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APA 7 to APA 6 converter

Paste APA 7 references, get APA 6. Free, no sign-up.

Paste references written in APA 7 and get them back in APA 6, ready to copy into Word or Google Docs. The two styles are very similar, so most references change only in punctuation and small details. CiteSwap looks each reference up in the open Crossref catalogue, so authors, years and page numbers come from the publisher’s record rather than being rewritten by hand.

APA 7 vs APA 6: the same sources side by side

Each example below was formatted by CiteSwap’s engine, exactly as the converter outputs it.

Journal article

APA 7

Suri, T., & Jack, W. (2016). The long-run poverty and gender impacts of mobile money. Science, 354(6317), 1288–1292. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aah5309

In-text: (Suri & Jack, 2016, p. 1290)

APA 6

Suri, T., & Jack, W. (2016). The long-run poverty and gender impacts of mobile money. Science, 354(6317), 1288–1292. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aah5309

In-text: (Suri & Jack, 2016, p. 1290)

Book

APA 7

Achebe, C. (1958). Things fall apart. Heinemann.

In-text: (Achebe, 1958, p. 1290)

APA 6

Achebe, C. (1958). Things fall apart. London: Heinemann.

In-text: (Achebe, 1958, p. 1290)

Web page

APA 7

World Health Organization. (2023, December 4). Malaria. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/malaria

In-text: (World Health Organization, 2023, p. 1290)

APA 6

World Health Organization. (2023, December 4). Malaria. Retrieved October 1, 2026, from https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/malaria

In-text: (World Health Organization, 2023, p. 1290)

Key differences between APA 7 and APA 6

3 of 12 rules differ; they are listed first.

RuleAPA 7APA 6
In-text citationsauthor and year in parentheses, e.g. (Suri & Jack, 2016), with a page number for quotationsauthor and year in parentheses, e.g. (Suri & Jack, 2016); three to five authors are all named the first time, then shortened to “et al.”
Many authorsList up to 20 authors; for 21 or more, give the first 19, an ellipsis, then the last authorList up to seven authors; for eight or more, give the first six, an ellipsis, then the last author
DOIs and linksDOI as a link: https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aah5309DOI at the end; web pages use “Retrieved from” before the URL, and books give the city of publication (London: Heinemann)
Reference list heading(same)ReferencesReferences
List order(same)Alphabetical by first author’s surnameAlphabetical by first author’s surname
Author names(same)Surname and initials for every author, e.g. Suri, T., & Jack, W.Surname and initials for every author, e.g. Suri, T., & Jack, W.
Date(same)Straight after the authors, in parentheses: (2016).Straight after the authors, in parentheses: (2016).
Title capitalisation(same)Sentence caseSentence case
Article titles(same)Plain text, no quotation marks, sentence casePlain text, no quotation marks, sentence case
Italics(same)Journal name and volume number; book and report titlesJournal name and volume number; book and report titles
Journal names(same)Full journal name in title caseFull journal name in title case
Page ranges(same)Full page range, e.g. 1288–1292Full page range, e.g. 1288–1292

When to use APA 6

APA 6 was replaced by the 7th edition in 2020, but many departments and journals still ask for it. If your handbook’s examples show the publisher’s city (“London: Heinemann”) and “Retrieved from” before web links, it is APA 6. It is published by the American Psychological Association; CiteSwap follows the 6th edition (2010).

APA 7 is more common in psychology, education, nursing, while APA 6 is usual in psychology, education, nursing. If your department or journal names a style, always follow it.

APA 7 to APA 6: frequently asked questions

How do I convert APA 7 citations to APA 6?

Paste your APA 7 reference list into the box above (one reference per line, numbered, or separated by blank lines), check that “From” says APA 7 or Auto-detect and “To” says APA 6, then press Convert. You can also paste DOIs, BibTeX or RIS. Copy the result or download it for Word.

What is the difference between APA 7 and APA 6?

They are close relatives. The differences are in in-text citations, many authors and dois and links: APA 7 author and year in parentheses, e.g. (Suri & Jack, 2016), with a page number for quotations, APA 6 author and year in parentheses, e.g. (Suri & Jack, 2016); three to five authors are all named the first time, then shortened to “et al.”; APA 7 list up to 20 authors; for 21 or more, give the first 19, an ellipsis, then the last author, APA 6 list up to seven authors; for eight or more, give the first six, an ellipsis, then the last author; APA 7 dOI as a link: https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aah5309, APA 6 dOI at the end; web pages use “Retrieved from” before the URL, and books give the city of publication (London: Heinemann).

How are DOIs and URLs written in APA 6?

APA 6: DOI at the end; web pages use “Retrieved from” before the URL, and books give the city of publication (London: Heinemann). APA 7: DOI as a link: https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aah5309. The converter rewrites DOIs in APA 6 format for you.

Is the APA 7 to APA 6 converter accurate?

Each reference is matched against the Crossref catalogue (over 150 million records) and only accepted automatically when the title, year and first author agree. Anything uncertain is marked “Needs review” so you can pick the right match, and references that aren’t in the catalogue, like websites or local journals, are parsed from your text and marked so you can check them.