20+ Differences Between APA 6 And APA 7

The American Psychological Association (APA) issued the seventh version of its widely used citation format, the Publication Manual of the APA, in October 2019, superseding the sixth edition, which had been available since 2009.

Since the 6th edition of the APA style citation format has been used for over a decade, the 7th edition includes some noticeable, if not substantial, adjustments. We examine a few major changes made to the APA Publication Manual in its most recent revision.

Comparison Between APA 6 And APA 7

ParameterAPA 6APA 7
FormattingBoth of these works adhere to the structure of the sixth edition, which they both draw from.Both a student format and a professional format have been explained in great depth in the most current edition of the APA handbook, which is the 7th edition. Because of this difference, the laws that regulate business documents and the regulations that govern academic papers are two separate sets of regulations.
FontThe sixth version, which, among other limits on font size, demands the use of only 12-point Times New Roman type throughout.The most recent revision of the APA style guide includes more recommendations for fonts to choose from. In addition, the seventh edition introduces a number of brand-new functions and features.
TitleIn the sixth printing of the book, the title wasn’t even given any special emphasis.The names of each of the seven parts, as well as the seventh edition’s overall title, are all printed in bold font. Students no longer must include a running head in their papers, unless their teachers urge them to do so expressly in their individual assignments.
Heading levelThe heading levels are based on an older form that was used in the sixth edition.The heading levels 3, 4, and 5 have been updated in the 7th edition to make them easier to read; specifically, Level 3 has been moved to the left and put in italics. The headers for Level 4 no longer have any italicization; rather, they are indented to reflect their new format. The headings for Level 5 are highlighted with italics and a tiny indentation.
CitationIf you cite a source for the first time inside the main body of your work, you need to ensure that all of the authors’ names are included in the citation. When there is more than one author, the citation should begin with the first author’s last name, followed by the notation “et al.”Use the abbreviation “et al.” if you need to make a reference to a source in the body of your work that includes three writers or more than that.

Major Differences Between Apa 6 And Apa 7

What Exactly Is APA 6?

“APA style” is a reference to an author-date system that should be used when citing sources for papers or projects. As a basis for your work, make use of the sixth edition of the “Publication Manual” published by the APA (2010).

Always be sure to confirm with your teacher the citation format that the school recognizes. This is a very crucial step. It’s possible that the School has a favored style that’s different from what’s traditionally employed.

APA 6 Key Differences

  • A hard copy of the handbook is available for purchase, in addition to an electronic edition of the APA Style Guide to Electronic References. 
  • Only available as an electronic book on the Kindle platform. 
  • Both student writing and academic writing adhere to the same stylistic conventions.
  • Indentation was used for the third through fifth levels, and sentence case was utilized for those levels.
  • There is no emphasis placed on the various section headers in this document.
  • Please ensure that there are two spaces between each statement.
  • Avoid utilizing bullet points and numbering whenever possible. However, the following is some guidance in the form of bulleted lists.

What Exactly Is APA 7?

These guidelines adhere to the most current edition of the APA’s Publication Manual, a standard reference for the biomedical and social sciences communities. The documentation is their main concern, although the handbook covers everything from acronyms to page layout if you need more help.

When referencing a source in an APA paper, you must provide the name of the author and the publication year. It refers the reader to the bibliography at the conclusion of the text for further reading.

APA 7 Key Differences

  • The American Psychological Association (APA) website provides users with the option to purchase licenses in a number of different forms.
  • Nothing can be accomplished in the absence of a site license. Leave just enough room in the upper right corner for the page number.
  • The assistance provided for academic papers and the assistance provided for professional papers is kept separate. 
  • Contains directions for various papers students will be required to write, such as annotated bibliographies. 
  • There are samples of professional writing accessible, in addition to samples of academic writing.
  • All of the headings are written in the title case and are in bold. There should only ever be a single gap between each pair of phrases.
  • Detailed instructions for creating numbered and bulleted lists. A comprehensive guide on the use of bullet points while creating lists.

Contrast Between APA 6 And APA 7

Author name

  • APA 6- According to the sixth edition of the APA handbook, the whole list of authors should be preceded by commas the first time it is listed, and “et al.” may be used after the first author after that.

