Letter From the Editor Blog:

Letter From the Editor Blog

Letter From the Editor: APA 7

In October 2019, the American Psychological Association published the seventh edition of their publication manual. Walden University spent the better part of the next 9 months studying the manual and updating the instruction students and faculty receive from the Writing Center from the sixth edition to the seventh. In January 2021, the transition was complete with all capstone manuscripts now conforming to APA 7.

While the manual was written primarily with journal publication in mind, we also follow APA style in capstone manuscripts. Just as different academic journals will have different style and formatting guidelines, Walden has its own style preferences. Sometimes those preferences will be different than what is listed in the manual. We do this because the contents of a capstone manuscript, the purpose of the manuscript, and the audience are all different than those for an article written for a journal.

Fortunately, there are not many Walden University variances. Below is a list of those variances as identified and affirmed by the Walden University APA Editorial Board and the Form and Style Editors.

• Walden has an extended left margin that is meant to accommodate printed and bound editions of a student’s capstone study. ProQuest continues to offer a print version when a student is published in the database. The top and bottom margins are set to accommodate preliminary and primary pagination.
  Margins for preliminary pages
  Abstract. Title pages, dedication, acknowledgments, and Table of Contents (TOC), including Lists of Tables and Figures
  • Top = 1 inch
  • Bottom = 1.3 inch
  • Left = 1.5 inch
  • Right = 1 inch
  Margins for main body of text
  Page 1 to end of references and appendices
  • Top = 1.3 inch
  • Bottom = 1 inch
  • Left = 1.5 inch
  • Right = 1 inch
• Use 12 pt. Times New Roman font. While APA 7 allows for the use of multiple fonts as long as the font is accessible to all users, for the sake of consistency and readability, Walden has a preference of Times New Roman.
• The title is in plain text, rather than bold. APA 7 uses bold font for titles. Walden capstone titles are in plain text. This variation allows for a capstone title page that is consistent in presentation.
• No first person in the abstract. Use the passive voice when referring to the actions of the author. Although keywords are listed at the end of the sample abstract in the APA manual, Walden abstracts do not include keywords.
• In addition to the APA headings, use a Walden-specific Level 0 heading for the abstract, Table of Contents, List of Tables, List of Figures, chapter/section titles, reference list, and appendices. With the exception of the abstract and Table of Contents headings, Level 0 headings will appear in the Table of Contents. Ultimately, this allows students to use fewer heading levels in the capstone manuscript. For example, if the chapter title was an Level 1 heading, the first heading in the chapter would be an L2. All subsections would then be an L3 and not present in the Table of Contents.

If you have questions about APA 7 style, writing your capstone manuscript, or Walden University publication style, send an email to editor@mail.waldenu.edu. A Form and Style Editor will be happy to reply.

• Form and Style Review Checklist (APA 7, changes from APA 6 highlighted) 

  This version of the checklist highlights changes in APA 7 for students who are revising manuscripts from APA 6 guidelines to APA 7 guidelines.