APA 7th Edition Formatting: A Step-by-Step Guide

By Dr. Patricia N., DNP, PhD in Nursing Science. Reviewed by Dr. Robert K.. 2026-01-10.

Get expert help with this chapter | University guides | Dissertation writing services

Key takeaways

• APA 7th Edition simplifies title pages and uses 'et al.' from the first citation for 3+ authors
• Five heading levels provide hierarchical structure, use them in order
• DOIs are now formatted as hyperlinks; publisher locations are no longer needed
• Tables and figures follow unified formatting: number, title, body, note
• Up to 20 authors are listed in references before using ellipsis
• Always check your university's specific requirements, as they may override APA standards

What Changed in APA 7th Edition

The American Psychological Association released the 7th edition of its Publication Manual in October 2019, introducing significant changes that affect how theses and dissertations are formatted. Understanding these changes is essential, as most US universities now require APA 7th Edition for social science, education, business, and nursing programs.

Major changes include: a simplified title page format (no running head required for student papers), the use of singular 'they' as a gender-neutral pronoun, updated guidelines for inclusive language, new citation formats for online sources without page numbers, new rules for in-text citations with three or more authors (et al. from the first citation), and updated formatting for references including DOIs and URLs.

The 7th edition also introduced new guidelines for tables and figures, updated bias-free language guidelines, and simplified formatting requirements for student papers versus professional manuscripts. For dissertation writers, the most impactful changes relate to heading formatting, citation rules, and reference list formatting.

Title Page and Front Matter

APA 7th Edition distinguishes between student papers and professional papers for title page formatting. Most dissertations use the student paper format, which includes: the paper title (bold, centered, title case, placed three or four lines below the top margin), author name(s) below the title, department and university affiliation, course number and name (or dissertation designation), instructor/advisor name, and the assignment due date.

Professional paper title pages include the paper title, author name(s), institutional affiliation, author note, and running head. For dissertations, check with your university, many have their own title page templates that supersede APA guidelines.

Additional front matter for dissertations typically includes: copyright page, approval/signature page, abstract (150-250 words), dedication (optional), acknowledgments, table of contents, list of tables, and list of figures. These elements are usually governed by your university's formatting guide rather than APA style.

Heading Levels and Structure

APA 7th Edition uses five levels of headings. Level 1 is centered, bold, and title case. Level 2 is flush left, bold, and title case. Level 3 is flush left, bold italic, and title case. Level 4 is indented 0.5 inches, bold, title case, ending with a period, with text continuing on the same line. Level 5 is indented 0.5 inches, bold italic, title case, ending with a period, with text continuing on the same line.

For dissertations, chapter titles typically function as Level 1 headings. Major sections within each chapter use Level 2, and subsections use Level 3. Most dissertations rarely need Levels 4 and 5, but they're available for highly detailed methodology or results sections.

Key rules: headings are not numbered unless your university requires it, every level of heading must be used in order (you can't skip from Level 1 to Level 3), and the heading format conveys the hierarchy, no additional formatting like underlining or ALL CAPS is needed.

In-Text Citations

APA 7th Edition simplified in-text citations significantly. The most notable change is that works with three or more authors use 'et al.' from the very first citation (previously, you listed all authors up to five on first mention). This single change saves considerable space in heavily cited dissertations.

Basic formats: for one author, use (Smith, 2024) or Smith (2024); for two authors, use (Smith & Jones, 2024) or Smith and Jones (2024); for three or more authors, use (Smith et al., 2024) or Smith et al. (2024). Note that 'and' is spelled out in narrative citations but '&' is used in parenthetical citations.

For direct quotes, always include the page number: (Smith, 2024, p. 15). For sources without page numbers (many online sources), use paragraph numbers (para. 4), heading names, or section identifiers. Block quotes (40+ words) are indented 0.5 inches, with no quotation marks, and the citation appears after the final period.

Reference List Formatting

The reference list in APA 7th Edition follows specific formatting rules. It starts on a new page with 'References' as a centered, bold Level 1 heading. Entries are double-spaced with a hanging indent (first line flush left, subsequent lines indented 0.5 inches). Entries are alphabetized by the first author's last name.

Key changes in 7th Edition references include: up to 20 authors are listed before using ellipsis (previously 7), DOIs are formatted as hyperlinks (https://doi.org/xxxxx), URLs no longer need 'Retrieved from' unless a retrieval date is required, and the city/state of the publisher is no longer included for books.

Common reference formats for dissertations include: journal articles (Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Year). Title of article. Title of Periodical, volume(issue), pages. https://doi.org/xxxxx), books (Author, A. A. (Year). Title of work: Capital letter also for subtitle. Publisher.), and chapters in edited books. Dissertations frequently also cite government reports, conference presentations, and unpublished manuscripts.

Tables and Figures

APA 7th Edition unified the formatting for tables and figures, making them more consistent. Both now include: a number (bold, e.g., 'Table 1' or 'Figure 1'), a brief title (italic, placed below the number), the body (the table or figure itself), and an optional note providing additional information or explaining abbreviations.

Tables should be simple and clear. Use horizontal lines only at the top and bottom of the table and below the header row, no vertical lines. Column headings should be brief and descriptive. All abbreviations must be defined in a note. Numbers should be formatted consistently (same number of decimal places within a column).

Figures include graphs, charts, photographs, diagrams, and maps. They should be high resolution, clearly labeled, and interpretable without reading the text. Use consistent formatting (fonts, colors, line weights) across all figures. Each figure must be referenced in the text before it appears.