0FF661F3-FFE9-2552-AB0AB1F527B5ACB9
5F83103E-EFF2-EC7F-9A6D72801277BA3F
by Jennifer Borton

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(Please ASK if, after you’ve read about the particular error in your blue Style Sheet booklet, you’re still unsure about what it means. My corrections are meant to help you improve your writing in general, not just your writing for my class.)

Abbreviation
Problem
agr incorrect agreement between subject & verb or between pronoun & antecedent
   
anth anthropomorphizing (attributing human capacities or qualities to inhuman objects; e.g., “The theory says…”. Better: “According to the theory…”)
   
awk awkward phrasing
   
ca incorrect case (I/me, we/us, she/her, he/him, who/whom)
   
cg problem with congruity (includes incomplete/incongruous comparisons, shift in person, shift in number, shift in tense, etc.)
   
cit citation (reference) needed
   
comp finish the comparison (used less/more, higher/lower, etc. without saying less or more than what)
   
cont avoid using contractions in formal writing
   
d error of diction (incorrect word choice; e.g., affect vs. effect, its vs. it's, less vs. fewer, while vs. whereas or although, since vs. because)
   
da dangling elements (e.g., “In reading over my paper, it was clear that it needed some work.”)
   
inc incomplete sentence
   
mm misplaced modifier (e.g., “To measure self-esteem, the participants will complete…¿” Better: “To measure self-esteem, the experimenters will distribute…”)
   
mw missing word
   
ONW! omit needless words!
   
new paragraph needed
   
pl sentence is not parallel in form
   
poss possessive (incorrect apostrophe)
   
Abbreviation
Problem
p.o.v. point of view (avoid writing in the 2nd person, i.e., don't use “you”)
   
prep don’t end a sentence with a preposition
   
punc problem with punctuation
   
pv use of passive voice
   
subj incorrect use of subjunctive (e.g., using “would” when you’re writing about the past)
   
t problem with verb tense
   
v. r. vague referent (e.g., use of “this” or “they” without a clear antecedent)

Guide to Psychology-Specific Corrections (including APA style)

alph alphabetize references in parentheses or alphabetize references in reference section
   
caps capitalize running head
   
males/females use “men” and “women”
   
part use “participants” instead of “subjects” when referring to humans (Often, I'll abbreviate participants as “Ps”).
   
sp no extra space needed (everything should simply be double-spaced)
   

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