    This rule applies to publications that include three to five writers. After the name of the first author, you should use “et al.” for works that have seven or more authors.
  • APA 7- In spite of the fact that there might have been more than one author involved in the process, you are only needed to provide the name of one author in accordance with the guidelines that are stated in the seventh edition of the APA style guide. After you have completed everything, just type “et al.” after the name of the first author on the list.

Addition of several authors

  • APA 6- You are only allowed to provide the last names and initials of a maximum of seven writers in the bibliography, in accordance with the criteria that are defined in APA 6.

    If there are eight or more authors, use an ellipsis with three spaces between it and the sixth author on the list. If there are fewer than eight authors, use a period instead.
  • APA 7- The surnames and initials of up to twenty authors are required to be included in the citations that are written in the APA 7 style.

    If there are 21 or more writers, you should use the ellipsis after the 19th author and before the very last author. It is strongly suggested that the reference list contain the names of no more than twenty distinct writers altogether.

References

  • APA 6- You shouldn’t put more than seven writers’ names on your list, as that is the recommendation.

    If more than six people contributed to a piece of work, just the first six names of the contributors should be published; the last names should not be included. This rule only applies if there are more than six contributors.
  • APA 7- If more than 20 people contributed to a piece of work, just the first 19 names of those people should be included, and there should be an ellipsis following the name of the 19th contributor. If less than 20 people contributed, then every name should be included on the list.

Addition of location

  • APA 6- If you want to make a reference to the sixth edition of the book in a way that is proper, you will need to include the postal address of the book’s publisher in your reference. This is because the sixth edition of the book was only recently published.
  • APA 7- In the 7th edition, it is not required to add the publisher’s location in the reference following the book’s title. This modification was implemented after receiving comments and suggestions from users. It’s conceivable that this is referring to the city, the nation, or the state. All three are possibilities.

Repetition of The Year

  • APA 6- If the first reference in a paragraph is a narrative reference rather than a parenthetical reference, then it is acceptable—but not required—to omit subsequent narrative references in the same paragraph.

    However, if the initial reference in the paragraph is a parenthetical reference, then it is required to include subsequent narrative references.
  • APA 7- It is not necessary to include the publication year in the second narrative citation of any paragraph written in APA 7th.

    Still, the publication year must be provided in all future citations written in that paragraph. You will, however, note that the year of publication is included in every reference enclosed in parentheses you come across.

Running Head

  • APA 6- The full title is shown in the running head of the sixth edition; however, a shortened version of the title is used throughout the remainder of the book. This change was made to accommodate more characters in the running head.

    Because it is intended to stand out from the rest of the content, the shortened form of the title is written fully in capital letters. In this way, attention is drawn to the fact that it is taking place, which is helpful.
  • APA 7- The only pieces of information included in the running head of the book’s seventh edition are the page number and the title of the paper. There is not any other information that is provided. This section does not provide information other than what has been said.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

When exactly are people going to start adopting the APA Manual’s 7th edition?

It is the expectation of the American Psychological Association that the 7th edition will become the standard textbook beginning in the spring of 2020 or shortly afterward.

If you want to find out which APA rules you should be following, the easiest thing to do is ask your supervisor about it or visit the website of the magazine you intend to publish.

Which version of the APA handbook, published in what year, should one consult in order to locate the most up-to-date recommendations?

The American Psychological Association (APA) plans to release the seventh edition of the APA Manual, the most recent edition, in October 2019.

Despite this, the sixth edition, which was released in 2009, is still used in a wide range of academic settings.

Q3. What motivated the creation of the APA’s 6th edition?

The American Psychological Association (APA) style was originally developed for use primarily by psychologists, but in recent years, students and writers in a variety of other areas have begun utilizing this style.

As a result, the sixth edition was produced with the intention of appealing to a wider readership. The revisions were made to the sixth edition in order to accommodate a more diverse readership.

How do you begin a paper using the APA format?

In general, the opening of every document needs to have a thesis statement (for more information on what constitutes a strong or weak thesis, see the handout).

The objective of the introduction is the same as the purpose of any other part of a research paper, which is to quickly introduce and explain the problem that will be investigated in the following paragraphs.

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