The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Seventh Edition (APA 7) was released recently, what are the new features in this edition? how does it differ from APA 6?
Dear Muayyad,
I’m curious to find out myself! In the past, updates between sequential versions of the APA Manual have been relatively minor and inconsequential. There are usually some updates to help clarify “gray zones” (i.e. areas of confusion, where presumably the APA received a large number of user inquiries).
Here is a list of the key changes according to APA's press release announcing the release of the 7th edition:
- Full color throughout for the first time.
- The debut of a tabbed, spiral-bound edition, which joins the paperback, hardcover and e-book formats.
- An updated chapter with guidelines for writing without bias that address age, disability, gender, race and ethnicity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, intersectionality and the use of “they” as singular.
- A new chapter about APA’s updated journal article reporting standards.
- New student-specific resources, including a sample paper and guidelines for formatting annotated bibliographies.
- Best practices for ethical writing, including discussions on avoiding plagiarism and updated guidance on navigating the publication process and disseminating research findings.
- 100+ new reference examples, including coverage for websites, social media and classroom resources, plus more than 40 new sample tables and figures.
- The recommendation for only one space after punctuation at the end of a sentence.
As a historical example, check out this link for a list of changes between the 5th and 6th editions: https://library.rgu.ac.uk/c.php?g=664072&p=4702643
I would expect it will take 1-2 years before most major journal publications actually adopt the 7th edition, so we’ll have some time to review and understand in further detail. Best wishes for a smooth and successful publication journey!
Hamed Bazaz | Founder, Managing Director | www.journaledit.com
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