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Rob's Document Formatting and Accessibility Feedback Checklist

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Rob's Document Formatting and Accessibility Feedback Checklist

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A blog post about the document formatting and accessibility checklist that I use when providing feedback on student writing assignments.

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Update (Feb 19, 2024): Updated versions of the Document Formatting Checklist and Digital Accessibility Checklist have been uploaded, included updated links for existing comments, and a new comment regarding the use of textboxes and Digital Accessibility compliance.

I recently posted a video about how I use the mail merge features of Microsoft Excel and Word to automate my feedback to students about common APA paper formatting issues. I routinely include a checklist of common APA formatting issues when providing feedback on student paper submissions, checking off the items that each student seems to be struggling with.

Over the past few terms, I have started embedding issues into my checklist related to Digital Accessibility concerns noted in students' papers and projects. Whether or not these issues are included in students' grades, it is important to highlight them to help promote awareness (and hopefully inspire a more Digital Accessibility-conscious practice mindset). I am constantly tweaking my checklist, and recent conversations with a colleague and with some of my students inspired me to do a broader-scale overhaul. In my latest version, I have separated out and expanded the Digital Accessibility comments. I also decided to post two versions of the updated checklist here for anyone who wants to integrate them into their feedback routine.

One version is my full checklist, which include common APA version 7 formatting comments as well as Digital Accessibility issues. The second version, which might be useful for assignments and projects other than APA format student papers, includes just the Digital Accessibility issues. Both are available in Word and PDF format, and the Word versions are available with and without the embedded Excel mail merge fields (I have also included an Excel template with the merge fields). ​

The APA Fomatting Checklist covers:

Basic APA v 7 paper formatting.

General writing style issues for APA v 7 papers.

General formatting for References and in-text citations.

Proper formatting for citations for book chapters, journal articles, web sites, blog posts, and YouTube videos.

Block quotes.

Citing multiple authors.

Citing digital tools such as software applications.

The Digital Accessibility Feedback Checklist covers:

Basic paragraph text and section header formatting for Accessibility.

Table row and column headers.

Use of colored text and text font choice.

Including ALT text for images.

Avoiding text within images.

Color-Contrast Ratio.

Ensuring that videos have closed captions (and Descriptive Video, if possible).

Ensuring that embedded media does not auto-play.

Ensuring that embedded media controls do not require a mouse to operate.

I created the following video a while back. It provides a good overview of how to use the Excel file and merged Word document to automate the process of providing feedback with the templates for your students.

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Adding Accessibility to Student Feedback

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I recently posted a video about how I use the mail merge features of Microsoft Excel and Word to automate my feedback to students about common APA paper formatting issues. I routinely include a...

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Developing an Audit Checklist

By: Devon, Najwa, Meaghan, and Dhanak

1. File Naming: Use the format Assignment#_CourseCode_LastName_FirstName.pdf for your file name.

2. Font Style and Size: Make sure the font used is accessible for all (i.e., make sure the font used is easy to read throughout the paper).

3. Guideline Compliance: Follow the guidelines for submission (e.g., eliminate running headers).

4. APA Headings: Use correct APA7 heading levels and apply appropriate heading styles. The APA7 heading level that it should be is Level 1.

5. Page Numbering: Number all pages in the correct order (this does not include the page number on the title page).

6. Page Layout: Do not use line breaks; instead, put page breaks to show that a new page is starting.

7. Abbreviations: Spell out acronyms at first mention, then the abbreviation in parentheses. For example, Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and then going forward it would be written as UDL.

8. APA Formatting: All citations and references should follow APA7 guidelines.

9. Citing Tools: Reference any site, applications, images, etc. used that helped in your research.

10. In-text Citations: Make sure that in-text citations are in the appropriate APA7 format.

11. Hyperlinks: Use descriptive hyperlink text (e.g., “View the policy document”) rather than vague phrases like “click here.”

12. Alt Text: Do an accessibility check, and make sure to use alt text for all images, unless they are used as decorative (make sure to label them as decorative in such a case).

13. Image Use: Limit the use of text-heavy images.

14. Color Contrast: Ensure that the colors are sufficiently contrasted to make them easily visible.

15. Video Accessibility: For any video content, ensure it is accessible by providing captions and a transcript.

16. Media Playback: For any embedded media used, make sure to have autoplay disabled. Disable autoplay for all embedded media.

17. Content Quality:
a. Make sure that there are no spelling or grammatical errors throughout. Eliminate spelling and grammatical errors.
b. Ensure that the information is clear and concise. Keep content concise and easily understandable.

18. . Alternative Formats: Ensure that the research paper offers different formats (i.e.,shared URL or PDF).

19. Reading Metrics: Make sure to include the word count, either at the end of the paper, or on the title page.

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Accessibility Audit Checklist by Fay Broyt, Gabe Dugo, Claire Fitzpatrick, Sabrina Ierulli, Anne Leach

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Accessibility Audit Checklist by Fay Broyt, Gabe Dugo, Claire Fitzpatrick, Sabrina Ierulli, Anne Leach

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Group 5 - Accessibility Audit Checklist for Print & Multimedia Resources

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Group 1: Audit checklist for peer feedback assignment 

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Group 1: Audit checklist for peer feedback assignment 

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Group #1: Peer-review Accessibility Assignment Checklist 

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Group 3 Audit Checklist

Audit Checklist at the bottom of the document!

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Breakout Activity 8.1: Using an Automated Accessibility Checker