Microsoft Word Update to APA 7th Edition Timeline

Question

Our University (along with all Universities nationwide) has opted to purchase Office 365 for all students, HOWEVER, they are mandating that we use the 7th Edition of APA to format all of our papers. Unfortunately, this edition has been out for a year now and Microsoft has yet to update Word. I rely solely on Microsoft Word because of the "Reference tab" and the ability to easily input all of my sources and then add a reference or cited page at the end of my paper. When can we as students expect to see an update to word to reflect the new edition.

Respectfully,

Amy Elliott

Answer 1

@Elliott, Amy ,

As far as I know, there is no offical Microsoft KB to say when will the 7th Edition of the APA would be updated for Word Citations.

I find a similar feedback "Add APA 7th Edition" on Word Uservoice forum. You may vote up it to support this idea to let Microsoft engineers know which feature are important to you. 

Besides, you may also refer to the similar thread, "apa 7th edition", check whether there is any reply could be helpful as a workaround.

Any issues, please let me know.

---

If an Answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and upvote it.
Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.

Answer 2

There is a solution for this problem in the post APA 7th Edition in MS Word User @MikeSlagle1 has created an XSL file for APA 7th edition.

Answer 3

Adding new formats to the Bibliography & Citations feature in Word appears to be low priority for Microsoft. You can vote for Uservoice suggestions. Short-term, though, your best shot may be to use a third-party product for your references.

Answer 4

Dear Amy Elliott, Your query regarding the integration of the APA 7th edition reference style into Microsoft Word underlines a significant challenge faced by students in adapting to updated academic standards. The APA (American Psychological Association) 7th edition, which was released in October 2019, introduced several changes to citation and formatting guidelines. As you correctly noted, Microsoft Word's reference management system is crucial for students, especially when dealing with stringent formatting guidelines like those of the APA. Microsoft Word's reference feature streamlines the process of citing sources and compiling bibliographies, adhering to various citation styles. However, the time taken to update these styles in Word can vary, often lagging behind the release of new editions of citation formats. This delay can be attributed to the development cycle of software updates, which involves not just incorporating new features but also thorough testing to ensure compatibility and reliability. As of my last update in April 2023, Microsoft had not announced a specific timeline for the inclusion of APA 7th edition in Word. It is advisable to regularly check for updates in your Office 365 suite and visit Microsoft’s official support and update logs for the latest information. In the interim, there are alternative methods to use APA 7th edition for formatting and citation in your documents. One such method is demonstrated in the instructional video "How to add APA 7th reference style to MS Word," available on YouTube. This video provides a step-by-step guide on manually updating or adding the APA 7th edition style into Microsoft Word. It involves downloading the APA 7th edition's XML file and importing it into Word's referencing system. This process can bridge the gap until an official update is released by Microsoft. By utilizing these alternative methods, you can ensure that your academic work adheres to the latest APA standards, despite the current limitations of Microsoft Word's built-in reference feature. Reference: YouTube Video - ("How to add APA 7th reference style to MS Word") This video offers a practical solution by guiding viewers through the process of manually updating Microsoft Word to accommodate the APA 7th edition format. It is a valuable resource for students like yourself, who rely on Word for managing citations and bibliographies according to specific academic standards.

Answer 5

See:

• https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/msoffice/forum/all/when-will-microsoft-word-be-updated-to-include-apa/22e611dc-df15-4ac3-bb21-782e43c8ff56
• https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/msoffice/forum/all/apa-7th-edition-word/0b54cbd8-fd3f-4b30-b94d-26802c1681e7

The file is available, just not from Microsoft.

You may want to find a 3rd party program.