Bump to v1.4.1: beta tester feedback and alphabetical order check

- Fix dead link in Reference authors help (author-format → elements-list-entry)
- Improve reference parser to classify Frontiers/PLoS volume:article format
  and Available-at entries, resolving spurious review status on italics check
- Clarify Reference title capitalization howToFix with two direct instructions
- Add journal title abbreviation note to Reference italics expectedItems
- Update Reference punctuation instructions with two-case volume/issue/page
  format examples and article number case
- Reorder report categories: Paper formatting → Citations → References
- Remove misleading alphabetical order text from References page expected text
- Add checkReferencesAlphabeticalOrder check (A–Z by first author surname)

Co-Authored-By: Claude Sonnet 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com>

Author: pfranktesting

README.md

@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ A client-side tool for checking APA 7 formatting in Word documents. Upload a `.d
 
 > **Note:** APA Coach is in active development. Always review your paper manually before submitting.
 
-**Version 1.4.0** — Last updated June 27, 2026
+**Version 1.4.1** — Last updated July 3, 2026
 
 Contact pfrank@aiuniv.edu with questions, comments, or bug reports.
 
@@ -146,6 +146,9 @@ See the [LICENSE](LICENSE) file for details.
 
 ## Changelog
 
+**v1.4.1** — July 3, 2026
+Beta tester feedback round: improved reference parser to correctly classify Frontiers/PLoS-style journal articles (volume:article format) and "Available at:" entries, resolving spurious "review" status on the Reference italics check. Added new References alphabetical order check. Reordered report categories to Paper formatting → Citations → References. Updated instructions for Reference title capitalization, Reference italics, Reference punctuation, and References page checks for clarity. Fixed dead link in Reference authors help resources.
+
 **v1.4.0** — June 27, 2026
 Added 9 new checks based on library reviewer testing: heading numbering, heading capitalization, heading bold, heading level alignment, references start on new page, references numbered, citation comma, reference DOI format, and reference forbidden phrases. Fixed false positives in citation matching, reference italics, and title-case detection. Renamed "Inline citations" to "In-text citations". Full details in [edgecases.md](edgecases.md) and [CHANGELOG.md](CHANGELOG.md).
 

package.json

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "apa-coach",
-  "version": "1.4.0",
+  "version": "1.4.1",
   "description": "",
   "main": "index.js",
   "scripts": {

src/browser/main.jsx

@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ import "./styles.css";
 
 const APP_INFO = {
   version: packageInfo.version,
-  lastUpdated: "June 27, 2026",
+  lastUpdated: "July 3, 2026",
   supportEmail: "pfrank@aiuniv.edu",
   resources: [
     {
@@ -70,6 +70,7 @@ const CHECK_CATEGORY = {
   "Unconverted markup symbols": "Paper formatting",
   // References
   "References page": "References",
+  "References alphabetical order": "References",
   "References start on new page": "References",
   "References numbered": "References",
   "References heading alignment": "References",
@@ -101,7 +102,7 @@ const CHECK_CATEGORY = {
   "Secondary citations": "Citations",
 };
 
-const CATEGORY_ORDER = ["Paper formatting", "References", "Citations"];
+const CATEGORY_ORDER = ["Paper formatting", "Citations", "References"];
 
 function sortChecks(checks) {
   return [...checks].sort((a, b) => STATUS_ORDER[a.status] - STATUS_ORDER[b.status]);

src/checks/checkApaFormatting.js

@@ -69,7 +69,7 @@ const APA_REFERENCE_FORMAT_RESOURCE = {
 };
 const APA_AUTHORS_RESOURCE = {
   label: "APA Style: Author Format",
-  url: "https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/references/author-format",
+  url: "https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/references/elements-list-entry",
 };
 const APA_DOI_FORMAT_RESOURCE = {
   label: "APA Style: DOIs and URLs",
@@ -538,11 +538,18 @@ function getHowToFix(rule) {
     ];
   }
 
+  if (rule === "References alphabetical order") {
+    return [
+      "Sort all references A–Z by the first author's last name.",
+      "If two entries share the same first author, sort by the second author's last name, then by year.",
+      "Group authors (e.g., organizations) sort by the first word of their name.",
+    ];
+  }
+
   if (rule === "References page") {
     return [
       "Add a new page at the end of the document titled 'References'.",
       "Center the word 'References' at the top of the page.",
-      "List all sources in alphabetical order.",
       "Use a hanging indent for each reference entry.",
     ];
   }
@@ -569,7 +576,8 @@ function getHowToFix(rule) {
 
