded in the text. |
| Appendix Guidelines | Apa 6 and Apa 7 both allow appendices for supplementary material, labeling each with a letter and a descriptive title. |
| Abbreviation Introduction | Apa 6 and Apa 7 both require defining an abbreviation at first use, then using the shortened form consistently throughout the paper. |
| Number Presentation | Apa 6 and Apa 7 both use numerals for values 10 and above, and words for numbers below 10 in most narrative contexts. |
| Decimal Usage | Apa 6 and Apa 7 both recommend reporting decimals to two decimal places for most statistics, such as 0.34 or 1.20. |
| Bias-Free Language | Apa 6 and Apa 7 both promote inclusive, non-discriminatory language regarding age, disability, gender, race, and sexual orientation. |
| Active Voice Preference | Apa 6 and Apa 7 both encourage using active voice over passive voice for clarity and directness in academic prose. |
| Past Tense for Results | Apa 6 and Apa 7 both require past tense when describing completed research actions and findings in the results section. |
| Reference Retrieval Goal | Apa 6 and Apa 7 both aim to provide enough information for readers to locate every cited source easily and reliably. |
| Professional Paper Standards | Apa 6 and Apa 7 both apply the same strict formatting rules to professional manuscripts submitted for journal publication. |
| Long-Term Consistency | Apa 6 and Apa 7 both serve as enduring style guides, ensuring uniform citation practice across years and institutions. |
Choose APA 7 for all new academic work, as it is the current standard required by most universities and journals. The decisive factor is your institution's submission deadline. If your program mandates APA 6 for previously submitted theses or specific legacy courses, follow that rule.
Choose Apa 6 when your university explicitly requires it for archival submissions or when you are revising a previously accepted dissertation that was formatted under the older rules. APA 6 is also relevant for reprinting older journal articles that have not been updated to the new style.
Choose 7 when you are starting a new paper, thesis, or publication, as it is the active standard for psychology and related fields. APA 7 simplifies citations with fewer publisher locations, uses a single “&” in references, and includes up to 20 authors. Most current journals and modern degree programs mandate this version.
| Common Myth | The Reality |
|---|---|
| "APA 6 and APA 7 are basically the same format." | APA 7 changed in-text citations, headings, tables, and reference formats, so they are not interchangeable. |
| "APA 7 requires a running head on every student paper." | APA 7 removed the running head for student papers; only professional papers require it. |
| "In APA 7, you still write 'Retrieved from' before every URL." | APA 7 drops "Retrieved from" unless a retrieval date is needed for changing content. |
| "APA 6 and APA 7 both use the same DOI format." | APA 7 uses the full https://doi.org/ prefix, while APA 6 often used "DOI:" without a link. |
| "APA 7 still uses 'Available from' for database sources." | APA 7 omits database names and URLs for most works retrieved from academic databases. |
| "APA 6 and APA 7 italicize the same elements in a reference." | APA 7 italicizes journal titles and volume numbers, but not issue numbers; APA 6 italicized differently. |
| "APA 7 requires the publisher location in book references." | APA 7 removed publisher location; APA 6 required city and state for print books. |
| "APA 6 and APA 7 format the author name the same way." | APA 7 lists up to 20 authors, while APA 6 only listed up to 7 before using ellipses. |
| "APA 7 still uses 'In' before the editor name in edited books." | APA 7 uses "(Ed.)" or "(Eds.)" after the editor name, not "In" before it. |
| "APA 6 and APA 7 both use the same heading levels." | APA 7 changed heading formatting: all levels are bold, and level 3 uses italics differently. |
| "APA 7 still requires the word 'Abstract' on the same page as the title." | APA 7 places the abstract on a separate page after the title page, not on the same page. |
| "APA 6 and APA 7 use identical punctuation for in-text citations." | APA 7 requires a comma between author and year, and for three or more authors, uses "et al." from first citation. |
| "APA 7 still uses 'p.' or 'pp.' for all page numbers in citations." | APA 7 uses page numbers only for direct quotes; paraphrases do not require them unless helpful. |
| "APA 6 and APA 7 format the title page the same way." | APA 7 student title page includes course, instructor, and affiliation; APA 6 did not require these. |
| "APA 7 still uses 'Retrieved from' for all online sources." | APA 7 omits "Retrieved from" for static sources; only use retrieval dates for dynamic content. |
| "APA 6 and APA 7 both italicize the volume number in journal references." | APA 7 italicizes the volume number but not the issue number; APA 6 italicized both. |
