Capitalization
Words should be lowercase unless you are directed to capitalize them in APA 7th Edition.
Capitalize
| the first word of a complete sentence | The students absolutely loved the new website. |
| the first word after a colon if the following is a complete sentence | Student feedback was universal: The website was needed. |
| proper nouns | The Rocky Mountain Chocolate Company sells amazing gifts. |
| proper adjectives | Four Lebanese families attended the information session. |
| names of racial and ethnic groups | The study focuses on the experiences of 5 Black women who live in Kitchener. |
| names of specific departments, academic institutions, or courses | I met my partner in Psychology 101 at the University of Edinburgh. |
| trade and brand names | Many study participants were already taking Advil (ibuprofen) on a regular basis. |
| job titles that precede a name | Did you know that President Barack Obama was born in 1961? |
| personal names that appear in diseases, disorders, treatments, theories, etc. | Alzheimer’s disease non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma Down syndrome Parkinson’s disease |
Do Not Capitalize
| personal names that begin with lowercase letters (even if it begins a sentence) | van Nieuwkerk is widely respected in the field of dance studies. |
| proper nouns that begin with lowercase letters | The participants all received new iPads as gifts after the study completed. |
| common nouns | The professor recommended that I take a psychology course to enhance my nursing skills. The company sold over 2,500 units last quarter. Investigators noted which participants were not taking ibuprofen regularly. |
| job titles or positions that follow the name or refer to a position in general | Justin Trudeau is the prime minister of Canada. |
| diseases, disorders, therapies, theories and related terms | depression leukemia diabetes dengue fever typhoid cataract surgery |