Common APA Errors

BOLD Educational Software
Common APA Errors

	Common APA Errors
Error 1: Comma or Semicolon? Take the BOLD practice quiz on APA comma use. Take the BOLD Educational Software quiz on colons and semicolons.	When typing lists in text, should you use a comma or a semicolon between items? It depends! If ANY item in the list has a comma within the item, use semicolons between items in the list. If none of the items has a comma, then use commas between the items: There are three things to watch out for: (a) use of commas versus semicolons, (b) use of parallel items, and (c) accuracy of the text. There are three things to watch out for, including (a) correct punctuation of commas, semicolons, and colons; (b) use of parallel wording rather than unequal items; and (c) accuracy of the text based on the original sources.
Error 2: Colon or no colon? Take the BOLD Educational Software quiz on colons and semicolons.	When typing lists in text, should you use a colon in front of the list or not? First, your choice is colon or no colon, NOT colon, comma, or semicolon. If the list is introduced with a complete clause (in other words, you could end it with a period and be grammatically correct) use a colon. If it is NOT a complete clause, for instance, it is introduced with "including", use no punctuation. There are three things to watch out for: (a) use of commas versus semicolons, (b) use of parallel items, and (c) accuracy of the text. There are three things to watch out for, including (a) correct punctuation of commas, semicolons, and colons; (b) use of parallel wording rather than unequal items; and (c) accuracy of the text based on the original sources.
Error 3: Comma rules Take the BOLD practice quiz on APA comma use.	APA comma rules differ slightly from 'traditional' grammar. Place a comma after every item in a series before the 'and'. Also use commas with nonessential or nonrestrictive clauses. [Hint: use a comma with "which" but not "that"]. Separate two independent clauses [each has its own subject] but DON'T use a comma preceding a dependent clause (separating a subject from its verb) See pages 78-79 of the 5th Edition of the APA Publication Manual for more rules.
Error 4: When to use et al. in citations	First, spell it correctly: "et al." No period after "et" 1. Use et al. in a citation the SECOND time you cite a reference with 3 to 5 authors. 2. Use et al. in a citation the FIRST and EVERY time you cite a reference with 6 OR MORE authors.
Error 5: Date or no date? Read the email I received from APA.	Even many APA experts mess this one up. On page 174 of the 6th edition of the APA Publication manual: "when both the name and the year are in parentheses . . . , include the year in subsequent citations within the paragraph."
Error 6: And or &?	Use "and" in text and "&" inside parentheses. Kerry and Jones (2007) noted... but ... The results indicated a significant relationship (Kerry & Jones, 2007).
Error 7: Data is or are?	The word "data" is plural, so when writing your results, write The data were collected . . .
Error 8: To hyphenate or not?	We're so used to hyphenating words like "non-experimental" or "pre-test". On page 99 of the 6th edition of the APA Publication Manual you'll find a list of prefixes that DO NOT REQUIRE HYPHENS, including (but not limited to!) after bi co non pre post DO hyphenate nouns used as adjectives: decision-making process DO NOT hyphenate nouns NOT used as adjectives: the process of decision making"
Error 9: Write numerals for ALL numbers over 10, right? Wrong! Take the BOLD Educational Software quiz on numbers	While the GENERAL rule is write out all numbers below 10 and use numerals for 10 and above, there's quite a list of exceptions, even beyond starting a sentence with a large number. For example, for time, use numbers: "in about 3 years" or "2 weeks ago". For subjects or participants, use numbers: "3 participants" or "4 subjects", but "two raters" or "seven observers" (no explaining THAT rule!). And of course, you MIX figures and numbers over a million, as in "3 million", or with back to back modifiers: "2 two-way interactions". Best bet: check the rules on pages 111-114 of the 6th edition of the APA Publication Manual if you have any doubt.
Error 10: Anthropomorphism Take the BOLD Educational Software quiz on anthropomorphism	Avoid Anthropomorphism: giving THINGS attributes that belong to PEOPLE Don't write, "The organization enforces its policies strictly." Organizations are THINGS. Organizational LEADERS enforce policies.