   if (rule === "Reference title capitalization") {
     return [
-      "Reference titles use sentence case: capitalize only the first word, the first word after a colon, and proper nouns.",
+      "Capitalize the first letter of the first word of the title.",
+      "Capitalize the first letter of the first word of the subtitle (after the colon).",
       "Example — correct: \"The effects of social media on academic performance\"",
       "Example — incorrect: \"The Effects of Social Media on Academic Performance\"",
       "Proper nouns (names of people, places, organizations, brands) stay capitalized: \"Facebook\", \"United States\", \"COVID-19\".",
@@ -590,15 +598,19 @@ function getHowToFix(rule) {
       "Book, report, and standalone work titles should be italicized.",
       "Journal article and book chapter titles should NOT be italicized — remove any italic formatting.",
       "For journal articles: italicize only the journal name and volume number. The issue number in parentheses and page range should not be italic.",
+      "Write journal titles in full — do not abbreviate: \"International Journal of Information and Learning Technology\", not \"Int. J. Inf. Learn. Technol.\"",
       "In Word, select the text and press Ctrl+I (Cmd+I on Mac) to toggle italic.",
     ];
   }
 
   if (rule === "Reference punctuation") {
     return [
-      "Each reference must end with the URL or DOI on its last line.",
+      "Check for the volume, issue, and page numbers for each article.",
+      "If an article has a volume, issue, and pages: Journal Title, 11(1), 99–110.",
+      "If an article does not have an issue number: Journal Title, 11, 99–110.",
+      "If an article has an article number instead of pages: Journal Title, 11(1), Article e0306639.",
       "Journal page ranges do not use \"p.\" or \"pp.\" — write the page range directly: 45–67, not pp. 45–67.",
-      "Write volume and issue with no space: 15(3) not 15 (3).",
+      "If there is an issue number, write volume and issue with no space: 15(3) not 15 (3).",
       "Use an en dash (–) for page ranges, not a hyphen (-).",
     ];
   }
@@ -1398,11 +1410,23 @@ function classifyReferenceKind(parsed) {
   const source = parsed.sourcePart || "";
   const title = parsed.title || "";
 
-  // Journal article: "Volume(Issue), pp" or "Volume, pp" pattern in source
+  // Journal article: "Volume(Issue)" or "Volume, page-range" pattern in source
   if (/\b\d+\s*\(\s*\d+\s*\)/.test(source) || /,\s*\d+\s*(?:[–—-]\s*\d+)\b/.test(source)) {
     return "journal-article";
   }
 
+  // Journal article: Frontiers/PLoS-style "Volume:ArticleID" (e.g., "Front. Educ.8:1206936", "PLoS ONE19:e0306639")
+  // No \b before the digit — the number is often concatenated directly to the journal name abbreviation.
+  if (/\d+:[0-9a-zA-Z]+/.test(source)) {
+    return "journal-article";
+  }
+
+  // Journal article: "Journal, Volume, ArticleNumber" where article number is 5+ digits
+  // (used by some journals instead of a page range, e.g., "Sustainable Futures, 10, 101408")
+  if (/,\s*\d+,\s*\d{5,}\b/.test(source)) {
+    return "journal-article";
+  }
+
   // Book chapter: "In Editor (Ed.), Book Title" or bare "In Book Title. Publisher."
   if (/\bIn\s+[^.]*\(Eds?\.\)/i.test(source) || /\bIn\s+[^.]*\(Eds?\.\)/i.test(title)) {
     return "book-chapter";
@@ -1411,9 +1435,12 @@ function classifyReferenceKind(parsed) {
     return "book-chapter";
   }
 
-  // Webpage: URL present, no source signals — but doi.org links are journal articles
-  if (parsed.doiOrUrl && !source) {
-    return /\bdoi\.org\/10\./i.test(parsed.doiOrUrl) ? "journal-article" : "webpage";
+  // Webpage: URL present with no source, or with "Available at:" in source (reports, white papers)
+  if (parsed.doiOrUrl) {
+    const isDoi = /\bdoi\.org\/10\./i.test(parsed.doiOrUrl);
+    if (!source || /\bavailable\s+at\b/i.test(source)) {
+      return isDoi ? "journal-article" : "webpage";
+    }
   }
 
   // Book: has a publisher-like tail and no journal numbers
@@ -1683,8 +1710,8 @@ function checkReferencesPage(extracted) {
     rule: "References page",
     status,
     passed: status === "pass",
-    expected: "APA expects a References page with sources listed in alphabetical order using hanging indents.",
-    expectedText: "APA expects a References page with sources listed in alphabetical order using hanging indents.",
+    expected: "APA requires a References section at the end of the document with the heading 'References'.",
+    expectedText: "APA requires a References section at the end of the document with the heading 'References'.",
     foundText:
       status === "fail"
         ? "APA Coach did not detect a References page at the end of the document."
@@ -2682,6 +2709,7 @@ function checkReferenceItalics(extracted, referencesHeading) {
     "Books and reports: the title should be in italics.",
     { text: "Book *chapters*, if used: do not italicize the chapter title.", sub: true },
     "Journal articles: do not italicize the article title. Italicize the journal name and the volume number — but not the issue number (the number in parentheses).",
+    "Write journal names in full — do not abbreviate: \"International Journal of Information and Learning Technology\", not \"Int. J. Inf. Learn. Technol.\"",
   ];
   const referenceParagraphs = getReferenceEntryParagraphs(extracted.paragraphs, referencesHeading);
   const entryParagraphs = getMergedReferenceEntries(referenceParagraphs);
@@ -2786,9 +2814,63 @@ function checkReferenceItalics(extracted, referencesHeading) {
   };
 }
 
