Most Common Writing Errors Graduate students often ask

Most Common Writing Errors Graduate students often ask how they can improve their writing. Here is a list of the most common writing errors cited by our faculty. This list is just intended as a general guide and is not specific to the writing assignments or requirements of any individual course or professor. • Not following assignment guidelines • Incorrectly formatted reference page (or citations and reference page don’t match) – APA 6. 22 • Not following APA formatting –APA Manual • Missing or poorly written paper abstract – APA 2. 04 • Missing required elements (cover page, reference page, abstract, etc. ) –APA manual • Incorrectly formatted seriation (when to use letters, numbers, bullets, etc. ) - APA 3. 04 • Missing section headings or incorrect paper headings – APA Manual Chapter 2 & 3. 03 • Colloquial Expressions (everyday common language and/or slang) – APA 3. 09 • Lack of proper in-text citations (failing to give • Anthropomorphism (attributing human credit for your work) – APA Manual Chapter characteristics to inanimate sources) – APA 6 3. 09 • Incorrectly formatted in-text citations (missing dates, page numbers, etc. ) – APA Manual Chapter 6 • Poor writing quality (lack of clarity, organization, professionalism, etc. ) Gustafson 7/16/2012