| "APA 7 requires a period after the DOI in a reference." | APA 7 does not add a period after the DOI or URL in the reference list. |
| "APA 6 and APA 7 use the same format for citing a website." | APA 7 includes the site name and URL, but APA 6 required "Retrieved from" and sometimes a date. |
| "APA 7 still uses 'Available from' for ERIC documents." | APA 7 uses the publisher or database name, not "Available from," for ERIC and similar sources. |
| "APA 6 and APA 7 both use the same format for a missing author." | APA 7 moves the title to the author position, while APA 6 used "Anonymous" or the title in brackets. |
| "APA 7 still requires the issue number for all journals." | APA 7 only includes the issue number if the journal is paginated by issue, not continuously. |
| "APA 6 and APA 7 format the reference list heading the same way." | APA 7 uses bold "References" centered, while APA 6 used plain text or bold depending on edition. |
| "APA 7 still uses 'In' for chapters in edited books." | APA 7 uses "(Ed.)." or "(Eds.)." after the editor name, not "In" before the book title. |
| "APA 6 and APA 7 both use the same format for a personal communication." | APA 7 requires initials and surname, plus "personal communication" and a date; APA 6 also did but with different punctuation. |
| "APA 7 still uses 'Available from' for dissertations." | APA 7 uses the database name and accession number, not "Available from," for dissertations. |
| "APA 6 and APA 7 use the same format for a report with a group author." | APA 7 spells out the group author in full, and for a parent agency, lists the specific department first. |
| "APA 7 still requires a period after the URL in a reference." | APA 7 removes the trailing period after URLs and DOIs to avoid breaking the link. |
| "APA 6 and APA 7 both use the same format for a source with no date." | APA 7 uses "(n.d.)" consistently, while APA 6 sometimes used "(n.d.)" but with different placement for some sources. |
| "APA 7 still uses 'Retrieved from' for a database with a URL." | APA 7 omits the database URL for most library databases; only include if the source is not widely available. |
| "APA 6 and APA 7 format the copyright year the same way." | APA 7 uses the copyright year on the title page, but APA 6 did not specify a copyright year for student papers. |
Difference Between Apa 6 and 7 comes down to citation formatting and author inclusivity. APA 7 requires up to 20 authors listed, while APA 6 lists only six. Choose APA 7 for current academic standards. Choose APA 6 only when your institution or publisher explicitly mandates the older edition.
## FAQ ### What is the main difference between APA 6 and APA 7 citation style? The primary difference is that APA 7 includes the publisher location only for books with multiple locations, while APA 6 required the city and state for all print books. ### How do APA 6 and APA 7 differ in formatting the author name in references? APA 7 lists up to 20 authors in a reference entry, whereas APA 6 lists only the first six authors followed by ellipses and the final author's name. ### Which citation style is better for online sources, APA 6 or APA 7? APA 7 is better for online sources because it requires the website name and URL format without "Retrieved from," making digital citations cleaner and more consistent. ### Does the cost of using APA 6 versus APA 7 differ for students? No, the cost is identical because both styles are free to access through official APA guides, though APA 7 manuals may cost slightly more if purchased new. ### Are there any risks of mixing APA 6 and APA 7 rules in one paper? Yes, mixing APA 6 and APA 7 rules risks inconsistent citations, which can lower your grade or lead to plagiarism accusations from your instructor. ### Is APA 7 compatible with all academic journals that previously used APA 6? Yes, APA 7 is compatible with most academic journals, but you must check each journal's author guidelines because some still require APA 6 for submitted manuscripts. ### What is the most common beginner mistake when switching from APA 6 to APA 7? The most common mistake is using "Retrieved from" before URLs in APA 7, a practice that was mandatory in APA 6 but is now removed from most reference entries. ### Can I use APA 6 and APA 7 interchangeably in the same reference list? No, you cannot use APA 6 and APA 7 interchangeably in one reference list because the styles have different formatting rules for DOIs, URLs, and publisher locations. ### How does APA 7 handle in-text citations for sources with three or more authors compared to APA 6? APA 7 requires you to cite only the first author's surname followed by "et al." for all sources with three or more authors, whereas APA 6 spelled out all names for the first citation. ### Can I switch from APA 6 to APA 7 mid-semester without redoing my entire paper? Yes, you can switch mid-semester, but you must revise all in-text citations and reference entries, including DOIs, URLs, and author lists, to meet APA 7 rules.