diff --git a/doc/source/contributing.rst b/doc/source/contributing.rst
index 7785f5fe3283d..f3c9239fb58e7 100644
--- a/doc/source/contributing.rst
+++ b/doc/source/contributing.rst
@@ -303,6 +303,13 @@ Some other important things to know about the docs:
   output saved) during the doc build. This way, they will always be up to date,
   but it makes the doc building a bit more complex.
 
+- The utility script ``scripts/api_rst_coverage.py`` can be used to compare
+  the list of methods documented in ``doc/source/api.rst`` (which is used to generate
+  the `API Reference <http://pandas.pydata.org/pandas-docs/version/0.16.0/api.html>`_ page)
+  and the actual methods of the classes ``Series``, ``DataFrame``, ``Panel``, and ``Panel4D``.
+  It will identify methods documented in in ``doc/source/api.rst`` that are not actually
+  class methods, and class methods that are not documented in ``doc/source/api.rst``.
+
 
 How to build the pandas documentation
 -------------------------------------
diff --git a/scripts/api_rst_coverage.py b/scripts/api_rst_coverage.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..cc456f03c02ec
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/api_rst_coverage.py
@@ -0,0 +1,43 @@
+import pandas as pd
+import inspect
+import re
+
+def main():
+    # classes whose members to check
+    classes = [pd.Series, pd.DataFrame, pd.Panel, pd.Panel4D]
+
+    def class_name_sort_key(x):
+        if x.startswith('Series'):
+            # make sure Series precedes DataFrame, Panel, and Panel4D
+            return ' ' + x
+        else:
+            return x
+
+    # class members
+    class_members = set()
+    for cls in classes:
+        class_members.update([cls.__name__ + '.' + x[0] for x in inspect.getmembers(cls)])
+
+    # class members referenced in api.rst
+    api_rst_members = set()
+    file_name = '../doc/source/api.rst'
+    with open(file_name, 'r') as f:
+        pattern = re.compile('({})\.(\w+)'.format('|'.join([cls.__name__ for cls in classes])))
+        for line in f:
+            match = pattern.search(line)
+            if match:
+                api_rst_members.add(match.group(0))
+
+    print()
+    print("Documented members in api.rst that aren't actual class members:")
+    for x in sorted(api_rst_members.difference(class_members), key=class_name_sort_key):
+        print(x)
+
+    print()
+    print("Class members (other than those beginning with '_') missing from api.rst:")
+    for x in sorted(class_members.difference(api_rst_members), key=class_name_sort_key):
+        if '._' not in x:
+            print(x)
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+    main()