Dr.

Straw’s APA & Writing Checklist

Compliance with the American Psychological Association (APA)1 standards is required

in all your assignment submissions in this class. I know that APA and writing compliance is
challenging. Please use this checklist to ensure you comply with APA standards. I will mark but
not explain APA and writing errors in your papers. You will need to refer to this document to
identify the correction to the marked items.

Abstract
Abstract #1: An abstract is included for any assignment where the body of the paper is
over two pages.
Abstract #2: The word Abstract is used as the level one heading.
Abstract #3: The abstract is on a page by itself right after the cover page.
Abstract #4: The abstract provides a sufficient overview of the paper in one paragraph of
250 words or fewer.
Citations
Citations #1: All ideas, concepts, and information gleaned from a source include a proper
citation of that source.
Citations #2: All quotations include author, date, and page number(s) citation. If a page
number is not available because of the format of the source, the citation includes a section
name and/or a paragraph number.
Citations #3: All sacred text quotations include book, chapter, verse, and version citation.
Citations #4: Quotation marks are only used for quotations. Emphasis is shown by using
italics.
Figures
Figures #1: All charts, graphs, plots, and screenshots are labeled as figures.
Figures #2: All programming code and mathematical equations use single spacing and are
placed in a box and labeled as figures and placed either in the body of the paper or in
appendices. All programming code longer than one page is placed in an appendix.
Figures #3: All figures are full width, stretching from the left margin to the right margin,
and the content is readable.
Figures #4: Labels for all figures are below the figure, left-justified, and are formatted
correctly as shown on the next line. The X represents the figure number.
Figure X. Descriptive title.
Figures #5: All figures taken from a source include a full citation with the author, year, and
page number at the end of the figure label.
Headings
Headings #1: Headings are used as signposts that keep the writer focused and guide the
reader.
Headings #2: The content under every heading is at least one-half page.
Headings #3: All level one headings are the same font-size as the text, centered, bold, the
first letter of each word is capitalized, and the headings appear on a line by themselves.
Headings #4: All level two headings are the same font-size as the text, left-justified, bold,
the first letter of each word is capitalized, and the headings appear on a line by themselves.
Headings #5: All level three headings are the same font-size as the text, left-justified, bold,
only the first letter is capitalized, and each heading is the first sentence of a paragraph with
a period at the end of the heading.

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 Dr. Straw’s APA & Writing Checklist

Running Head
Running Head #1: The title of the paper is used as the running head.
Running Head #2: The words running head are not included in the running head except on
the cover page.
Running Head #3: The running head appears left-justified, in all capital letters, and is in
the header of each page.
Tables
Tables #1: All content that consists of rows and columns of numbers and/or text is labeled
as a table.
Tables #2: All tables are full width, stretching from the left margin to the right margin, and
the content is readable.
Tables #3: Labels for all tables are above the table, left-justified, and and are formatted
correctly as shown on the next two lines. The X reprents the table number.
Table X
Descriptive Title.
Tables #4: All tables taken from a source include a full citation with the author, year, and
page number below the table as a note.
Reference Page
Reference Page #1: The word References is used as the level one heading.
Reference Page #1: The references begin on a new page after the body of the paper and
before the appendices.
Reference Page #3: References are sorted alphabetically by the authors’ last names.
Reference Page #4: References include all sources cited in the body of the paper and only
those sources cited in the body of the paper.
Reference Page #5: Each reference uses a hanging indent where the first line is left
justified, and subsequent lines are indented five spaces.
Reference Page #6: Each reference is single-spaced, and there is a blank line between each
reference.
Writing - general
Writing #1: 12-point Times New Roman is the font used.
Writing #2: The line spacing is double-spaced, and there are no extra blank lines between
paragraphs.
Writing #3: All paragraphs are indented five spaces.
Writing #4: All proper nouns begin with a capital letter, including all names of sacred
scriptures, places, people, companies, and products. If a company or product is branded
with a lower-case first letter, then the branding capitalization is followed.
Writing #5: All acronyms are spelled out the first time they are used.
Writing #6: No contractions are used.

1
American Psychological Association (2009). Publication manual of the American
Psychological Association (6th ed.).

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