Final Checks and Common Mistakes in APA 7

You've done the hard part. Your paper is written, your sources are cited, and your references are in order. Now it's time to make sure everything is polished and ready to submit.

Let's go through a few final checks that catch the small mistakes that make a big difference.

1. Check your formatting

Make sure your paper follows the basic APA formatting rules. If you used PERRLA, you can rest easy: this was all handled from the start. If not, check for:

• One-inch margins on every side of the page
• Double spacing throughout, the references page included
• A legible, APA-approved font, like 12-point Times New Roman or 11-point Calibri
• Page numbers in the top right corner
• The right items on your title page, for APA and for anything your professor adds
• The right heading levels, if you used headings
• A references page that starts on a new page

2. Proofread your writing

Even the best ideas get lost in confusing writing or a pile of errors. Read your paper slowly, or better yet, read it out loud, to catch awkward phrasing, grammar mistakes, and run-on sentences.

You can also ask someone else to read it. A fresh set of eyes catches things you've missed. Many schools have writing centers that are a huge help when you plan ahead and leave yourself time to use them.

3. Double-check your in-text citations

• Does every quote, paraphrase, or borrowed idea have a citation?
• Do the citations match your reference list, names and dates included?
• Does every direct quote have its page number?
• Are the citations inside the sentence's final punctuation, except after a block quote?

A missing or wrong citation can turn into plagiarism, even when it was unintentional.

And if a reference on your list isn't cited anywhere in your paper, take it off the references page.

4. Review your reference list

• Is every source you cited in your paper on the list?
• Are the references in alphabetical order, by the first author's last name?
• Is each reference formatted correctly: punctuation, italics, capitalization, and spacing?
• Does every reference have a hanging indent?

Small details like periods, commas, and capital letters are easy to miss, but they're all part of the APA format.

5. Don't forget your professor's instructions

Sometimes your professor asks for something different from what APA requires, and that's their call. Your professor's preferences always come first, so follow any specific instructions they've given for the assignment.

That's it. A few extra minutes with these checks helps you avoid simple mistakes and makes your work as strong as it can be.

The finished paper

Here is where the course started: a complete APA 7 student paper, with every one of these checks passed.

The title page, the first body page, and the references page of the sample Bigfoot paper.

How PERRLA checks the paper

If you write in PERRLA, most of this is handled for you. You focus on the writing, and PERRLA takes care of the formatting. When you're ready, click I'm Finished: PERRLA reads the whole paper against the APA rules, lists what it finds, and offers a one-click fix for most of it. It never stops you from downloading.

Congratulations: you finished APA 101

After all that, you've reached the end of APA 101. You're ready to write papers in the APA format with clarity, confidence, and credibility.

One last note. If you'd rather spend your time on the writing than on the formatting, PERRLA has a 7-day free trial, with no credit card. There's a lot to know about the APA format, and we're here to help, as we have been since 1998.

Thanks for watching and reading, and good writing.

Related APA 101 lessons

• Basic page setup: margins, font, double spacing, indents, and the page number.
• In-text citations: author, year, and page, and when et al. applies.
• The references page: alphabetical order, hanging indents, and the References label.
• Welcome to APA 101: how the course is laid out, and how to use it.
• All 18 lessons in APA 101