+function checkReferencesAlphabeticalOrder(extracted, referencesHeading) {
+  const rule = "References alphabetical order";
+  const expected = "APA requires references to be listed in alphabetical order by the first author's last name.";
+  const referenceParagraphs = getReferenceEntryParagraphs(extracted.paragraphs, referencesHeading);
+  const entryParagraphs = getMergedReferenceEntries(referenceParagraphs);
+
+  if (entryParagraphs.length < 2) {
+    return {
+      rule, status: "review", passed: false, expected, expectedText: expected,
+      foundText: entryParagraphs.length === 0
+        ? "No reference entries found."
+        : "Only one reference entry found — alphabetical order cannot be verified.",
+      applicable: 0, checked: 0, matched: 0, failed: 0, unknown: 0,
+      found: "Too few entries", applicableParagraphs: 0, details: [], howToFix: [], resources: [],
+    };
+  }
+
+  const keyed = entryParagraphs.map(p => {
+    const parsed = parseReferenceEntry(p);
+    const raw = (parsed.authorsRaw || "").trim().replace(/\.\s*$/, "");
+    const commaIdx = raw.indexOf(",");
+    const sortKey = (commaIdx > 0 ? raw.slice(0, commaIdx) : raw)
+      .toLowerCase()
+      .replace(/^[^a-z]+/, "");
+    return { p, sortKey, text: p.text.trim() };
+  });
+
+  const checkable = keyed.filter(e => e.sortKey.length > 0);
+  const unknowns = keyed.filter(e => e.sortKey.length === 0).map(e => e.p);
+
+  const failures = [];
+  const details = [];
+
+  for (let i = 1; i < checkable.length; i++) {
+    const prev = checkable[i - 1];
+    const curr = checkable[i];
+    if (curr.sortKey < prev.sortKey) {
+      if (!failures.includes(curr.p)) failures.push(curr.p);
+      const prevPreview = prev.text.length > 50 ? prev.text.slice(0, 50) + "…" : prev.text;
+      const currPreview = curr.text.length > 50 ? curr.text.slice(0, 50) + "…" : curr.text;
+      details.push(`Out of order: "${currPreview}" should come before "${prevPreview}"`);
+    }
+  }
+
+  const foundText = failures.length > 0
+    ? `${failures.length} reference${failures.length === 1 ? " appears" : "s appear"} to be out of alphabetical order.`
+    : unknowns.length > 0
+      ? `Alphabetical order appears correct for ${checkable.length} ${checkable.length === 1 ? "entry" : "entries"}; ${unknowns.length} could not be verified.`
+      : "References appear to be in alphabetical order.";
+
+  return finishCheck(rule, expected, foundText, entryParagraphs, failures, unknowns, details,
+    getHowToFix(rule), [APA_REFERENCE_FORMAT_RESOURCE]);
+}
+
 function checkReferencePunctuation(extracted, referencesHeading) {
   const rule = "Reference punctuation";
-  const expected = "For journal articles, APA has two punctuation rules for the volume, issue, and page range:";
+  const expected = "For journal articles, APA formats the volume, issue, and page range as follows — the issue number in parentheses is only included when present:";
   const referenceParagraphs = getReferenceEntryParagraphs(extracted.paragraphs, referencesHeading);
   const entryParagraphs = getMergedReferenceEntries(referenceParagraphs);
 
@@ -2834,8 +2916,10 @@ function checkReferencePunctuation(extracted, referencesHeading) {
         : "Reference punctuation appears correct.";
 
   const expectedItems = [
-    "Write the volume and issue together with no space: *15*(3) — not *15* (3).",
-    "Write the page range directly after the issue: *15*(3), 45–67 — do not add \"p.\" or \"pp.\" before the numbers.",
+    "With volume, issue, and pages: Journal Title, *11*(1), 99–110.",
+    "Without an issue number: Journal Title, *11*, 99–110.",
+    "With an article number instead of pages: Journal Title, *11*(1), Article e0306639.",
+    "Do not add \"p.\" or \"pp.\" before the page range.",
   ];
 
   return {
@@ -3544,6 +3628,7 @@ function checkApaFormatting(extracted) {
       checkReferenceForbiddenPhrases(extracted, referencesHeading),
       checkReferenceShortLinks(extracted, referencesHeading),
       checkUnapprovedSources(extracted, referencesHeading),
+      checkReferencesAlphabeticalOrder(extracted, referencesHeading),
       checkReferenceAuthors(extracted, referencesHeading),
       checkReferenceYear(extracted, referencesHeading),
       checkReferenceTitleCapitalization(extracted, referencesHeading),
@@ -3592,6 +3677,7 @@ module.exports = {
   checkUnconvertedMarkup,
   parseReferenceEntry,
   classifyReferenceKind,
+  checkReferencesAlphabeticalOrder,
   checkReferenceAuthors,
   checkReferenceYear,
   checkReferenceTitleCapitalization,