Error 11: Writing to a Ph.D. audience	APA style is based on three basic principles: 1. Clear communication 2. Specificity: details that allow duplication (in a study), and 3. Sensitivity: writing without bias and following ethical principles. If your writing sounds SO IMPRESSIVE that only someone with a Ph.D. could POSSIBLY hope to understand it, you are not writing in APA style. Keep it simple. Keep it clear. Define any term that might confuse your audience. If your sentence has more than two clauses, cut it. If your reader has to reread a sentence three times to figure out what it means, rewrite it.
Error 12: Which vs. that Take the BOLD Educational Software practice quiz on relative pronouns and subordinate conjunctions	THAT clauses are restrictive, meaning they are essential to the meaning of the sentence. Do not use a comma before "that": The organizations that were included in the study had sales over $1 million annually. WHICH clauses add additional information and are therefore nonrestrictive clauses. Always use a comma to separate the nonrestrictive clause: The organizations, which had sales over $1 million annually, were included in the study.
Error 13: Using first names	When citing an author only use the author's last name
Error 14: singular/plural	Make sure your pronouns agree: CORRECT: Each participant will complete the questionnaire, WRONG: Each participant will complete their questionnaire.
Error 15: Neglecting to include the page or paragraph number in a direct quotation.	If you use an idea from the literature, you must include author’s last name and the year of publication. If you quote from the source, you must use quotation marks and include the page (or the paragraph number if it is from the Internet).
Error 16: Capitalization in titles	APA style allows only three uses of capitals in titles in the reference section. Capitalize the first word of a title, the first word after a colon, and for proper nouns. Titles are handled differently in the body of your paper. Capitalize major words in titles of books and articles within the body of the paper. Conjunctions, articles and short prepositions are not considered major words; however, capitalize all words of four letters or more. Capitalize all verbs (including linking verbs), nouns, adjectives, adverbs and pronouns. When a capitalized word is a hyphenated compound, capitalize both words. Also, capitalize the first word after a colon or a dash in a title.
Error 17: Incorrect capitalization Take the BOLD Educational Software quiz on capitalization	There are 7 basic APA rules for capitalization, but there are specific exceptions. You'll find the complete rules in the 6th edition of the Publication Manual from page 101 - 104. A typical error is to capitalize "Chapter 2" CORRECT: "The literature review is presented in chapter 2." (never capitalize nouns that denote common parts of books or tables followed by numerals or letters),
Error 18: p = .00	A p-value is never zero. Report the p-value as p < .01 or p < .001. The p-value is telling you the chances of something happening. While the probability may be infinitely small, somewhere past that .00 is a 1, you just don't know if it is 1 decimal place or a thousand decimal places.
Error 19: p = 0.05	Never put a 0 in front of the decimal if the number cannot be greater than 1.00. Correct: p = .05
Error 20: Writing in passive voice instead of active voice Take the BOLD Educational Software quiz on passive voice	Active voice means the subject of the sentence is doing the action. Passive voice means the subject of the sentence is receiving the action. Often in passive voice it is unclear WHO is performing the action, as in "The law was passed in 2010."
Error 21: Do not use the title 'Introduction'	Do not use the title "Introduction" at the head of your paper. Per the APA Manual, this is understood, so be a little more creative in your first heading
Error 22: Type an ellipsis correctly	Put a space before and after every period in an ellipsis: . . .
Error 23: Use Male/Female as PRONOUNS	When talking about gender, use the terms men and women as nouns and male/female as adjectives: The men scored higher than the women. Vs. The male participants scored higher than the female participants.
Error 24: Italicize letters that represent statistics	Italicize letters that represent statistics (e.g., The highest level of growth was achieved in Japan (M = 6.44), followed by Germany (M = 4.64), the United States (M = 3.36), and United Kingdom (M = 3.20)
Error 25: Put a space before and after all mathematical symbols	p = .05 not p=.05 p < .05 not p<.05
Error 26: Remove hyperlinks	Especially in your reference section, RIGHT CLICK on the hyperlink for a URL and select REMOVE HYPERLINK so it is not underlined or in color
Error 27: Report only 2 decimal places	For most statistics, only report 2 decimal places: SD = 10. 23, not SD = 10. 232682452 unless more decimal places are needed for clarity: p < .001
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