APA 7th edition made a critical change that many students still miss

When APA released the 7th edition in 2019, it did something unprecedented: it created two distinct formats for the same citation style. One for students writing course papers. Another for professionals submitting for publication. If you’re using the wrong one, you’re losing marks or facing desk rejections.

This isn’t a minor footnote. The differences affect your title page, running head, author affiliation, abstract requirements, and section headings. And using the professional format when your professor expects the student version — or vice versa — can cost you a full letter grade.

Here’s exactly what differs and how to get it right every time.

Why APA created two separate formats

The APA 7th edition Publication Manual introduced the student vs professional distinction to clarify what had always been a messy gray area. Before 2019, students were expected to follow the same formatting rules as professional researchers — including running heads, author notes, and complex affiliations that made little sense for a class assignment.

The change was practical. Course papers don’t need the same apparatus as journal submissions. By creating two tracks, APA made life simpler for students without watering down the standards for published research.

The rule of thumb: if you’re writing for a class, use the student format. If you’re submitting to a journal, thesis committee, or conference, use the professional format.

Title page: the biggest visible difference

The title page is where APA 7th edition diverges most noticeably between student and professional papers. Everything below is required for both versions but formatted differently.

Student title page requires

• Paper title — bold, centered, 3–4 lines from top
• Author name — first name, middle initial(s), last name
• Institutional affiliation — department and university name
• Course name and number
• Instructor name
• Assignment due date
• Page number — flush right in header

Professional title page requires

• Paper title — bold, centered, 3–4 lines from top
• Author name — first name, middle initial(s), last name
• Author affiliation — department and institution for each author
• Author note — ORCID iDs, changes of affiliation, acknowledgments, contact info
• Running head — max 50 characters, all caps, flush left in header
• Page number — flush right in header

Element	Student Paper	Professional Paper
Running head	Not required	Required (max 50 chars, all caps)
Author affiliation	Department + university	Department + institution per author
Course info	Required (course, instructor, due date)	Not included
Author note	Not required	Required (on separate paragraph block)
Page number	Top right, all pages	Top right, all pages

Running head: required or optional?

This is the most common source of confusion. Before APA 7th edition, every paper needed a running head. The 7th edition changed that for student papers.

For student papers: No running head. The header only contains the page number flush right. That’s it.

For professional papers: A running head is required. It appears flush left in the header, in all caps, with a maximum of 50 characters including spaces and punctuation. On the title page only, it is preceded by the label “Running head:” (though some publishers have moved away from this even for professional papers — check your target journal’s submission guidelines).

Here’s a trap many students fall into: professors who learned APA 6th edition often still expect a running head. If your instructor explicitly asks for one, include it. The APA manual gives guidelines; your professor gives the grade.

Abstract: when you need one

Another major split. Professional papers almost always need an abstract. Student papers usually don’t.

Professional papers require an abstract on page 2. It’s a single paragraph (150–250 words) without indentation, followed by 3–5 keywords indented and italicized on a new line. The abstract section heading is bold and centered at the top of the page.

Student papers only need an abstract if the instructor specifically requires one. Many professors skip it for course papers. Check your assignment rubric.

When in doubt, add it. An abstract never hurts your grade, but a missing abstract on a paper that required one can cost you points.

Level headings: the same for both

One thing that didn’t change: heading levels are identical for student and professional papers. APA 7th edition uses five levels of headings, and the formatting is the same whether you’re a freshman or a tenured professor.

Level	Format
1	Centered, Bold, Title Case
2	Flush Left, Bold, Title Case
3	Flush Left, Bold Italic, Title Case
4	Indented, Bold, Title Case, Ending With a Period.
5	Indented, Bold Italic, Title Case, Ending With a Period.

For a detailed breakdown of APA heading levels with examples, see our guide on how to format APA headings.

Font, margins, and spacing: identical rules

Both student and professional papers share the same core formatting:

• Font: 12-pt Times New Roman, 11-pt Arial, 11-pt Calibri, 11-pt Georgia, or 10-pt Lucida Sans Unicode
• Margins: 1 inch on all sides
• Line spacing: Double-spaced throughout (including title page, references, and block quotes)
• Paragraph indentation: 0.5 inch first-line indent for every paragraph

These basics don’t change regardless of format. If your margins are 0.75 inches or your line spacing is 1.5, that’s wrong for both tracks.

References and citations: no difference

In-text citations, reference list formatting, DOI formatting, and hanging indents are identical for student and professional papers. APA 7th edition unified these rules, so you only need to learn them once.

For a complete walkthrough of the reference list, check our guide on how to format an APA 7th edition reference list.

Tables and figures: the same

Table formatting, figure captions, and appendix rules are identical for both formats. The numbering system (Table 1, Figure 2), placement, and note styles don’t differ between student and professional papers.

See our guides on APA table formatting and figure caption formatting for details.

Checklist: which format should you use?

Answer these three questions to know which APA 7th edition format fits your paper:

• Who is your audience? Instructor and classmates = student paper. Journal editors and peer reviewers = professional paper.
• What does the rubric say? If your syllabus mentions a running head or abstract, default to professional format. If it doesn’t, student format is likely correct.
• What level is your paper? Undergraduate course paper = student format. Graduate thesis, dissertation, or journal submission = professional format.

Still unsure? Ask your instructor. A five-second email can save you an hour of reformatting.

Simplify APA 7th edition formatting with Formatly

Keeping track of two APA formats is exactly the kind of busywork that shouldn’t eat into your research time. Formatly handles both student and professional APA 7th edition formatting automatically — just upload your document, select your format, and download a perfectly formatted paper with tracked changes.

No more second-guessing whether your running head is in the right place or your title page has the right elements. Upload your document and format it in under 30 seconds.